Baldwins cost more to tune?

Jeff Tanner jtanner@mozart.music.sc.edu
Mon, 1 Nov 1999 14:43:31 -0600


No.  More often than not, I tune this model (the 5'8") free of charge.  My
mother has this piano (she's waiting for me to come home, too).  It is the
most aggravating grand I know of to give a good solid clean tuning.  D54
(as well as others above the tenor break) WILL NOT hold tune -- this is
true for the other 4 or 5 of these I've done.  Manufactured by whom?
Samick.  Hmmm.  (see other thread)

This piano was later called G H Baldwin, and now is graced by the Wurlitzer
name.  Supposedly has Baldwin R scale -- or at least close to it, although
the replacement strings I ordered for a couple of bass notes don't quite
match. There are no Accu-just hitch pins as an earlier response implied.
But at least my mother's piano holds regulation very well and we've kept it
in much better condition than most of these I've seen elsewhere.  (Don't
forget, she gets free service)  I like the touch hers is capable of, and if
you're in the other room, the tone isn't bad either with all that paneling
for a soundboard.  I guess not bad for what she paid for it.  It has served
her very well in that she has taught piano for about 17 years on it, and
recently I've seen these in stores as used instruments for 50% more than
she paid.  Wish she'd give in and trade for S&S, though.

This is the piano which started the whole idea of my becoming a piano tech
some 15+ years ago.

I get the same salary for tuning one of the 61 Baldwins we have as for the
other pianos (S&S, Yamaha) in the school of music.  But it usually takes me
longer, and I'm paid hourly, so.... you do the math.

Outside my mother, and the school of music, every "normal" tuning gets the
same fee.

my $0.0137 (have to allow for taxes)
Jeff





>Dear List,
>
>   I have a person coming to look at a Baldwin Howard grand that we have for
>sale which was restrung and received new action parts about 10 years ago.
>The lady has been studying Larry Fine's book and read that piano techs don't
>like to tune Baldwins because they are so hard to tune.  She is worried that
>the piano will cost her much more over the years because the tuners will
>charge her extra to tune it because it is a Baldwin.
>
>   Do you charge an additional fee to tune a Baldwin?
>
>   Thanks,
>   Diane
>
>______________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com


Jeff Tanner, Piano Technician
School of Music
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
(803)-777-4392 (phone)
(803)-777-6508 (fax)




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