Johannes Seiler GS118 Upright Piano

Product Overview

Seiler pianos have been meticulously handcrafted in Europe since 1849 and by the early 1920s, Seiler had become the largest piano maker in Eastern Europe, producing about 3000 pianos yearly. One of Asia’s leading piano makers Samick purchased Seiler in 2008, and now Seiler continues to handcraft their pianos the way they always have in Kitzingen, Germany, but Samick expanded the piano line up to include two more affordable lines of pianos, in an effort to bring the essence of legendary Seiler pianos to all players. The Eduard Seiler line are exact replicas of the German models, made in Samick’s state of the art Indonesian factory, while the Johannes Seiler line is all unique scale designs and made in this same factory.

The GS118 upright is 47” or 118 cm tall, and will therefore be a good height to handle pretty well all repertoire. Those that are familiar with European designed pianos will know that 48” isn’t a popular upright scale, and that 47” pianos from that part of the world are more common.

The Johannes Seiler line, of which the GS118 is a part, features some very high-quality materials and design features that piano shoppers/researchers will be impressed by. The pianos all have solid spruce soundboards (larger GS Grands) or all-spruce (surface-tension) in the uprights and smaller grands for improved tuning stability, Abel Hammers from Germany, Samick’s ‘Premium’ Action, and German Roslau Strings among others.

Apart from being designed very well and using great materials, the Johannes Seiler pianos also receive quality control and a prep process that’s simply unheard of for the price ranges. At the factory, the strung backs and cabinets are inspected meticulously, the soundboard mass distribution and rib positioning are monitored for optimal tone production, the strings are pre-stretched many times and the pianos are tuned repeatedly to ensure stability and consistency. As well, voicing, key weighting, and hammer alignment are all done by Seiler technicians both at the factory as well as at the Tennessee facility for North American distribution.

The GS118 is available in Polished Ebony as Well as Satin Ebony and features unique cabinet detailings, double caster wheels, and a European cabinet trim

Samick’s Premium Action

The action in the Johannes Seiler GS118 is Samick’s ‘Premium’ action, or in other words, the best action Samick makes. The action offers a slightly heavier key which gives the player more control. The key balancing and key weighting is done both at the Samick factory as well as at the Tennessee facility prior to distribution to North American retailers, resulting in a well regulated and ready to play action ‘right out of the box’

Clear and Bright Tone

The Johannes Seiler GS118’s tone is very characteristic of a Seiler piano – clear and bright but with plenty of colour and tonal complexity. One thing to note in this section about Seiler pianos generally is that their tone from model to model from decade to decade has remained consistent, even through some meaningful redesigns. This tone is what’s made Seiler pianos famous

Abel Hammers with German Wool

The GS118 along with other Johannes Seiler pianos receive Abel Hammers with German wool, which for this price range is incredible. Some of the world’s top uprights have these hammers. The hammer alignment is done at the Samick factory

Solid Spruce Soundboard

The Johannes Seiler GS118 receives a solid spruce soundboard of high grain count for maximum tonal production (White Spruce). The soundboard’s thickness (mass distribution) and rip positioning is carefully inspected to maximize the board’s acoustical properties.

Cabinet Available in Chrome or Brass

The GS118 has a cabinet of the same quality level as its ‘more expensive sibling’ and features some unique cabinet trims to differentiate this piano from others. All hardware including the logo and double caster wheels is available in chrome or brass, and the cabinet options are Polished Ebony or Ebony Satin.