Vose & Sons

The history

Like most Boston-based piano makers, with Boston then being the center of musical instruments production, Vose and Sons has stood the expectation of manufacturing truly exceptional pianos. Despite the fact that these pianos are no longer manufactured, they are still lined up with some of the best pianos of our age.

James Whiting Vose established in the company in 1851 on Washington Street in Boston. Boston was home to a huge population of old world craftsmen who had immigrated to the United States during the 19th century.

These craftsmen all had the amazing skills in woodworking and piano building, and Vose was one of them; having all these talents, he took the advantage of the time and workforce he had to open a business that, unknown to him, would someday become one of the most well-known names in the industry.

Vose manufactured a number of high quality square grand, upright, and grand pianos under the name “James W. Vose” during his time. In 1889, James brought his sons into the business and established the name we know today as Vose and Sons.

During the 1920s, Vose and Sons opened a new state-of-the-art factory in Watertown, Greater Boston. Not long after, the Great Depression hit and the firm was forced to become a part of the huge Aeolian-American Corporation. The Vose name continued to be manufactured until the 1980’s when Aeolian went out of business.

Many of these pianos have made it up to our present day. Despite their age, piano technicians and piano rebuilders often refer to Vose pianos as "work horses," simply saying that these instruments are well made and that they can endure heavy use and long periods of time.

In spite of their age, many still seek these pianos out, desiring to have one for themselves, as Vose and Sons have proven to endure under the test of time.