Schwander, Herrburger Brooks, Langer?

[sirprize]

Three names:

Schwander
Herrburger Brooks
Langer

How do they relate to each other? And is the English-built action associated with them still being manufactured and if not when did it cease?

Cheers!

[Gill the Piano]

Bill Kibby on the History page has a potted history of how they are all related; if you ask him nicely, I bet he'll tell you!

[PianoGuy]

The original Langer action company was German, and became absorbed at some point into the Herrburger-Brooks-Schwander empire, so when did that happen Bill?

The Langer name seemed to have come back into being on upright H.B. actions from the mid 1980s onwards, replacing the Schwander name which was then reserved for grand actions.

As a postscript, the Schwander name is now a piano brand name on a Chinese built piano which features a British made Langer action!

[Bill Kibby]

Schwander made actions in Paris. His son-in-law joined him in the late 1800s, and then later, the firm became Herrburger-Schwander. In 1920, they merged with Brooks, London to become Herrburger Brooks. Langer was a more modern addition. Dates of some actions numbers may be found at the end of my numbers page via pianogen.org