Whatever Happened To Baldwin Pianos?
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- čas přidán 4. 02. 2021
- Up there in name recognition with Steinway and Yamaha, Baldwin was America’s favorite piano and has been a huge part of the piano world for years but a lot has changed since the “fun machine.” Baldwin’s tale is a similar one to many major American piano manufacturers. Let’s join Ted and Pat as they discuss the question…Whatever Happened To Baldwin Pianos?
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Famous line from Victor Borge: "The Steinway people have asked me to announce that this is a Baldwin piano."
Leonard Bernstein (famous 20th Century conductor, composer and pianist) used Baldwin pianos. However, he thought that his 7 foot model was too small and replaced it with the 9 foot model. He sold his 7 foot model to Stephen Sondheim (famous composer of Broadway musicals) who used it at home for composition for 50 years until he died.
I purchased my Baldwin SD10 (brand new) from Baldwin Piano Co. in Los Angeles, CA, around 1960/ 70 - serial #189644 - I still have it with me and play it everyday. Needs a little work, but it's given me sixty (60) years, (give or take) of joy and pleasure, we have grown olde together, I am 74 years old.
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Am I the only one to notice the lid prop on the Baldwin behind them is in the wrong hole?
Great video, I grew up in Ciudad Juarez, a few blocks from the Baldwin factory, I had a tour of the factory back in the early 80’s, they made all the mechanical parts of their pianos and they also showed me electric guitars that they made there, I got to take home some parts of the piano action as souvenirs, they also had a Baldwin Piano and Organ store in Juarez with a show room, they also offered piano and organ clases which i took both by the teacher Victor Solares, one thing I remember is their piano both which had what I can only describe as a some sort of hybrid electric acoustic piano, it was a a spinet piano that had all mechanical parts of a piano, keys action, etc. but when you played it it had no sound, i would need to hook up my headphones to use it for practice, this was before digital pianos, it did not sound like a Rhodes or Yamaha CP-70, it sounded acoustic but through headphones, I say it was very advance technology for the time, I was very sad when they closed the factory and store, the building is still there but is own by another company, I remember passing through the factory and looking at the big Baldwin logo and the huge vacuum on top of the building that would clean all the saw dust from the factory, those where good memories.
My grandfather worked for Baldwin, making pianos in Cincinnati. Thanks for the history lesson.
I have an OLD (probably 70 years old at this point) Baldwin upright piano (don't know the model # off the top of my head), and it still sounds lovely! The action isn't the best (probably because the felt's wearing down) but don't get me wrong, it's VERY playable, and it sounds amazing!
i have a new Baldwin. It's not top of the line but still a very good and well made piano. Sound is warm in the high and low register, brighter in the middle.
In the 80’s, I worked for Baldwin Family Music Center in Dover, DE in sales and teaching. I was primarily an organist providing music for a variety small venues and sales promotional events. Those were great memories.
Beautiful playing and interesting history of Baldwin.
Tune it!
I bought a 1956 Baldwin Acrosonic model 987 on eBay site unseen for $99.00. I pick it up and was so much dust in it. Blew it out. It was way out of tune. I called my Church secretary to see who turned our pianos at church. I made contact with him and he came to tune it for me. He had to go through it twice the first day. I had it tuned every month for first three months and it settle down really well. He told me it was an excellent condition but if I can find the right buyer I could get $1800 for it. Baldwin spinets are so powerful.
Thanks for a very interesting history of the Baldwin line. I have a 1970's SF-10 which I LOVE. It has the Renner action, a mellow rich bass and sweet clear mid range and treble. My colleagues joke that they want first dibs when i die!!! I feel very lucky to have it.
Back in the early to mid 80's, my parents bought a Baldwin Cinema II Theater Organ as my dad played (albeit by ear) and I jumped on that thing one day and began to play, I don't know what but it was sure a blast to jam on that thing. I remember the cabinet was solid wood and the sound was a cross between what I thought was a Fender-Rhodes and a Pizza Parlor Theater Organ. If I recall, they paid something like $10k for the damn thing which is like $40k in 2024. OUCH!
Great video. Awesome conversation. Couldn’t help seeing the lid prop on the Baldwin in the wrong rosette. Should always be at 90 degrees.
I own a 1934 Baldwin F, all original. Great piano.
Great video! Not only do I love buying from you guys, I love learning from you. Thanks.
Got lucky and scored a'98, model M . They went to China soon after that.
Very happy with my Model F (not an SF, but an actual F from about 1962) after acquiring it from a different piano store in San Antonio in the mid-90s. I've been practicing, playing, and recording on it for over 25 years now and it's still a beautiful piano.
I had a little Baldwin (under 6 feet) with deep robust bass singing mid range and a clear ringing treble. Responsive action. I think it was made around 1955. Had it for about 5 years and cried when I had to leave it behind because of logistics of where I was moving. Best baby grand I ever owned. forward 6 years to about 1984 and had a new Baldwin was it 6'' 7" (?) that was every bit the equal of the first one. Weird Karma becuase after a few years had to move to another impractical location. I have lovely pianos now (won't name the band) but I look back on those pianos and reminisce like they were dearly departed family members.
THe Baldwin L you guys are playing is amazing sounding!
Great video! I’m a Baldwin from the 80s.
I was a production assistant in the late eighties early nineties and we had a 9' Baldwin grand. It was such a joy to go in when there was no session and just play it . The sound was transforming.. It could have been a SD-10 . Shame they have gone the way of so many piano builders. It would be my first choice especially one from those yrs but so hard to find now. Nice work guys
I have an sd10 1976 autographed by Ferrante and Teicher.
Several comments on lack of focus for the video. I like the presentation of the information and the conversation. I'm not in a hurry. Thumbs up from me!
Idil Biret has played Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto with a Baldwin piano in 1963 (with Boston symphony orchestra). The first time i listened the recording of this concert i was fascinated with the chemistry between Baldwin and Rach's music.
The big difference between the 'new' Baldwins built by Parsons and the other pianos that come out of that factory (and many other Chinese factories, like Pearl River) is the 'potential' that is designed and built into that particular instrument. New Baldwins are built to Baldwin (of old) company spec in a dedicated area of the Parson factory by workers specific to the brand. They are not common instruments fashioned by indifferent hands, that are branded with a famous name to win an additional premium.
However, they require a 'talented' technician, one who holds the sonic potential off this instrument in his minds eye, to aim at and realize it by sufficient investment of time, which is about 20 hours. As they approach this 'bloom' point, all 'better' pianos sound as they should. This is not the case with the other generic instruments made in these factories whose sterile sonic or aural signatures are rooted in different philosophies and goals. As intended, no amount of tech will make of 'that' apple an orange.
More damaging to Baldwin's future as they wisely seek to reposition themselves as 'a new alternative' to mid-priced Yamaha and Kawai (rather than premium Steinway) in a diminishing consumer market, is the fact that modern piano retailers have resignedly followed the market down by publicly proposing the alternative 'rightness' of the uncomplicated 'music-box' sound of Asian built hobbyist pianos, whose pleasant if 'limited' sonic signature is more quickly dialed in to satisfactory effect by basic prep.
Due to the almost complete absence of US Baldwin retailers (the new owner, Gibson, currently seems only interested in keeping the 'name' alive until it has a plan in place for redeveloping the brand), non-Baldwin retailers (which means virtually every piano retailer in the country), has found it profitable to sell their endless supply of used US built Baldwins (bought cheap and sold high) by extolling the brand's general significance beyond its due, and trading on the sentiment of its 'built in the US heritage.
Once Baldwin was considered a serious premium brand able to satisfy the demands of 'actual' pianists, the truth is that most people who bought them for their living rooms, can't play piano after any fashion that sets high demands on them, or warrants investment sufficient to realize them after the fact. Baldwins are today wisely built to a 'medium' price point, and not intended to compete with premium brands. Instead, they are shipped with under-realized 'potential'. Then its up to you and your tech!
Thank you for your videos. I learn so much, and if this Michigander ever finds herself in TX I'll be sure to stop in and say hello.
Back in 1996 a coworker gave me his Baldwin Acrosonic spinet for free. All three of his kids took lessons on it and had grown into adults, moved out and the piano wasn't getting use. I was taking piano and organ lessons and put a lot of miles on that piano until 2022 when I inherited my Dad's Boston studio upright. I gave the Acrosonic to a neighbor's sister at no cost. Despite the high mileage it played just fine and held tune well. Some people will bad mouth spinets regarding tone quality, but mine sounded great, possibly a bit on the bright side, and sounded great if you played some rock n' roll on it, which I did plenty of times. While I like the Boston studio upright, if I had space in my house to keep the Acrosonic I may have done so. There are times I miss it.
Fascinating thank you, tell the story of CBS and Steinway
Todays Baldwin grands are produced in the Parson's factory in China. They are built to Baldwin soecs. We have the BP148, 178, and 190 on the floor. I would have no problem owning either of the larger grands. Stencil brands are part of the history. Back in the 80s, we were selling Poole piano's by Aeolian with our owners name on the fallboard, Davis. Dare I say the stencil brand Mason and Hamlin were being produced by Aeolian, at that time. I have an original Baldwin SD, and an SF on the floor. If you like extremely bright sound (harpsichord like), these would be an excellent choice. I've been in this business forty years. This is just my two cents.
More like your "two yen." No comparison to the White-man made instruments.
Miss my 1980 SF 10
Very informative video - thank you for posting it. First, the piano you're seated at has the stick (for the lid) in the wrong hole - OOPS :) What I really wanted to ask was this. I had the opportunity to purchase a 1954 SD9 - and during my research period I learned that in the 60's Baldwin (changed their logo) and introduced something called "Accu-Hitch" (I may have the name wrong) but it was an adjustment that you could made at the far end of the string where the hitch pins would be. I was told by 3 trusted piano technicians, to avoid this as it was an experiment that really didn't work out well. I purchased the 1954 SD9 - it does NOT have those "Accu-Hitch" pins and it has a duplex scale. It has been a love affair with this piano since the moment it arrived in my house - the old style Baldwin logo on the fallboard make me smile when I see it too! What can you tell us about this accu-hitch system.
There was a funny moment in a Liberace show. He played Baldwins, and in one of his shows he said: "There are only two pianos this big in the world, and I own both of them."
Ah - Ashokan Farewell - great tune.
So, there’s a Baldwin grand being sold currently at Alamo Music Center?
My mom bought a Baldwin model L at the end of 1990. Bought new. My sister has the Baldwin Piano Pro electric piano that the model L replaced. I play the model L every day. I can't find any info on the Piano Pro.
Great history lesson. What should I expect to pay for a good quality 7’ Baldwin from the 80s or 90s?
15k to 25k
Karen Hendricks was the first nail in the coffin for Baldwin. You don't hire a Proctor & Gamble exec to run a piano company. Secondly, Gibson can't manage a guitar company, much less a piano company.
The Baldwin name is still owned by Gibson but they have moved it to China and I doubt that the quality compares to the Japanese models.
Steve Jobs had a special contempt for what he called “professional managers” with MBA’s. He called them bozos who knew nothing.
@@midnight4109 they are nowhere’s near as high as the quality of the American Baldwin.
Wondering what Patrick and Ted think... I want to get a Baldwin 6000 upright. I love the sound of all the ones I've heard. But I've read that Baldwin makes a B252 which is supposedly identical to the 6000. Do I continue searching for a 6000 in good condition or should I actually consider the B252? I don't like the fact that they're manufactured in China but at the same time, the 6000 model is several years old now and seems hard to come by. I live in Ottawa Canada and the closest I've found is in Montreal, meaning it will cost quite a but to transport. Decisions!
I have a 1966 Hamilton 243... Not many hours on it at all..... Glorious touch and sound... It's good enough I record with it. The cabinet even is just almost perfect ....
Ebony? They are wonderful instruments.
No... It's like an American Oak finish
Ich habe ein Baldwin Monarch Piano. Gefunden hier in Germany ❤️🙏
I will get one from an heritage, I wonder how it value, it a straight piano Baldwin from the 1880s with lion feets design, perfect condition.
What about baldwin bp1 2019 model?
The Baldwin Acrosonic is on my don't ever buy List along with Yamaha is a Never Buy they had so many design flaws & never issued a recall leaving customers to foot the bill for repairs
Do you have a music rack for a sd10
Does anyone have an opinion on the Baldwin 6000 upright made in the mid 90s?
"Ashokan Farewell". ❤
Very interesting video. One error of fact: founder D.H. Baldwin's middle name was Hamilton, not Howard. I don't know where the Howard name came from, only that Baldwin began producing pianos under the Howard name in 1895. It was in the 1960s that Baldwin began subcontracting Howard manufacturing to Kawai. I grew up with Baldwin pianos (sold them in the 1960s and '70s) and the Style L (6'-3") was always considered by most to be the ideal size for a home. The tonal balance - especially after they began building them with the new hitch pin design - was superb. The SF-10 was never a big seller.
I remember selling a new SD-10 to the conductor of our local symphony - $11,000, which was darned near list - around 1971. Same price as a new Mercedes 280SL.... What does a New York Steinway D go for today? $140,000 or so? Actually, I didn't really sell it as much as he just bought it. He phoned me and said "I want one. How much?"
Those were the days....
Wrong Hole!!! Wrong Hole!!! Look behind you. The piano stick is in the wrong hole!!!
Very informative! Too bad the piano in the performance is out of tune!
Ok, what is the song played in the intro?
Ashoken Farewell
From the civil war series by ken burns?
Trying to locate a Service Manual for a Baldwin Model 621-A built in 1987 - Anyone know where I can find one please drop me a line and let me know....Great video guys, thanks!
It makes me so sad to see the acoustic pianos going away. Even most of the churches dont use the big baby grand piano anymore.
I remember those early days. Steinway, Chickering, Everett, Krakauer, Baldwin grands were fine pianos. Story and Clark grands were a bargain because they were made by Yamaha. Inside they had a made by yamaha nameplate. I didnt like Baldwin uprights because the black keys had a weird contour on them. Then the Cable or Chicago Piano company bought out all the companie's names and they were furniture companies with the same cheap guts. Kimball's are the worst pianos I have ever played. The keys were spongy and they would wobble side to side going up and down. Steinway suffered for awhile after being bought out . I think Kawai, Yamaha, Fazioli, Bosendorffer,Mason&Hamlin grands are the top brands and a few others today.
Pearl River
Probably a totally 'off-the-wall' question but does the gentleman on the right have a relation who produces/produced horological vlogs? You look very similar!
What ever happened to Kimball pianos
LIBERACE always played on a BALDWIN. My first piano was a HOWARD built by BALDWIN.
As did the piano duo Ferrante and Teicher
印度尼西亚 samick oem baldwin grand piano
The guy in the blue shirt is HOT!
The young guy just keeps interrupting aghhhh
It was driving me nuts.
And talks with his hands
Took twenty minutes of meandering unfocused conversation to get to the point. Anyone watch, skip to min: 20:00 (we never imported woods, DUH, smh)
Who was that masked man? He's gone .....and we never knew his name.
It’s the same guy in the interview
@@elgrupocachedallas9685 - No ship, Sherlock
Baldwin doesn't make pianos in the US. Or any place. Many thought they were the best. Another great piano out of business was Chickering. Ebel Auditorium on Wilshire Blvd. had Chickering.
Steinway no longer makes pianos in the USA.
Steinway IS still made in New York and in Hamburg, Germany.
Their sub-brands, Boston and Essex, are foreign made.
Boston pianos are built in Japan by Kawai, and Essex pianos are built in China by Pearl River.
😂
Good, let Gibson FIX Baldwin...it WILL HAPPEN.
and what happened to wearing suits on planes?
The problem is that most of these pianos are "stenciled" pianos made by someone in the far east and just use an old name.
The new Chinese made Baldwin grands are nothing like the golden age of Baldwins..scaling is DIFFERENT. to start with. Bass is feeble..no resemblance re: tone...
This is just excruciating to listen to. Which years are good for Baldwin, bottom line. All the tall weeds stories and sideline stories about organs and gloss cheap shit pianos from Asia have NOTHING to do with what people want to know, DO THEY MAKE A GOOD PIANO, or which YEARS are GOOD ONES....We DO like to hear GOOD REPORTS about AMERICAN COMPANIES.
I’m a professional pianist & have played on many instruments. Baldwin pianos are the worst, along with Wurlitzer. I prefer Yamaha or Kawaii.
what your opinion about kawai k15 ?
@@davidalarconquinones87 THX bro!!! I'l do it!!!!
Kawaii and Yamaha if you like “twang” in your strings and a 10 year lifespan. Eighties Baldwin if you like beautiful tone and 50+ year lifespan.
Before my mom bought a brand new Baldwin model L in 1990 so she didn't have to pay Brian Mulroney's 7% GST which was to be instigated Jan. 1, 1991, we had a Baldwin Piano Pro. My sister bought the Piano Pro, but it got fried from a power surge and has since been burned on their burning pile. I still play the Baldwin model L daily. It's a wonderful piano. Makes me sick they are being made in China. Crap move!