Baldwin: Good years and bad years?

[Michael Magness]

On Nov 22, 2007 5:31 AM, Martin Wisenbaker <mbjwisenbaker at juno.com> wrote:
> Kurt:
>
> Yes Baldwin did have a problem in the 80's. One of their stringers had a
> habit of putting hand lotion on his hands before stringing. This created
> loose tuning pins. This was discovered after a number of pianos were
> found to have loose tuning pins. An investigation ensued that revealed
> what the stringer was doing.  I learned this at a seminar somewhere.
>
> Martin Wisenbaker, RPT
> Houston, Texas
>
I heard that same story about Steinway, only it was thei bass stringer
who had fried chicken for lunch every day and didn't wash his hands
after lunch!

I believe a more realistic answer would be that they went into Chapter
11 bankruptcy proceedings early in 1985, the employess knew of the
problems or were a part of the problems since they had no idea if they
would continue to have jobs as the company was having hard times and
their "work" reflected those problems.

1985 was a watershed year for the american piano industry as a whole,
Aeolian went down(cheer)Story & Clark, Kohler & Campbell all went
bankrupt. Wurlitzer was in trouble and a few years later, after
Baldwin had emerged from thei Chapter 11 Wurlitzer became a part of
Baldwin. Part of what saved Baldwin was a contract with Yamaha to
build some units, Yamaha had closed the Everette plant in Michigan
anticipating the opening of Yamaha's new Thomaston plant in Georgia
but it wasn't completed yet so they contracted with Baldwin for
100,000 units. The Thomaston plant didn't open until mid to late 1986

Mike
-- 
Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot.
Michael Magness
Magness Piano Service
608-786-4404
www.IFixPianos.com
email mike at ifixpianos.com