New hammers for Hamilton school piano

[Farrell]

Just a few comments on your rude comments on the Hamilton studio.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Goodale" <rrg@nevada.edu>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2001 2:47 PM
Subject: Re: New hammers for Hamilton school piano


> Joseph Garrett wrote:
>
> > Robert,
> > In case you haven't noticed, the Baldwin Hamilton is the piano of choice
for
> > an awful lot of schools.
>
> Hmmm.  Or to rephrase, "The Baldwin Hamilton is the awful piano of choice
for a
> lot of schools".
>
> My apologies to those diehard Hamilton lovers out there.  I hate the damn
> things.  I find them rather nasal in tone and ill designed.  Even beyond
the
> "corfam" days, (or however you spell it),  I have seldom found one of
these
> actions that was aligned with everything properly.  This compounded with
those
> cheep Mexican made parts with their crazed wide grain, and glue joints
that
> cause hammers to loosen randomly after only a few years of service.  All
the
> newer ones I have serviced seem to have tuning pins so tight they feel
like
> they are set in epoxy.  And can you think of any other modern school that
> requires so much effort just to remove the key cover?  And then there's
those
> cheep screws that round out after just a few times of disassembly.  And
those
> stupid things they cast into the plate that the action screws into just so
that
> they can save three bucks on action bolts, the result being that there is
no
> way to adjust the action's horizontal position.  Of course it would be
futile
> anyway seeing how the screws never want to come out voluntarily.  Then
there's
> the ribs that don't miter into the case.  How many of those have
separated?
> (techs in the mid west know what I'm talking about).  It doesn't seem all
that
> uncommon either that the bridge caps separate.  I've lost track of how
many of
> those damn things I've had to destring and reglue.  Jeeze, and what of
those
> older ones that open up like a Chevy Nova with a prop stick?  Only Baldwin

> could come up with that idea.
>
> Okay,  that's my view.  If you love them then go and hug one.  When the
> university asked me to pick some old pianos out of storage to use toward
trade
> for a new 'D' we were buying I gave them all of the Hamiltons we had, good
> riddance to them.  Flame me if you must but It won't change my position.
I
> guess if we are talking about schools with no budget for replacements then
I
> extend my deepest sympathy.
>
> Just my happy opinion.
>
> Rob Goodale, RPT
> Las Vegas, NV

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, amen, amen, amen, yes, yes, yes, for sure! The
truth sometimes hurts.
I could not have said any of this better! These are CONSISTENTLY some of the
WORST pianos I service.

Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com