The manufacturer held a high position in the market after Steinway & Sons and Chickering brands.

During this period the business also expanded to the west coast, the factories employed over 200 people, producing over 1000 Knabe upright pianos and Knabe baby grand pianos per year. In 1860, a civil war broke out, which disrupted this good luck, and 4 years later William Knabe died leaving the company in the hands of his sons.

William Knabe was not discouraged and over the following years he undertook to build more factories, still maintaining the very high quality of his award-winning instruments. Knabe & Co.) - Henry Gaehle soon died and his relative William took care of the separate production. Knabe decided to continue production and dissolve the company (Wm. However, there were still other workshops of the company where it was still possible to produce instruments. The sudden turn in 18 was very unfortunate for the Knabe piano factory, as two of their factories burned down in just 2 months! The financial losses were very serious. In the 1950s they had the largest workshop in the southern part of the United States. After a few years, William was joined by his partner Henry Gaehle, and together they created their own pianos, 'square' upright pianos and high quality Knabe baby grand pianos under the name Knabe & Gaehle Co., winning recognition and first prizes. This lasted a few years, and in 1837 he created his own brand of upright and grand pianos, Wm. A few years later he decided to repair used pianos himself at home and sell them. After moving to the States, he planned to become a farmer, but managed to get a job as a piano maker for Henry Hartye. He emigrated to Baltimore, Maryland with his family in 1831. William (German: Wilhelm) Knabe, like Henry Steinway or Franz Rudolph Wurlitzer, was a German emigrant - a carpenter who learned the art of making keyboard instruments already in Germany. The Knabe brand has its place in the history of legendary American upright and grand pianos.

Knabe piano value by serial number