In MMDigest 990110 D. L. Bullock writes:

> As a rule the best pianos made in that factory are the ones with
> the Samick name on them ...

As a pianist, I don't think I will be buying any "Baldwin" pianos
anytime soon.  Our Samick baby grand at the church is so bad, I refer
to it as a "PSO" ("Piano-Shaped Object").

If the American made Baldwins are any worse (that is hard to imagine),
"ditto" for them.

Our so-called Baldwin is the most horribly constructed piano I have
ever seen.  The treble is full of false beats; one glance at the bridge
and you can see why: the strings rest on the _wood_.  The bridge pins are
too far forward.

Our pastor was told that he was getting an American made piano.  That
was why the name 'Baldwin' was considered.  Our dealer refuses to do
anything about it, and told us that if anyone besides them works on the
piano, it will void the warranty.

If that is the best that Samick can offer, then I would never consider
or endorse that brand.  The dealer is difficult to work with and I, for
one, know that they sold the church the piano strictly on the basis to
get something sold.  I am going to propose at the next meeting that the
church should demand that the dealer replace that piano.  Old Foster
pianos _are not supposed_ to sound far better, considering what we paid
for the D. H. Baldwin!

The only brands of new pianos that have impressed me have been Story &
Clark, Boston, and certain Yamaha uprights.  And, of course, Steinway!

D. L. also wrote:

> The stencil piano is a long American tradition, as many of the piano
> brands we find made in the twenties were made in one factory but bear
> the name of another brand that did not actually have a factory.

"Stenciling" did happen, but it was never regarded as an honorable
practice in the trade.  If you read "Presto Buyers guide of 1926",
this publication was attempting to identify these 'stencils" so that
the public could tell exactly what they were buying.

 [ But who published "Presto Buyers Guide"?  Wasn't it secretly
 [ discrediting the stencil pianos in order to sell the more
 [ expensive manufacturer's brands?  -- Robbie

Some old Stencil pianos were pretty good, most were not.  By placing
the very name of "Baldwin" on the fallboard of this Samick piano, the
House of Baldwin has done itself a great disservice.

The serious pianist doesn't have the choices of really good pianos that
he or she did thirty or forty years ago.  The great names are being
used upon imported instruments of questionable quality.

My pastor has made the comment right here in the living room that our
52" Foster sounded far better than the D. H. Baldwin grand did.

The Foster & Co. piano was certainly no Steinway of its time; it was
built mainly for the cheap pedal-player market.  So it stands to reason
that when old uprights sound far better than new grand pianos do, there
is something wrong with the design of that piano.

I have rebuilt and restrung several of the old Baldwin made Manualo
players.  With the exception of the Modello and Winton, you couldn't
ask for a better sounding piano, notably the Hamilton, Monarch and
Ellington.  So what happened to Baldwin?

Baldwin used to build a 9-foot grand that would blow you right off the
piano stool and peel off all the wallpaper!  I guess the Baldwin piano
has gone the way of the Mason & Hamlin: only the name exists, and the
pianos that you find the name on are not even close to the power and
tone of a 80-year-old cheap upright!

The only new upright pianos that I would sell to someone and be proud
of are the Story & Clark uprights.  These are super little pianos.  The
scale is designed to have the longest strings possible and that makes
a big difference.

Andy Taylor

 [ Editor's opinion:
 [
 [ 'Tis sad, but it is the market -- the customers -- who determine
 [ the quality of the product sold.  'Tis sad that customers don't
 [ really _want_ fine pianos anymore.  That's what happened at your
 [ church, Andy, and at the local school which Bruce Clark writes
 [ about.
 [
 [ Because they don't know about music and pianos (except for the
 [ high-gloss finish), the purchasers demanded "low cost" and "American
 [ Made" without regard for the instrument's primary function, music,
 [ nor for the cost of proper tuning and maintenance.  Perhaps this
 [ misplaced concern has saved jobs in the USA, or at least in the
 [ NAFTA countries...
 [
 [ The customers got what they ordered, but everyone suffers, even
 [ in ignorance.
 [
 [ -- Robbie