Everett Piano Company

The Everett Piano Company was initially founded in 1883 as a subsidiary of the Cincinnati, Ohio-based John Church Company. In 1926, the subsidiary merged with the Cable-Nelson Piano Company and relocated to South Haven, Michigan, where they remained until ceasing production completely in 1989. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Everett pioneered several innovative designs in piano making, and is credited with the production of the Orgatron, an electrostatic reed organ that employs technology licensed from Frederick A. Hoschke and Benjamin F. Miessner. The Orgatron project was suspended in 1941 in order to aid in the allied war effort, with the technology being transferred to the Wurlitzer Company of Illinois, who continued to produce similar instruments until the 1950s when they were subsumed by the Hammond Organ Company. In 1973, Everett was purchased by the Yamaha Corporation and, in 1986, it was transferred once more to the Baldwin Piano and Organ Company. Everett was known for its high quality pianos, including both grand and vertical units, having shifted their focus to exclusive production of the latter in 1946 in an effort to respond to demands of the burgeoning domestic market. Perhaps their greatest contribution was the development of the patented ‘Balanced Tension’ back for pianos, which was designed by George Stapely in 1946. The Balanced Tension back employs metal levers to control the force of the instrument’s strings, synchronizing it with the movements of the ever-important cast iron frame as it naturally adjusts to changes in surrounding temperature and humidity; this small but crucial construction feature allows the instrument to remain in tune far better than those lacking the implement, minimizing movement of the strings. The firm also introduced a ‘Dyna-Tension Scale’ in 1949, which claimed to give smaller, vertical pianos the tonal range of a full-size grand.