Sykes & Sons

The Danemann Piano Company was established by the German-born designer, William (Wilhelm) Danemann, in 1893. This firm began by joining the once-large group of piano makers operating in London at the time but distinguished itself through a strong reputation for excellent build quality and thus developed into one of Britain's best-known piano manufacturers. 
The Danemann piano company undoubtedly produced some of the UK's finest instruments at their factory in Islington, London, and has been a brand close to the heart of Sykes & Sons for many years.

 

After the Second World War, the Danemann Piano Company moved focus away from supplying the mass market and redirected all efforts to manufacturing instruments of the highest possible quality, using the very best materials available to the trade. 

Through their insistence on quality, Danemann earned several lucrative contracts with some of the most recognised names in the British retail, leisure, and entertainment sectors. Danemann Pianos formed the stock of the musical instrument department at Harrods of Knightsbridge, used on the vessels operated by P&O Cruises, and were found throughout eminent venues all across the UK, such as the Royal Festival Hall. Danemann also supplied instruments to British embassies across the globe, with individual modifications to suit particular climates.

 

Danemann's capability and willingness to build pianos to very rigid and meticulous specifications also made them the manufacturer of choice for many of the UK's educational authorities and Danemann was entrusted to supply pianos of outstanding quality to many of the country's most prestigious institutions, such as the Royal College of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music. Many of these pianos are still serviced and in use today.

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Behind the distinctive tone and sustaining power that Danemann is revered for is a scale design which began at Grotrian-Steinweg of Braunschweig, Germany, and evolved within Danemann to eventually be incorporated into many of their models. Egdar, William's son, was a brilliant piano designer and introduced an interesting feature called the 'back bridge' into the firm's instruments as early as the 1930s. The back bridge had not been seen in any other British piano prior but had long been an addition in certain pianos of German origin. It adds strength to the soundboard and enhances the tonal colour and consistency across all of the registers. 

 

After meticulous training, Peter Danemann, grandson of the founder, and third generation of Danemann piano makers, joined the family factory and he, like his father, developed an intricate knowledge of piano construction, scale design, and action geometry. Peter used his skill and comprehension to develop more Danemann models alongside his father, one of which is the PJ that we offer here. 

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Domestic Danemann pianos, such as the PJ, are favoured for their sweet, rich, and full-bodied tone, which is more similar to pianos of German origin than any of their other English-made competitors.

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Like all British manufacturers, Danemann could not compete with the low retail prices of pianos made in the Far East, and this combined with diminishing school budgets during the 1970s and 1980s forced the closure of the Danemann factory in 1985. In 2015, the rights to the Danemann name were sold to a firm with the intention of affixing the Danemann name to a line of Chinese-made instruments and the import of these pianos began in 2017. This latest generation of Danemann pianos may share the same logo as their British predecessors, but they contain no designs or influence from the original company or the craftspeople who built the Daneman reputation.

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The PJ that we have here is a real British, Danemann pedigree, designed and built at the factory in Islington by the family whose name it bears. All Danemann pianos offered by Sykes & Sons are indeed British-made instruments that have been carefully reconditioned in our workshop, in a process sympathetic to the original makers. 

Sykes & Sons really trusts the excellent build quality of British-made Danemann pianos and we are sure you will appreciate why when you visit.