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Inside Pianos
United States
Registrace 21. 05. 2020
A channel for piano owners and enthusiasts. Pianist and technician Ben Blozan takes an often-nerdy dive into the fascinating mechanics and technologies that go into this beloved musical instrument. Search INSIDE PIANOS for hot maintenance tips, behind-the-scenes peeks at piano repair shops, technical features, and other piano-related hijinks.
To contact Ben and see the pianos he has on offer, visit insidepianos.com
To contact Ben and see the pianos he has on offer, visit insidepianos.com
1968 Steinway Model B in ORIGINAL condition
Ben shows his latest addition to his showroom - a 1968 Steinway Model B with a heart of gold - telling about its history then demonstrating with some Beethoven and Chopin.
This piano has all its original parts and is therefore being sold for just $37,500. If any upgrades are desired that can be discussed.
insidepianos.com
(215) 378-6738
This piano has all its original parts and is therefore being sold for just $37,500. If any upgrades are desired that can be discussed.
insidepianos.com
(215) 378-6738
zhlédnutí: 765
Video
1896 Steinway Model A & Early Patents
zhlédnutí 420Před 2 měsíci
Ben explains a bit about Steinway the patents that set Steinway apart using an 1896 on his showroom floor. Model A is for sale $59,000 insidepianos.com Support: buymeacoffee.com/insidepianos
Baldwin R - Wurzen felt, Hellerbass strings
zhlédnutí 575Před 4 měsíci
Ben's latest grand piano to be put on the floor. For sale - $12,900 insidepianos.com (215) 378-6738
My Theme Music
zhlédnutí 496Před rokem
Ben tells the origin story of his theme music, including a deepish dive into the compositional techniques and a full performance. For a FREE download of this score go to insidepianos.com and enter promo code INSIDEPIANOS at checkout. Support the show! www.buymeacoffee.com/insidepianos
Baldwin Model R - Bacon felt hammers
zhlédnutí 1,5KPřed rokem
Ben unveils the first grand piano available for sale in his new showroom and shows how a 1979 Baldwin Model R can really shine with the right parts and attention. SOLD insidepianos.com www.buymeacoffee.com/insidepianos
Nativity Made of Piano Parts
zhlédnutí 217Před rokem
A tour of Mosaic Piano's locally famous nativity made completely of piano parts. SHOP AT: insidepianos.com ("MERCH" section) SUPPORT ME AT : www.buymeacoffee.com/insidepianos
42" Kawai console - new Abel hammers
zhlédnutí 1KPřed rokem
The first piano available from Inside Piano's new showroom in Greensboro, NC, this Kawai vertical will surprise you with its refined tone! SOLD insidepianos.com www.buymeacoffee.com/insidepianos
Inside Pianos' SHOWROOM TOUR
zhlédnutí 497Před rokem
Take a tour of Inside Pianos' new showroom in downtown Greensboro, NC. This is exciting news, folks! I'll now be able to offer a greater variety of lovingly-restored pianos to bring beauty into your home. inside pianos.com 612 S. Elm Greensboro, NC 27410 www.buymeacoffee.com/insidepianos
Steinway Model A - epoxy soundboard repair
zhlédnutí 1,2KPřed rokem
John Johanson brings a Steinway A's soundboard back to life using a modern approach that relies on marine-grade epoxy. buymeacoffee.com/insidepianos inside pianos.com
Chickering Grand BEFORE and AFTER
zhlédnutí 6KPřed 2 lety
Ben spends a restrictive 30 hrs on a Chickering and shows the results. www.buymeacoffee.com/insidepianos inside pianos.com
Piano Maintenance - Beyond Tuning
zhlédnutí 812Před 2 lety
Ben delivers a primer of the work that can and should be done to make a grand piano as musically satisfying as it was intended to be. He goes into the basic aspects of regulation and voicing which, together with tuning, comprise the "triad of piano care. inside pianos.com www.buymeacoffee.com/insidepianos
1898 Steinway Model A restoration - Part 2
zhlédnutí 623Před 2 lety
The Steinway A goes into Mosiac Pianos for tear down. Support Inside Pianos! www.buymeacoffee.com/insidepianos
Composite vs Wooden parts - Part II
zhlédnutí 1,7KPřed 3 lety
With the benefit of hindsight and a conversation with the designers of WNG composite parts, Ben relays his experience working with and playing on an action made of composite parts. www.buymeacoffee.com/insidepianos
My New Concert Grand
zhlédnutí 1,9KPřed 3 lety
Ben sells the Chickering in exchange for...what??? www.buymeacoffee.com/insidepianos
1898 Steinway Model A restoration - Part 1
zhlédnutí 1,3KPřed 3 lety
The first installment of a vlog tracking the restoration process of a Victorian-era Steinway A. www.buymeacoffee.com/insidepianos
Recording Classical Piano PART 2 - Refinements/Blumlein
zhlédnutí 7KPřed 3 lety
Recording Classical Piano PART 2 - Refinements/Blumlein
Composite vs Wooden piano action parts
zhlédnutí 2,1KPřed 4 lety
Composite vs Wooden piano action parts
This sounds gorgeous. My R never had anywhere near the sustain or dynamic range. Kudos on enhancing the piano’s innate characteristics in such a magical way.
Thank you for the kind words! This piano now sits in a high-end whiskey/wine bar that has music nights. It works really well there.
Third comment here at the 8:58 point: You are discussing the bottom beam of the repetition being "bowed" instead of "straight". You are correct that it is "inconvenient" for installing them on many action rails. However, some of the reasons you surmised are not quite accurate. I believe that the first priority of that design was to maximize strength. A flat beam will "bend" under heavy load, whereas an arched beam will not. Seeing that the forces comes from below the beam via the heel and capstan, it makes sense to "arch" the beam agains that force. This makes the repetition stronger and more stable under heavy playing. And as you mentioned earlier, WNG tried to reduce the overall mass as much as possible without sacrificing the maximum strength required. But, it does make for more challenges to adapt the repetition rails to accommodate the WNG repetitions. If you have a Steinway, no modifications are needed, as they fit perfectly on the tubular rails of the Steinway system (I believe the Boston and Essex brands made by Steinway also use this system, but I could be mistaken). I'm not aware of any other brands that permit this, so you are left with modifying the rails one way or another. If you have a jointer/planer machine that can joint at any angle, that is the best method to make the taper to accept the WNG repetitions. The next best option is the table saw, but only if you don't have a jointer. This can be more "dangerous" as it is very hard to make a perfect cut, and you can potentially ruin the rail. Know your abilities, and work within them. Then you need some small tapered pieces of wood to match the angle you tapered the rail to provide a level surface for the screws that attach the rail to the action brackets. Once that is all done, the rest is business as usual. If you have an aluminum "U" channel, then it is even easier to modify, as you can cut along the length of the channel on a table saw with an appropriate blade for aluminum, and you're done. Usually only about 1/4" is all that is needed to be removed to make it work. I've had to make this modification on the 1924 Heintzman concert grand I am rebuilding with the WNG parts. I encountered no problems that prevented me from doing this overhaul. However, I should mention that this original action was also a WNG action, and the metal action brackets had "flanges" to screw the rail in place that interfered with the first and last repetition of each section. Using my milling machine, I was able to trim the flanges as needed to make the required clearances for the WNG repetitions. So I agree that a conversion is not entirely "user friendly" for inexperienced technicians, but it is not impossible to do, and WNG are very good at customer service, and will do what they can to help and guide a technician with their work.
Second comment here: at the 8:00 point you are referring to the butterfly repetition spring in the WNG vs the one in the wooden repetition. WNG apparently considered incorporating the adjustment screw to adjust the tension like the wooden example you have, but chose not to in order not to add further rotational mass to the repetition. Many other repetitions use the basic spring adjustment tool, so that is not new in the trade, and with some practice it can be regulated quite quickly and accurately enough, and WNG wisely chose this path. In the overall scheme of things, this adjustment is relatively "minor" in comparison to other more influential issues, such as a smooth hammer strike weight from bass to treble. You would be surprised at how many regulating and voicing issues can be minimized or resolved with a smooth transition of strike weight across the keyboard, as the hammers represents up to 80% of total key inertia. Immediately after that is the friction in the hammer flanges must be as free and as even as possible without being "loose". That alone contributes the most to uneven touch, and poor balancing results when leading the keys to balance the action. If you don't take care of the weight and friction from the hammers first, then all the other procedures following is just compensating for the errors in strike weight and friction irregularities. So while the spring tension screw is "convenient", it does little to really affect the overall feel of the action. This is where the WNG bushings as you were discussing earlier really outshines the wooden actions with traditional methods of manufacture. Furthermore, the WNG repetitions are available with "helper springs" that are adjustable. Some actions use them and others don't. Personally I believe they SHOULD be used all the time, but only with a light spring tension. It should be just enough to make the repetition "float" in a neutral manner, so that the keys neither feel them to lift (requiring more key leads to compensate) nor have such high tension that the hammers have to work against them to return the keys to rest position. Repetitions are usually around 19 grams at the heel, and with an average 0.5 key ratio, that contributes about 9-10 grams of weight that the keys must lift. With a light tension of the helper springs, that weight can be removed from the front end of the keys where the leads are, which further reduces inertia. The keys feel much more responsive in such a manner, and repeats very quickly. Fatigue in the hands are greatly reduced, which some pianists (children and women in particular) will really appreciate when playing very taxing pieces of music.
You mentioned around the 3:30 point in the video about the friction of the pinning of the flanges, and how you would like to progress from the bass to the treble by reducing flange friction if possible. This is a good practice, as it can affect the results somewhat if you use the David Stanwood "Precision Touch Design" (PTD) protocols. (Very highly recommended for the absolute best results) You could purchase the expensive device from WNG to measure the gram resistance of the flanges, but I found that the usual multi-disc adjustable brass weight set have a hole in the discs that make a snug fit on the ends of the carbon fibre shanks. Starting with the 1 gram disc, I sort out the shanks with the least friction with a "swing test". I count the number of "swings" (from one side to the other until it stops in centre), and sort accordingly. If the 1 gram doesn't swing due to more friction, then I use the 2 gram and so forth. Once the shanks are sorted from the heaviest to lightest friction (for bass to treble) I numbered them using a label maker from 1-88 accordingly. This ensures that the shank friction is as smoothly progressive as possible throughout the keyboard. It's not an earth shattering difference if you don't, but it's just another step that "checks the boxes" to reduce any variables as much as possible. I did that for my 1915 Steinway D, and that action is incredible. I'm in the process of rebuilding a 1924 Heintzman concert grand, and will repeat the protocols to obtain similar results. Don't underestimate the value of the Stanwood PTD protocols, as it dramatically improves ANY action, wood or composite, with the best results obtained with the WNG parts. Not everyone has the budget for a whole new action (which should only be WNG composites), but the PTD should still be the minimum work done to improve an action. From my experience, I've seen "factory jobs" from reputable brands absolutely make a mess of balancing actions so that they don't play to their potential, and after applying the PTD protocols those same actions play incredibly smooth and even. BTW, all the actions that needed an overhaul to make them play better were ALWAYS a wooden action with cloth bushings. I'm not knocking wooden actions outright, as they have served as best they could for centuries as that is the only material available. But with today's technologies and materials as supplied by WNG, it is inexcusable to replace a wooden action with another wooden action. Friction issues, and warpage, and regulation stability issues with wooden actions are nearly nonexistent with the WNG composite actions. If one thinks that the composite action parts are more expensive than wooden action parts, they are mistaken, as the prices are nearly the same, but the long term benefits of the WNG makes them far more cost effective.
You’ve given lots of details for those interested to learn from. And you’ve illustrated how a dedicated tech can bring about results from a piano that manufacturers can’t (afford to) provide even when bought new. Your clients are extremely lucky!
@@insidepianos I'm happy to share my experiences in response to you sharing yours in your excellent videos. We are able to expand our knowledge in the piano trade like never before with the media we can all benefit from. This type of info exchange was nearly unheard of even 20 years ago, and I would have greatly benefited from the knowledge I have now 25-30 years ago. I would say that the vast majority of piano manufacturers did not have the information we have available today, and like many other fields of industry, there is a lot of "this is the way we do things so just do your job", and as a result, we get products from companies stuck in a rut and not keeping up with new ideas and technologies. The piano industry in many ways has "stagnated" and has not moved forward to adapt to things like PTD and WNG actions. But thanks to individuals like you and me, that is slowly changing, because we are the "forward thinkers", and not necessarily the "bean counters" that often prevents progress. To adapt these technologies would not be "cost prohibitive" as we pay far too much for new pianos anyways, and we as customers expect more if we pay more. I would be delighted to correspond with you if you wish to contact me at glencuthbertson@hotmail.com as I have spreadsheets and graphs that you may find very informative, useful, and eye opening. I commend you for the excellent work you are doing already, including making these CZcams videos for the benefit of us all. Hope to hear from you.
Sounds absolutely fantastic- the tone is so well rounded and vibrant. Beautiful work, as always my friend!
So it's got Teflon inside, right?
That’s correct. Although the Las Vegas climate was kind to that feature as well, in an ideal world those parts would be replaced. I’ve priced the piano to account for those improvements being made, either by me prior to receiving the piano or later down the road as needed/desired.
Shame it’s not in australia, it would suit our climate and I would be interested (and we are the same age …)
That is a shame! Seems like a good vintage. ;-)
What an incredible sounding piano, it’s amazing that those are the original hammers! Brilliant work on both the piano prep and playing, as seems to be your norm.
I guess it’s possible someone replaced the original hammers with a new set of Steinway hammers at some point. But the shanks are teflon and so I’ve been working with the notion that they are the original hammers, just respectfully played all these years. Plenty of felt left. I have a buddy who looked for years to find his current B (which he bought new), as he was seeking a certain quality of sound. He said this one has the same thing in the sound that he was looking for. It’ll make someone very happy, I think.
EXCELLENT! WHAT WOULD BE THE PRICE RANGE OF THIS PIANO IF FOR SALE?
This piano absolutely IS for sale. You can refer to the show notes for the price and please reach out if you’d like to discuss this further. It really is a gem!
Both the inherent (built) voice and the factory voicing are truly rare and wonderful. How even, sparkling, and round it is!
That’s well put. This piano has something rare and special about it, not just at the level of voicing but deep-down at its belly.
@@insidepianos Yes. And perhaps we have the belly-man @ Queens factory to thank ! ! !
Still can't beat the tone of my Collard and Collard 1902 5ft 2in grand....an exceptional piano and sound.
Sounds like a piano we need to hear! Do you have a link to a recording?
Besides being a great piano your piano skills are excellent. Your piano skills may well exceed your piano technicians skills. I'm sure there are many who envy both your skills as a pianist and technician. Great job. By the way you are woking on a Baldwin F if I'm correct. That person had looked at my Baldwin F but decided to keep looking - then you found him one. Would love to hear it when its done.
Thanks so much, Don! I do think of myself as a pianist first, technician second. I feel my content will start to reflect that in the near future. You are correct that I found an F in my local market for that client. He liked yours quite a bit but valued the fact that I could check this other one out in person. I’ll definitely produce a video on that one.
You are exceptionally articulated and have a great detail. Thank you for sharing.!
Did you check the spring tension on the whippens to make sure the hammer comes down into the back check with only light to moderate pressure? How about adjusting the letoff and drop so the hammers behave properly? Astonished that you got all that work done in thirty hours. Resurrecting an old grand is so time consuming!
I did those things. Fortunately the rep lever springs were screw-adjust. I think I went a touch over 30 hrs, but not much!
@@insidepianos that makes the job much easier, the 1912 Chic I have I unfortunately cannot fit the Hart spring tool between the whippens so I need to take the whippen out, adjust and repeat until I get it right, quite time consuming for sure.
have a 1912 Chickering on working on, also have a 1925 Chickering, also sold a Chic. concert grand. all magnificient.
I loved much about my Chickering concert grand. Such soul!
@@insidepianos the 1912 Chic I have comes pretty close to the Concert Chic that I sold, deep thunderous base.
Beautiful sound!
Thank you!
Hello how are you? What a great video you made!!!. I learned a lot. 2 questions please: are the reverbs inserted in each channel, not by a send? How are you doing so the noises from the hammers and pedals are not heard, especially in close microphones? Thank you very much for your attention!!!
Excellent
Tasty piana playing my friend
That means a lot coming from the likes of you! Hope to see you stateside before long.
Oh my god, that alto voice melody at 4'50". It sounds like a woodwind bubbling out of that piano. So many subtle colors in that instrument. Beautifully played, Dr. Ben!!!
Thanks, Dr. Wally!
What hammers did you choose for this instrument? Thanks for all the responses!
Thank YOU for all the responses as well! The hammers are Ronsen Weickert felt which were chosen by the rebuilders 13 years ago. They are often my go to as well, though. In fact, I’ll be hanging a set soon on my own 1962 Baldwin SD6.
I played a 1909 Steinway model A at a church not long ago. I think it is an AII, I will bring a tape measure next time to verify. It was so lovely. What a rich and warm tone. The treble was gorgeous with a sort of shimmering effect. The tenor section had such a beautiful rich tone which I rarely hear in pianos.
I am very impressed by this beautiful Baldwin❤️
Thank you so much!
Steinway as a company became a bully in the industry. There's a reason why they are ubiquitous in all concert halls: They made each hall sign an exclusivity agreement that they would ONLY allow performances on Steinway instruments, even if Steinway may not be the instrument of choice for individual performers. For restorers of antique instruments, Steinway has now made it clear they will sue if the restorer doesn't use 100% Steinway parts, not even allowing the use of the original style decals. In the early 20th C, many pianos were equal to or better sounding than Steinway: Chickering, Mason & Hamlin, Weber. Bullied out of the concert hall. Not saying that Steinway isn't good, they are, definitely. It would be nice to hear some other instruments.
In modern times Steinway in my opinion is becoming quite full of themselves. You can’t forget about Baldwin. During the early and mid 20th century many famous artist and composers chose to plays Baldwins. I’ve played some Baldwins I would take in a heartbeat over a Steinways. It’s sad that Baldwin had a bad time in the 90s and early 2000s which led to the end of Baldwin’s American production.
@@jacobneal5388 I have a 1988 Baldwin SF-10 that was rebuilt by Chris Chernobieff (look for Chernobieff Piano) on youtube, and he absolutely transformed the sound! Rebuilders like him and this fellow at Inside Pianos can take an instrument with good bones and offer world class sound at a fraction of the price. Craftsmen (and women) who love their work and love the instruments in their care are so worth seeking out. Bottom line, as Duke Ellington was credited with saying.... "If it sounds good, it is good!"
You’re the best!!
👋🏼 Hope you’re doing great, Staffan!
Wonderful sounding piano. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for watching!
Just curious, did you re-weigh off the action after installing the new parts and hammers? Sometimes the weight change is so different the the keys don't respond properly anymore. Great video!
Oh no, a modern Steiway Model costs more than 120.000€ More than two times of the wonderful treasure... Why?😮
This sounds like I imagine a new Steinway would sound in 1895! The pinnacle of technology for the home 130 years ago. It is so warm and refined, especially the tenor/baritone voices. Amazing work (and playing).
That’s an interesting way to look at it-as the pinnacle of technology for the home. The hammers are Weickert felt (made by Ronsen), which is said to have been the supplier for Steinway before WW2. I don’t know if it would have been the felt for this early a piano, but I hope so…to your point about it being a bit like traveling back in time to hear what people back then would have heard.
HELMholtz ;-)
Whoops! 😞
Congratulations for another professional video. Did you tune the piano so well yourself?
Yes. Well, me and Verituner.
@@insidepianos Your octaves are just perfect... kudos for lots of string mating and all the grit work that goes into such a tone. Oh, and I love the tunings possible with Verituner!
@UUpianoman Thank you! I’ve been using the Koval 2.6 stretch recipe. What’s your go-to? And also, thanks for appreciating all that goes into getting pianos to the next level!
@@insidepianos I happen to love Bremmer's EBVT III and also use Koval's 2.6. on grands with good scale designs.
@@insidepianos and as for good tone... once you know what that really entails, you know.
wood is better, composite is cheaper (shhhh ...)
You really brought out the best of that piano! I'm considering purchasing a moderately used baldwin R for myself from 1975. Is there anything I should watch out for?
I just brought a similar vintage R into my home for my personal piano (for a while, at least, before it finds its way to my showroom). I think it’s a good vintage. Check out the bridge to make sure there isn’t a lot of cracking around the bridge pins. Maybe talk to the tuner about the feel of the pinblock. Those are things that would be very expensive to address. I hope it works out well for you!
@@insidepianos thanks, I'll keep an eye out. love your content!
Thanks for this video. It would be great if you could show us how to edit the sound of a piano recorded with two microphones in stereo, using the Audacity program, what a I would call a modest set up.
Noted. Mind telling me more about the rest of your setup? Mics, preamps, mic pattern?
@@insidepianos Thanks for your answer!! I have 2 two AKG C 2000B plus a handy recorder Zoom H4 next. I haven't found yet a favourite position for the mics... my question is more oriented to discover what results can be achived in editing the sound of just thoese two pair of mics with Audacity since this software seems more limited than yours, but I`m no expert.
You mentioned returning to previous Baldwin sound with the hammers, but incorporating some of the new elements in Baldwin's more recent pianos. Can you say what you mean by that?
I meant that I was using a hammer similar to those used in Baldwins of the 60s and earlier but because the piano was built in 1980 it featured their modern innovations such as the vertical hitch pins. In that way, this piano is a blend of classic Baldwin and modern Baldwin.
@@insidepianos Thanks. Also, can you say how many boxes of the Paulello you needed for the lower treble section?
@ablamborn One small spool of each size you decide to use is enough for one piano. You can use the “Typogrammen” on Paulello’s website to help determine the best place to transition back to modern wire.
this man is a magician
rare .....a great technician and pianist AND piano
Beautiful! Love the "edge" on this one.
Thanks, David! It just sold and will be going into a club with jazz and singer/songwriters. I feel it will project beautifully. How’s Blondie?
@@insidepianos Oh, perfect! Blondie's still spectacular of course. Blonder than ever! Je me ferais teindre en blonde...
😆 I’m sure Edith Piaf would have bought a blond piano too, if asked.
@@insidepianos No doubt! BTW, CZcams just showed me some guy playing Brahms on a Bosendorfer. So of course now I have to take another crack at it. Thanks alot!
@david_dudash Haha! Sorry about that!
I'm so glad the Google algorithms helped me stumble upon your videos. Your abilities as a technician and player are remarkable.
All praise the algorithm!! Thanks for watching and remarking.
Baldwin pianos certainly punch above their weight .
What do you mean by that?
What *I* mean by that is that they often sound bigger than they are. They have a power and a bass that suggests a longer piano than you’re actually hearing.
Wow, i bought the exact same model on facebook a few months ago, for only 2k Canadian dollars. But it’s been poorly rebuilt, i was trying to work on it a little bit and see if i can improve it,
Good luck! They can be really soulful pianos!
I love your humor with Zarathustra!!
Wonderful sounding piano and playing. If you don't give concerts, you should!
I appreciate the encouragement!
Thank you! I really like my own ‘72 Baldwin R….excellent pianos!
Truly! And I’ve found 70s Baldwins to be an excellent vintage. Coincidentally, or not so coincidentally, I’ll be purchasing an R from that era next. It’s destined someday to go in my showroom but will begin this next chapter as our piano at home. I’m very excited about it! Thanks for watching!
@@insidepianosNice Debussy, by the way. I’m trying to refine that piece, but I have a ways to go 😀
Thanks! I learned it recently myself.
This is the first video of yours that I have seen. I'm impressed by your work. The instrument sound and the recording quality is top notch. I will explore your other videos, and I fully expect that they will be on par with this one.
Thank you so much, Scott! You’ll see a recent lack of videos but I aim to rectify that. Glad to have you as a viewer!
This piano has a rich warm tone. I like it better than the restored 1901 Steinway O I have. Most people like the sound but it just doesn’t thrill me. Maybe it needs your magical touch. I am in New England but if you were ever north I would be delighted to have you review it. I may give the piano to a niece and seek out a piano more like the piano you featured in your last video. Always delighted to find your videos. Well done in every way.
Thank you for the kind words, Bill! I’m sorry you’re not happy with your restored O. It should have a “rich warm tone”. I’m curious if you like the sound of this O. It was restored about 13 yrs ago by Mosaic Piano Service then I voiced it when selling it on consignment. It was quite special, I thought. czcams.com/video/U-tpEJCv6g0/video.htmlsi=6hB7mpiJ1w4CXuHj
Glad to see you back as well with another R. Sounds great, but personally like the tone of the previously featured R that you included. My own R is a few years newer than these, and maybe one day I’ll take on an upgrade of hammers and strings. It’s just finding the right technician as detailed as yourself is hard to do in most areas. Keep the videos coming!
The warmth and depth of Bacon felt hammers is really appealing to me as well. In fairness to the Wurzens this is not exactly an apples to apples comparison in that the Baldwin with the Bacon felt was completely restrung. It benefitted from the new strings (w a hybrid scale) and the niceties that went along with it such as new agraffes and a refined V-bar. I’ll also say the Wurzens were much easier to voice. They had plenty of tone from the get go. It was mostly a matter of using needles to deepen the tone then to remove excessive brightness. I only used a little hardener for the bass hammers and the top 5. By contrast, it took a while to cultivate the tone in the Bacon felt hammers. I snuck up on what I liked through incremental hardening and playing it in. But in the end…{chef’s kiss} You may know this, but you can search the PTG (Piano Technicians Guild) to help you find talented technicians in your area. In case you’re ever wanting to renew your Model R. They’re definitely worth it!
Wonderful work, both refurbishing and playing! You convinced me that Baldwins could truly sing. Thanks for posting!
Thanks, Tim. Means a lot. I’ve mentioned Baldwin’s sometimes-poor approach to their hammers but I also feel that Baldwins are victim to America only having room in their hearts for one piano brand (Steinway, obviously). I feel if Baldwin, other pianos for that matter, were given the same level of care as Steinways, the general opinion regarding them would be less checkered.
Some tasty licks there my friend!
🤣 Well, Debussy said that the only rule he follows is “my his own taste”, so you have him to thank.
I love your videos. I was so excited to see you had another out. I can’t wait to see an update on your Baldwin SD6
I’m feeling the love, thanks. I have dialed my perfectionism up to 11 for the SD6 but rest assured an update is coming.