<HTML style="FONT-SIZE: x-small; FONT-FAMILY: MS Sans Serif"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1251"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2722" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <P> <DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>Vladan said "... </FONT><FONT size=+0>the Baldwin designs are otherwise </FONT><FONT size=+0>excellent."</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>I have to speak out. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>Scale designs, sure. Action, fine. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>But I have always found Baldwin case designs and hardware--especially the damned fallboard mechanisms--to be atrociously cheap and un-tech-friendly. Remove an upright Baldwin action--then go do the same on a newish Yamaha. Etc., etc., etc. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>It seems they followed the Detroit auto industry model from the 70s and 80s: Make them as cheap as possible to assemble, make them look okay on the outside, and pretend that no one will ever have to work on them. Even in the latter years, they just went so cheap--how 'bout those stupid T-shaped wooden doohickies that hold the music desk/upper board on the newer Hamilton studios, eh, look at them cross-eyed and they disintegrate.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>I know some of you are friends with former Baldwin engineers/designers and I understand that the company was hideously missmanaged in the last years prior to the bankruptcy, but I still think it's annoying.  It's annoying that they were really giving Steinway a run for their money on the high end and had a solid worldwide reputation with tremendous brand recognition--and then blew it all of with stupid, greedy, selfish "leadership" from the top. Puff, puff ... pant, rant ... whoosh, deep breath .... hold it ..... let it go ..... ah .... tranquility ..... actually I think I'vefallenasleeeeeeee....</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0></FONT> </DIV></DIV> <DIV>Alan Barnard</DIV> <DIV>Salem, Missouri</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <P></P></BODY></HTML>