New hammers for Hamilton school piano

[Joseph Garrett]

Rob,
I was talking about the ones from the 40's, 50's and 60's. Not the newer
Hamilton, that, I agree, is a piece of ----! However, If one were to take
the time to set the piano up properly, in the first place, it's more than
adequate for the "ham-handed" teacher types and their little darlings. Tone
is a personal thing and I believe, no two people percieve it in the same
way. So, if you don't like the tone, that's A-OK with me. I personally don't
hate the tone. I much prefer that to the clangy, bangy, tinkle, clank,
doink, etc. of Yamaha Studios, that incidentally have as many, if not more
case problems than the Hamiton, IMHO.
Regards
Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Goodale" <rrg@nevada.edu>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2001 11:47 AM
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
>
>