My mom had one of those Kawaii / Howards. They were built in Japan and it was a Baldwin contract. Not a particularily wonderfull instrument, but useable enough. Never really thought much about it. More recently I find myself getting perturbed at all these "names" that dont really reflect who is making the piano and what kinda characteristics the piano basically has. Take the Samick company for example. There are several different "Samick" types out there, but as far as I can tell you could just as well call them all Samicks. They look and sound like Samicks. As far as I am concerned pianos like Kohler and Cambell simply are not made anymore. (many perhaps are happy about that as far as it goes.. grin) Clyde Hollinger wrote: > Friends, > > I ran into a new one today. Inside, the grand piano looked for all the > world like a Kawai, complete with the decal, emblem on the plate, plate > configuration, and it claimed to be a model 550-C, serial 557975. On > the fallboard was written Howard (which I know is a Baldwin name) and in > the lower right corner "built specially for Baldwin by Kawai, Japan." > According to Pierce it was made in 1971. > > So what do we have here? Was it really built any differently for > Baldwin, or was just the name on the fallboard changed? I never knew > Kawai ever built pianos for Baldwin. BTW, it also had a serious loose > tuning pin problem in the bass and a few others here and there, if that > has anything to do with anything. > > Regards, > Clyde Hollinger, RPT > Lititz, PA, USA -- Richard Brekne Associate PTG, N.P.T.F. Bergen, Norway
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