Another thing that did not bode well for Baldwin was how difficult it was to order parts! I needed a lyre brace and a una chorda lever but they would not let me, as an established technician, order one! I had to go through an "authorized dealer". I surprised to learn that our local Baldwin dealer had not yet become "authorized" so they were having difficulty getting parts too! Not good.
Despite the continued decline of the American piano manufactureres, the competant rebuilders seem to be doing very well. In some ways things are going back to how they were 100 years ago, but instead of 100's of manufactures, we have 100's of small rebuilding shops, with the best of them turning out a product that is superior to what many manufactureres are capable of matching.
On a side note, I wonder how Charles Walter is doing these days.
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