Elmer Reeder

Oral History Information

Interview Date
Birth Date
Deceased Date
Job Title
Master Piano Builder
Company Name
James Reeder Piano
Tags
Pianos, Exotic Woods, Piano Technicians, PTG (Piano Technicians Guild), Music Manufacturers, Product Engineers, Music Retail, Steinway & Sons, Bluthner Piano Company, Michigan, Mason and Hamlin Piano Company, Deceased

Elmer Reeder and his brother purchased a sawmill outside of Lansing, Michigan, right after World War II.  It was during that time that Elmer became an expert in wood, an important part of his career years later.  When his son, Jim, opened a piano shop and retail store called James Reeder Piano, Elmer was hired by his son to become a piano builder.  Elmer worked on construction and rebuilding pianos and in fact continued to work in the shop well into his 90s.