August Forster

August Forster is one of the names that piano people mention quietly and with respect, and one that most of the buying public has never heard of. The firm has built pianos in Löbau in eastern Germany since 1859, it is still owned and run by the Forster family in the fifth generation, and it still makes only around 120 grands a year, by hand. That is the whole explanation for both the quality and the obscurity.

At 150cm this is a compact grand, and what the size buys you here is a beech rim, a solid mountain spruce soundboard, hardrock maple bridges and a Renner action with Renner hammers, which is the specification a German maker uses when it is not trying to hit a price. Forster grands are known for an unusually deep bass and a sweet, singing treble rather than for sheer power, which makes them instruments to live with rather than to be impressed by. This example has been assessed and prepared by our team at The Piano Gallery.

Available to purchase online or to try in person at our Oxfordshire showroom. Contact us to arrange a viewing or to discuss delivery and part-exchange options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are August Forster, and why have I not heard of them?

They are a small German family firm, founded in Löbau in 1859 and still run by the descendants of the founder. The reason they are unfamiliar is simply scale: they build around 120 grands and 150 uprights a year, against the tens of thousands that come out of the large Japanese factories, and they have never had a marketing budget to match. Among tuners and technicians the name carries a good deal of weight.

Did being in East Germany affect the quality?

The factory was state-managed for the decades before reunification, but it continued to be run by a Forster throughout and it went on making pianos to its own designs with hand methods rather than being converted to mass production. Instruments from that period are generally well regarded. After reunification the family took the company back into private ownership. As with any older piano, condition and preparation tell you more than the year does.

How does a Forster compare with a Steinway or a Bösendorfer?

It belongs in that conversation, which is the useful thing to know, and it costs considerably less. The character is different: a Forster is warmer and more intimate than a Steinway and less overtly brilliant, with a bass that is remarkably full for the size of instrument. If you want a hand-built German grand and the famous names are out of reach, this is one of the genuinely serious alternatives rather than a consolation.

Is a Renner action worth paying attention to?

Yes. Renner in Stuttgart makes actions and hammers for a large proportion of the best grands in the world, and a maker fitting Renner throughout is making a deliberate and expensive choice. In practice it means the touch can be regulated to a very fine standard and that any good technician will know exactly what they are working with, which matters over the life of the instrument.

How much room does a 150cm grand need?

Allow roughly 2.3m from the front of the keys to the tail once the stool is in place, and about 1.5m across. That is less than most people assume and it sits comfortably in a sitting room of ordinary size. Measure the route in as well as the room, because the legs and lyre come off for the move but the case does not, and a tight turn at the top of a staircase is the usual difficulty.