Stilwell Pianos was started in 1956 by Ralph Stilwell RPT. Grandpa Ralph was always interested in musical instruments and after the war, quickly found his niche as the âpiano guyâ in Southern Illinois (Decatur to be exact). During his career, he served on the Piano Technicians Guildâs board and helped design pianos for Yamaha in Japan. In the early 1980s he was inducted into the Piano Technicians Guildâs hall of fame and was flown around the country giving seminars on the art of piano tuning and repair. Before Grandpa Ralph passed away, Michael Stilwell graduated from The American School of Piano Tuning and started his career as a piano technician in Phoenix, Arizona. He soon took over the business and spent many years servicing Stilwell Pianos clientâs pianos in their homes, churches and schools.