By 1748, young Johann Andreas Stein (1728-1792) was working in the Silbermann family’s Strasbourg shop under the direction of Johann Daniel Silbermann. Johann Andreas opened his own keyboard instrument shop at Augsburg in 1759. Stein was quickly recognized as a fine piano builder. His innovation of using individual spring-loaded escapement levers in the Viennese hopper or “Prellmechanik” action, produced the very first pianos in which very rapid repetition was possible.