Young Chang

Pianos made by: Young Chang Co., Ltd., Incheon, South Korea; and Tianjin, China

In 1956, Kim brothers: Jai-Young (accountant), Jai-Chang (pianist/piano technician) and Jai-Sup (engineer) started Young Chang in Seoul, Korea by assembling pianos from parts made by Japanese firm, Yamaha, and becoming the first musical instrument company in South Korea, incorporating as Young Chang Akki Co. Ltd. by 1962.

By 1968 they began building their own pianos after signing an agreement with Yamaha for technical support. After building a new factory in in 1970 in Incheon, Korea they began exporting pianos a year later.

With Young Chang’s decision to expand their operations both in Korea and internationally, their direction was to produce pianos under their own brand name and end the relationship with Yamaha in 1975. By 1979 Young Chang America was established, followed by Young Chang Canada in 1984 and Young Chang Europe in 1989.

In 1990 they acquired Kurzweil Music Systems, a major manufacturer of electronic keyboards. In 1995 they built a factory in Tianjin, China. In 2006, the Hyundai Development Group, a Korean construction and civil engineering firm that aided in creating the Hyundai Motor Co., purchased Young Chang giving it the needed capital and production sensibility akin to the manufacture of cars.

They are now one of the world’s largest piano manufacturers. Names on pianos built by Young Chang have included: Astor, Bergmann, Bechendorff, Cline, Essex, Ibach, Karl Muller, Knabe, Nakamura, Piano Disk, Pramberger, Schafer & Sons, Wagner, Weber, Wurlitzer. Besides building pianos with their own brand name, Young Chang manufactured Wurlitzer pianos for the Baldwin Piano Co., Weber pianos for Samsung, and private label or “stencil” names for large dealers and distributors around the globe.

Official Website: www.youngchang.com