The modern Yamaha logo represents the name of the founder of Yamaha written in Latin in combination with tuning forks. The three tuning forks symbolize the strong connection between technology, production and sales—the three pillars of Yamaha Corporation. Now Yamaha Motor and Yamaha logos differ in the location of the tuning forks, which intersect the circle for Yamaha Motor and are enclosed in a circle for Yamaha.
Yamaha logos since 1898
The creator of the world famous Yamaha company was Mr. Yamaha Torakusu. In 1887, as a medical equipment repairman in the city of Hamamatsu, he was asked to repair a phisgamonia (organ). Thorakusu was so passionate about working with this musical instrument that he decided to make every detail by hand and assemble his own harmonium.
Founder of Yamaah – Yamaha Thorakusu
After 2 months, he delivered the organ to Tokyo for testing at a music institute. The institute admitted that the body was chalked in the correct shape, but found several shortcomings in the instability of the tuning of the reed organ. Torakusu decided not to deviate from his intended goal and became a lecturer at the Institute of Musical Research.
The first integrated amplifier Yamaha CA-700 (1972)
A month after studying, the future founder of Yamaha Organ Works returned to his hometown, where he decided to assemble a second harmonium, which subsequently successfully passed the test at the Institute and was a worthy replacement for imported analogues. In 1897, Torakusu founded the Nippon Gakki company, which that same year received a large order from Southeast Asia to assemble 80 organs. During the first half of the 20th century, the company successfully mastered the production technology of various musical instruments.
First tuner Yamaha CA-700 (1973)
In 1889, Thorakusu Yamaha founded the Yamaha Organ Works company, and eight years later, in 1897, he created the Nippon Gakki company, whose symbol was tuning forks, and whose trademark was the figure of a Chinese phoenix with a tuning fork in its beak. In those same years, the company received its first order to export organs to Southeast Asia, and in 1900 it produced its first batch of pianos. In 1902, production of the first grand pianos under the Yamaha brand began, and in 1904, the organ and piano produced by the company received the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in the American city of St. Louis. The company’s successes in woodworking were also noted.
Designer cassette recorder Yamaha CA-700 (1972)
In 1914, Nippon Gakki began producing harmonicas under the Yamaha brand and began exporting in the same year. Success accompanied the company in all its endeavors. In 1921, the Japanese government decided to use Nippon Gakki’s woodworking expertise to create aircraft propellers. In 1922, the production of high-quality phonographs began under the Yamaha brand, in 1930 the first acoustics analysis laboratory was founded, in 1932 the production of wind organs was mastered, and in 1941 the production of acoustic guitars began. The company knew how to quickly and effectively repurpose its production. Thus, metalworking technologies were in demand for casting frames for grand pianos and pianos, and later in the production of wind instruments.
The first Yamaha HP-1 headphones (1976)
In 1914, Yamaha began producing the first harmonicas and began selling them for export later that year. With the outbreak of World War I, the importation of imported (mostly German) musical instruments into Japan ceased, which was taken advantage of by local manufacturers, including Nippon Gakki. Despite the death of the founder, the company expanded rapidly, by 1920 it had 1,000 employees and produced 10,000 harmoniums and 1,200 pianos a year. However, over the next five years, the company found itself on the verge of bankruptcy: the rise of the yen made its products less competitive for export, two of the company’s factories burned down in 1922, and the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 destroyed the Tokyo office and damaged several more factories. The restoration of the company was undertaken by Kaichi Kawakami, director of the Sumitomo Wire Company, who became president of Nippon Gakki in 1927.
Yamaha CA-1010 integrated amplifier and CT-1010 tuner (1972)
In 1921, the Japanese government decided to use Yamaha’s vast experience in woodworking to create aircraft propellers. Ten years later, the company repurposed production to produce metal propellers and other parts for aircraft, including fighter planes during World War II. Subsequently, metalworking technologies were in demand for casting frames for grand pianos and pianos, and later in the production of wind instruments. In 1922, Nippon Gakki began producing high-quality phonographs; in 1930, the first acoustics analysis laboratory was founded; in 1932, the production of wind organs was mastered; and in 1941, the production of acoustic guitars began. After the bombing during the war, only one plant of the company survived; restoration took place mainly due to American financial assistance. In 1947, the export of harmoniums was resumed.
Yamaha TC-1000 cassette deck (1979)
In 1950, Kaichi Kawakami was succeeded as president of the company by his son, Genichi Kawakami. In 1954, the Yamaha Music School music education system was created. In the same year, production of the first Hi-Fi audio systems began. Thanks to the accumulated experience in the field of metallurgical technologies, the production of the first Yamaha YA-1 motorcycle was launched. During the year, 125 motorcycles were produced. Due to successful sales, in 1955 it was decided to separate the motorcycle division into a separate company, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. In 1956, the company first took part in the exhibition of musical instruments in Chicago, in 1958 the first branch was opened abroad – in Mexico, and in 1960 a branch was opened in Los Angeles (USA), which received a contract for pianos for local schools.
Integrated amplifier Yamaha CA-1010 (1982)
An archery products business was founded in 1959 (closed in 2002). In 1959, the Yamaha Technical Laboratory was opened, in which the company develops analogue modeling technologies and soon creates the D-1 Electone electric organ, the world’s first transistorized electric organ. Thanks to research in the field of metals, the company was able to create a line of fiberglass equipment. In 1961, the company began producing skis, boats and other products made from fiber-reinforced polymer. In 1962, the Yamaha Recreation division opened, which created resort complexes for musical and sports leisure: Nemu-no-Sato in 1967, Tsumagoi in 1974, Katsuragi in 1976, Haimurbushi in 1979 and Toba in 1964.
The first CD player Yamaha CD-1 (1982)
In 1965, the company began producing pipes at the Kakegawa and Iwata factories; in 1970, Nippon Gakki merged with the wind instrument manufacturer Nippon Wind Instruments (currently Saitama Factory). In 1977 and 1978, respectively, wind instrument workshops were opened in Tokyo and Hamburg. Also in 1965, the first Yamaha music school was opened abroad – in Los Angeles. By 1966, the company had become the world leader in piano manufacturing, producing 100,000 instruments per year.
Speaker systems Yamaha NS1 Classic (1982)
In 1966, the European branch of Yamaha Europa was opened in Germany, and also, in cooperation with the Japanese Ministry of Education, the Yamaha Foundation was created to improve the qualifications of music teachers and promote music education. Yamaha music schools are opening in Mexico, Canada and Thailand. Also in 1966, lines for the production of electric guitars and drums were opened, Yamaha patented the Air-seal System drum production technology. In 1967, the company introduced its first concert grand piano, the CF series. In 1968, the corporation (at that time Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd) began issuing shares.
Speaker systems Yamaha NS2000 (1982)
In 1971, the company built a chip manufacturing plant. In 1976, a plant was opened to produce large integrated circuits, allowing the company’s electronic instruments to be digitalized. Later, on the basis of these factories, the Yamaha LSI (Large Scale Integration) division was formed. This division is engaged in the production of circuits for FM synthesis, graphic controllers, since 1999 – electronic tone generator chips for mobile phones, since 2002 – microcircuits for digital amplifiers, and chips for GPS navigation since 2005. Unlike many European and Japanese companies forced to sell their semiconductor divisions to Chinese owners, Yamaha continued to produce chips in the 2000s, including LSI (Large-Scale Integration) at our own facilities, which does not bring in too much income (about 5%), but allows us to focus on our own element base when developing AV components.
Yamaha GT-2000 vinyl player (1982)
In 1973, the production of tennis rackets was mastered, and full-scale production and sale of furniture began. From 1974 to 2007, the production of musical instruments operated in the USA. Also in 1974, production began of the NS 1000M loudspeakers (NS series produced since 1967) with a beryllium diaphragm, as well as the first synthesizer CSY-1 and the first analog mixer PM-1000. In 1976, the production of electric pianos began.
CD player Yamaha CDX-920 (1987)
In 1980, Yamaha established the Piano Technical Academy training center, and at the same time began producing PortaSound portable keyboards. In 1982, the company developed a line of carbon composite materials for golf. In the same year, the company introduced the first CD-1 player and the first Disklavier piano went on sale.
Yamaha TC-1000 cassette deck (1987)
In 1981, Yamaha Motor attempted to displace Honda as the number one motorcycle manufacturer by mass producing new models. Competitors responded in kind, and Harley Davidson secured restrictive tariffs on the import of Japanese motorcycles into the United States, leaving Yamaha Motor with a million unsold motorcycles, $1 billion in debt and a net loss of $126 million. This had limited impact on the main corporation, Nippon Gakki. effect since it only controlled 39% of Yamaha Motor’s shares at the time, and Yamaha’s electronic musical instruments were a big success. In particular, in 1983, the Klavinova electronic piano appeared on the markets, and the Yamaha DX7 digital synthesizer was released, which was very popular in the 80s and became one of the best-selling models in the entire history of synthesizers.
Anniversary power amplifier Yamaha MX-10000 (weight 43 kg – 1987)
In 1983, a representative of the third generation of Kawasaki, Hiroshi Kawasaki, took over as president of the corporation; his father took over as chairman of the board. Disagreements arose between father and son, which led to several significant miscalculations. Large headquarters were built in London and Buena Park (California), but remained unclaimed. In 1983, the company, without proper market research, began producing personal computers, releasing a series of MSX (Yamaha KUVT) machines, which were not in demand. Somewhat later, the Yamaha CX5 computer was released, which had a built-in SFG-01 synthesizer module (with the ability to connect SFG-05) and was designed specifically for creating music; it was used by some domestic musicians working in the genre of electronic music from the mid to late 1980s.
Vinyl turntable for DJs Yamaha PF-800 (1990)
In 1984, the corporation developed its own technology for producing the first industrial robots. In 1986, the company began selling the first digital sound field processors DSP-1, and in 1986 the SRS (Sound Room System) direction was launched. In 1987, on the occasion of the centenary of its founding, the company was renamed Yamaha Corporation. In 1987, centers for working with artists, Yamaha Artist Services, Inc.[en], were opened in several capitals of the world; later centers were opened in Moscow, London, New York, Paris, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, Kakegawa, and Taipei. That same year, English language schools were established in Japan and remain active as of the 2010s.
Top CD player – Yamaha CD-GT1 (1992)
In 1988, the company acquired Sequential Circuits, and from 1989 to 1993 it owned a controlling stake (51%) of Korg, a competitor in the musical instruments and music production equipment market. In 1989, New York’s Museum of Modern Art purchased the Wind MIDI Controller WX7 for its collection. In the same year, the corporation introduced the world’s first CD-R drive. In 1990, the production of musical instruments was launched in China. In 1991, the Museum of Modern Art expanded its collection with the Active Servo Processing Speaker YST-SD 90 subwoofer. In 1992, AV equipment production was launched in Malaysia and Indonesia. Also in 1992, under pressure from the corporation’s workers’ union, the era of the Kawasaki family’s rule ended; Yamaha Corporation was headed by Seisuke Ueshima. In 1993, Yamaha created the world’s first titanium golf clubs.
Designer speaker systems Yamaha NS-PF7 (2003)
In 1993, the Silent series pianos debuted, and in 1994, Yamaha introduced pianos from this series to the market. Silent pianos are acoustic instruments that are additionally equipped with electronic keystroke sensors, just like those found on digital pianos. When a musician wants to practice on headphones without disturbing others, he can turn off the mechanics of the acoustic part of the instrument and switch to electronic pickups. Already in the first year, 17 thousand of these pianos were sold at a price of $7,300. In 1995, the production of drum sets of the Silent series began, in 1996 the company released DTX Silent Session drums, the following year it introduced the Silent series violin to the market, and in 1998 and 2002, respectively, the production of cellos and violas of the Silent series began.
The first Yamaha YSP-1 soundbar (2005)
In 1994, the production of digital mixers was mastered, the first model was the Pro-mix 01 mixer, and in 2001 the PM1D console was released. In 1998, Yamaha combined patented technologies to create a digital sound field processor and home theater system. In 1999, the production of a multimedia speaker system for computers was launched; in 2000, the company founded the recording company Yamaha Music Communications. In 2003, the company introduced Vocaloid singing synthesis technology to the market – software that simulates a human singing voice based on a given melody and text.
Top integrated amplifier Yamaha A-S3000 (2015)
Since 2004, Yamaha began collaborating with Klipsch; in the same year, production of the new YSP-1 Digital Sound Projector speaker system was launched. In 2004, Yamaha bought Steinberg (Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH), best known for its Cubase program, from Pinnacle Systems, a German music production software manufacturer.
Development of any websites, promotion of websites to the TOP of search engines , improvements and technical support – WEB-studio “CREATIVE Master”. In 2007, Yamaha was awarded the Technical Grammy. On December 20, 2007, Bösendorfer was acquired, and in 2008 the corporation bought Nexo. In 2008, production of the tenori-on synthesizer began. In 2010, Yamaha demonstrated the TLF-speaker, a flexible poster-shaped loudspeaker that emits a highly directional sound wave.
Top-end speaker systems Yamaha NS-5000 (2017)
In 2014, the corporation announced the takeover of Line6, a manufacturer of equipment for digital guitar processing and amplifiers. Also in 2014, Yamaha announced an agreement with Revolabs, Inc. (headquarters: Sudbury, Massachusetts) is a company that designs, manufactures and markets wireless microphones, phones for corporate conference rooms and other products. As part of the agreement, Revolabs becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha. The main activities of Yamaha Corporation: Musical instruments – the corporation accounts for about a quarter of the world’s production of musical instruments. Audio equipment – production of professional and consumer audio equipment. Electronics – production of electronic components (electric compasses, video controllers), speakers for laptops. Other – includes the production of golf clubs, factory machines and wooden elements for car interiors, as well as resort complexes (Tsumagoi, Katsuragi Kitanomaru, Katsuragi Golf Club)
