Baldwin 6000

[Jeff Tanner]

Hi Jeff, List,
I've got 15 Baldwin 6000s, new in 1995, (as well as 15 243s, same age) and
my only real complaint with them (including 243s) is how quickly the
dampers get disfigured, and out of regulation, particularly the trichords.
The damper felt seems to compress too quickly, yielding poor damping and
regulation, particularly in the mid-range/low tenor.  I haven't paid that
much attention to the bass (our verticals are way down the priority list
and don't get the attention they deserve), but I expect we've got similar
"ghosting".  That is probably also due to what I hypothesize is damper felt
which is not dense enough when new.  They were already getting in this
condition by the time I started here 4 years ago today.

My thoughts,
Jeff



>List,
>	I have a Baldwin 6000 with the following problem.  The dampers in
>the midrange do not shut off the high harmonics after release of the key.
>They can be stopped by pressing on the damper or touching the string with a
>finger.  I tried moving the damper up on the wire and it helped a little,
>but did not totally eliminate the ringing.  The springs seem plenty strong
>and the dampers follow when the string is depressed, so everything seems to
>be in good working order.  The piano also has a low frequency "ghost" sound
>after a chord is released - that after-ring I would usually associate with
>an old upright with worn-out dampers.  This piano is only a couple of years
>old.  Two other factors I have noticed that might come into play - 1) the
>piano is pretty bright - hard hammers 2) there is no stringing braid on the
>"waste length" (between the bridge and hitch pin) in the bass or
>tenor/treble area.
>	The low-frequency "ring" might be attributed to the lack of
>stringing braid (?) but the high harmonics not shutting off in the middle
>section (F above middle C is the worst - flat damper) has me perplexed as to
>a solution (new felt, new piano?).  I have contacted Baldwin on this, and
>although they sounded like they would try to be helpful, it has been two
>weeks with no word.....any ideas from the list would be appreciated.
>Thanks.
>
>Jeff Stickney, RPT
>University of Montana
>jpage@selway.umt.edu


Jeff Tanner
Piano Technician
School of Music
813 Assembly ST
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
(803)-777-4392
jtanner@mozart.sc.edu