Kemble Pianos
Kemble was Britain’s best-known piano maker, and for its last decades it was owned by Yamaha. That makes a good Kemble an unusual thing: a British piano built to Yamaha’s standards, and one of the best-value used pianos on the market.
A British piano with Yamaha inside
Kemble was founded in London in 1911 and grew into Britain’s largest piano manufacturer, based for many years at a factory in Milton Keynes. In 1988 Yamaha took a controlling stake, and from then on Kembles were built with Yamaha soundboards and action parts, in British-styled cabinets. The factory also built Yamaha-branded pianos. When Yamaha moved production to Indonesia in 2009, Kemble became the last piano maker in Britain.
What that means for a buyer
A Yamaha-era Kemble gives you much of the reliability and even tone Yamaha is known for, often at a lower price than the equivalent Yamaha, because the Kemble name is less famous. For a home or a learner, that is a lot of piano for the money. See our Kemble upright pianos and are Kemble pianos good.
The models
Kemble is best known for its uprights, with models such as the Classic, the Oxford and the Cambridge. It also made some grands. Sizes and specifications vary, so always check the individual piano.