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Have you heard of Yamaha? They started as a piano manufacturer in 1887!
  Yamaha was established in 1887 as a piano and reed organ manufacturer by Torakusu Yamaha as in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture and was incorporated on October 12, 1897.
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Yamaha Corporation
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Timothy Gilbert
Timothy Gilbert (January 5, 1797 – July 19, 1865) was an American piano manufacturer, abolitionist and religious organizer in Boston, Massachusetts.. His brother Lemuel Gilbert (February 10, 1804 – February 27, 1864) was also a piano manufacturer. Gilbert was born in Enfield, Massachusetts, the second child of Timothy Gilbert and Fear Shaw and worked on his father's farm until the age of 21. He arrived in Boston December 1818, where he apprenticed with cabinet maker Levi Ruggles, and later worked for piano maker John Osborn before becoming a piano maker in his own right. He was an active member of the Baptist Church, to which he converted in 1817, and was an outspoken abolitionist.
Piano
The piano is an acoustic, stringed musical instrument invented in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori around the year 1700 (the exact year is uncertain), in which the strings are struck by hammers. It is played using a keyboard, which is a row of keys (small levers) that the performer presses down or strikes with the fingers and thumbs of both hands to cause the hammers to strike the strings. The word "piano" is a shortened form of "pianoforte", the Italian term for the early 1700s versions of the instrument, which in turn derives from "gravicembalo col piano e forte" and "fortepiano". The Italian musical terms "piano" and "forte" indicate "soft" and "loud" respectively, in this context referring to the variations in volume (i.e., loudness) produced in response to a pianist's touch or pressure on the keys: the greater the velocity of a key press, the greater the force of the hammer hitting the strings, and the louder the sound of the note produced and the stronger the attack.
Disklavier
Disklavier is the brand name for a family of high-tech reproducing pianos made by Yamaha Corporation. The first Disklavier was introduced in the United States in 1987. The typical Disklavier is a real acoustic piano outfitted with electronic sensors for recording and electromechanical solenoids for player piano-style playback. Sensors record the movements of the keys, hammers, and pedals during a performance, and the system saves the performance data as a Standard MIDI File (SMF). On playback, the solenoids move the keys and pedals and thus reproduce the original performance. Modern Disklaviers typically include an array of electronic features, such as a built-in tone generator for playing back MIDI accompaniment tracks, speakers, MIDI connectivity that supports communication with computing devices and external MIDI instruments, additional ports for audio and SMPTE I/O, and Internet connectivity.
Yamaha Corporation
  Yamaha was established in 1887 as a piano and reed organ manufacturer by Torakusu Yamaha as in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture and was incorporated on October 12, 1897. The company's origins as a musical instrument manufacturer are still reflected today in the group's logo—a trio of interlocking tuning forks. After World War II, company president Genichi Kawakami repurposed the remains of the company's war-time production machinery and the company's expertise in metallurgical technologies to the manufacture of motorcycles. The YA-1 (AKA Akatombo, the "Red Dragonfly"), of which 125 were built in the first year of production (1954), was named in honour of the founder.
Yamaha Entertainment Group
Yamaha Entertainment Group - Nashville., a subsidiary of the Yamaha Corporation of America, is based in Franklin, Tennessee and was created and developed in 2001 by Vice President Chris Gero. Yamaha Entertainment Group is responsible for the development and advancement of the Yamaha brand name through numerous artist-related activities worldwide, which includes endorsements, artist imaging, artist marketing, concert production, media operations, piano logistics, tour support, product placement, artist related publications, artist website development and strategic alliances. A 25-year veteran in the music industry, Chris Gero has spent the last 15 years spearheading Yamaha’s artist branding.
Pearl River Piano Group
The Pearl River Piano Group (广州珠江钢琴集团有限公司) is China's largest piano manufacturer and claims to have the largest piano factory in the world. The company was established in 1956 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Pearl River is capable of producing over 100,000 pianos a year, and exports them to more than 80 countries. Most Pearl River pianos are considered entry level instruments. However, they make some (Ritmuller, Kayserburg, and Hallet Davis) to higher specifications with better materials. Pearl River also releases special edition pianos, including the "Butterfly Grand", which is 198 centimeters long and available in silver, blue, or pink.
Chris Gero
Chris Gero is a three-time Emmy award-winning, GRAMMY nominated, American music industry executive, concert producer, record producer, artist relations executive, songwriter, award-winning film director and composer and the founder and vice president of Yamaha Entertainment Group of America. Gero is responsible for the management and branding of Yamaha's global roster, having signed more than 3,600 artists to contract to date. Gero oversees Yamaha's artist collaborations, including Elton John, Alicia Keys, Paul McCartney, Norah Jones, Josh Groban, Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, John Legend, and Ben Folds.