PianoTech Archive

From Danny Moore <danmoore@ih2000.net>

Is the Daewoo factory in Korea still producing any piano shaped
objects?  If so, what name are they using now?  I've just serviced a
Sojin, and to the best of my knowledge, it's no longer in production.
Anyone know anything about the history of Daewoo and their forey into
the piano business?

Thanks,
Danny Moore
Houston Chapter

From JIMRPT@aol.com

Danny;
  If I am not mistaken Sojin is still an active brand marque for Daewoo.
(sp?)
Sojin is not being distributed here in the US due to low sales figures.  We
were the Sojin dealer here in town when they withdrew from the US market and
that is the story we were told then.
  Sojin was hard to sell against the Yamaha and Kawai, model for model,
because of the relative closeness of the price and the difference in tonal
quality.  That having been said, there are a lot worse PSOs on the market
than the Sojin.
Jim Bryant (FL)

From PianoBook@aol.com

In a message dated 97-07-15 11:27:57 EDT, you write:

<< Is the Daewoo factory in Korea still producing any piano shaped
 objects?  If so, what name are they using now?  I've just serviced a
 Sojin, and to the best of my knowledge, it's no longer in production.
 Anyone know anything about the history of Daewoo and their forey into
 the piano business?
 
 Thanks,
 Danny Moore
 Houston Chapter
  >>


My understanding is that the particular division of Daewoo (a giant Korean
trading company) that made Sojin pianos did it under duress of some kind and
was happy to exit the piano business a few years ago.  Their pianos were not
very good, or at least required immense amounts of dealer prep to function
well.

To quote from The Piano Book (have to get that advertising in somehow!):

"In 1991 Daewoo completely changed direction and purchased a 33 percent
interest in the prominent German piano manufacturer Ibach.  The production of
Sojin pianos was discontinued, to be replaced by the manufacture of Ibach
pianos in Korea.  According to Daewoo, most Sojin production equipment was
sold to a Chinese company and replaced by copies of Ibach equipment."
......

"The new U.S. distributor of Ibach pianos stresses that the Daewoo division
responsible for manufacturing Ibach is different from the one that made
Sojin, and has a keen interest in the building of quality pianos.  Daewoo is
replacing Sojin production equipment with copies of German Ibach equipment,
and Ibach is training Daewoo workers to duplicate Ibach's factory methods as
well.  Production will be limited to five thousand pianos a year, as opposed
to the former Sojin's thirty thousand.  Ibach will continue to build some
pianos in Germany, but few of them will be available here due to their high
price."

........

>From the 1997-98 Annual Supplement to The Piano Book:

"Soon after the third edition of The Piano Book went to press, Daewoo decided
not to distribute Korean-made Ibach pianos in the U.S.  However, the pianos
are being distributed in Canada.  The Canadian Distributor is:

Bingley Distriburors
280 Dufferin Ave.
Trenton, Ontario
Canada K8V 5G2

613-394-4729"
.............

Larry Fine
www.tiac.net/users/pianobk

From rmartin21@juno.com

List

Do you remember my story about sitting with the owner of a German factory
a few years ago? I had suggested to this man that he attempt building a
lower cost piano for U.S. consumption and his answer was "We don't know
how!" That man was Christian Ibach. One very nice guy.. I wasn't aware
that Daewoo had "bought into" his company since then. Good to know!.

Ralph Martin
On Wed, 16 Jul 1997 22:57:38 -0400 (EDT) PianoBook@aol.com writes:
>In a message dated 97-07-15 11:27:57 EDT, you write:
>
><< Is the Daewoo factory in Korea still producing any piano shaped
> objects?  If so, what name are they using now?  I've just serviced a
> Sojin, and to the best of my knowledge, it's no longer in production.
> Anyone know anything about the history of Daewoo and their forey into
> the piano business?
> 
> Thanks,
> Danny Moore
> Houston Chapter
>  >>
>
>
>My understanding is that the particular division of Daewoo (a giant 
>Korean
>trading company) that made Sojin pianos did it under duress of some 
>kind and
>was happy to exit the piano business a few years ago.  Their pianos 
>were not
>very good, or at least required immense amounts of dealer prep to 
>function
>well.
>
>To quote from The Piano Book (have to get that advertising in 
>somehow!):
>
>"In 1991 Daewoo completely changed direction and purchased a 33 
>percent
>interest in the prominent German piano manufacturer Ibach.  The 
>production of
>Sojin pianos was discontinued, to be replaced by the manufacture of 
>Ibach
>pianos in Korea.  According to Daewoo, most Sojin production equipment 
>was
>sold to a Chinese company and replaced by copies of Ibach equipment."
>......
>
>"The new U.S. distributor of Ibach pianos stresses that the Daewoo 
>division
>responsible for manufacturing Ibach is different from the one that 
>made
>Sojin, and has a keen interest in the building of quality pianos.  
>Daewoo is
>replacing Sojin production equipment with copies of German Ibach 
>equipment,
>and Ibach is training Daewoo workers to duplicate Ibach's factory 
>methods as
>well.  Production will be limited to five thousand pianos a year, as 
>opposed
>to the former Sojin's thirty thousand.  Ibach will continue to build 
>some
>pianos in Germany, but few of them will be available here due to their 
>high
>price."
>
>........
>
>>From the 1997-98 Annual Supplement to The Piano Book:
>
>"Soon after the third edition of The Piano Book went to press, Daewoo 
>decided
>not to distribute Korean-made Ibach pianos in the U.S.  However, the 
>pianos
>are being distributed in Canada.  The Canadian Distributor is:
>
>Bingley Distriburors
>280 Dufferin Ave.
>Trenton, Ontario
>Canada K8V 5G2
>
>613-394-4729"
>.............
>
>Larry Fine
>www.tiac.net/users/pianobk
>
>