BALDWIN "L" - is this a good price?
Graham Bezodis
I looked at a 6'3" Balwin "L" this last weekend,
and was quoted $18,500 for it.
It was in good condition with some scratches.
They didn't know how old it was, but it's serial # is 232315.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks, Graham
DZappa
In article <graham.a.bezod...@tek.com>,
graham.a...@tek.com (Graham Bezodis) writes:
>I looked at a 6'3" Balwin "L" this last weekend,
>and was quoted $18,500 for it.
>It was in good condition with some scratches.
>They didn't know how old it was, but it's serial # is 232315.
Hi Graham:
A Baldwin L is a great piano. I prefer them to the Steinway M. Baldwin
is a hand built piano that is used by many performing artists (George
Shearing, Marilyn McParland, David Copeland, et al..) and is considered by
these (and others) to be in the same class as a Steinway. These comments
may ruffle a few feathers, but this is all IMHO.
This piano was built in 1979 in Conway, Ark. This plant was built in the
50's and in 1979 was the newest and most state of the art factory in the
country. They turned out some pretty stellar pianos from that factory.
In 1984 Baldwin experienced a leveraged buyout from Baldwin United (the
parent company) and their quality dropped for a number of years, but this
obviously wouldn't relate to this piano.
As far as what to do now. First, IMO a $18,500 price tag isn't
unreasonable (try to buy a 1979 6'+ Steinway for that) given certain
criteria: warranty, tuning, delivery, etc. A new Baldwin L is $28K
list. You didn't mention if a dealer was selling this, and if so, what
all was included for that price. But you should have an independent
technician verify the condition of the piano, and find out who owned it
for the past 17 years. Backround info is ALWAYS helpful.
And here I go.....................
If you have read it, take it with a grain of salt. The Piano Book by
Larry Fine and Baldwin really aren't on good terms, and I feel that Larry
has used his review of Baldwin in the book as some sort of personal
vendetta against Baldwin. There....I said it :-P Remember, I do think
the book is a source of good technical information.
Let us know how it goes. And never be afraid to ask for a better deal :-)
dave
-Chen,J.L.
In article <4tjkug$9...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, DZappa <dza...@aol.com> wrote:
>In article <graham.a.bezod...@tek.com>,
>graham.a...@tek.com (Graham Bezodis) writes:
>
>>I looked at a 6'3" Balwin "L" this last weekend,
>>and was quoted $18,500 for it.
>>It was in good condition with some scratches.
>>They didn't know how old it was, but it's serial # is 232315.
>
>Hi Graham:
>
>A Baldwin L is a great piano. I prefer them to the Steinway M. Baldwin
>is a hand built piano that is used by many performing artists (George
>Shearing, Marilyn McParland, David Copeland, et al..) and is considered by
>these (and others) to be in the same class as a Steinway. These comments
>may ruffle a few feathers, but this is all IMHO.
How about it compares to say, Yamaha C3 or C5?
Julian
Thomas D. Seay
> And here I go.....................
> If you have read it, take it with a grain of salt. The Piano Book by
> Larry Fine and Baldwin really aren't on good terms, and I feel that Larry
> has used his review of Baldwin in the book as some sort of personal
> vendetta against Baldwin. There....I said it :-P Remember, I do think
> the book is a source of good technical information.
>
> Let us know how it goes. And never be afraid to ask for a better deal :-)
>
> dave
From the Piano Book (3rd edition):
It零 hard to have a conversation about Baldwin grands with a prospective
piano buyer for more than a few minutes without the inevitable comparison
with Steinway being brought up. For those readers who have always equated
Baldwin and Steinway, you might want to know that in my opinion, Baldwin
grands are good, solid instruments that approach, but do not quite reach,
the Steinway in quality. The tone of the Baldwin grand is a little more
percussive and less sustained than that of the Steinway, but not
unpleasant when voiced. Baldwin grands are about one-third less expensive
than comparably sized Steinways, however, and are considered by many
technicians to be a good value as well as a good product.
End quote.
This excerpt, in my opinion, hardly represents a vendetta against Baldwin.
It seems to me to be rather complimentary towards Baldwin, a company which
offers many excellent pianos and a few really dreadful ones, IMHO.
--
Thomas D. Seay
The University of Texas at Austin
Steven Abrams
In article <y8su3uq8p...@mahi.cs.columbia.edu>
abr...@mahi.cs.columbia.edu (Steven Abrams) writes:
> From the information I've gathered so far, I can tell you that $18500
> for a new "L" does not seem that hot.
^^^
First of all, this should be USED, not NEW!!! My apologies for this
SERIOUS TYPO! This is, in fact, a good price on a new L.
>
> MSRP on a new L is between 27,340 and 29,480, depending on finish.
[...]
> Doesn't sound like a very good deal to me on a used piano with some
> scratches.
I've gotten some feedeback, so let me carify some of the above.
First, I have no inside information on price. I hypothesized the
dealer cost based on some sketchy information and may, of course, be
wrong.
Second, the specific prices that I see on pianos while shopping are NY
area prices. These are, from what I have been told, decidedly
different from prices in, say, Kansas. Or even other major cities
distant from either coast. There is huge competition in CA and NY and
that accounts for near cut-throat pricing. I have no less than 4
choices EACH for Yamaha, Kawai, Baldwin, Young Chang, and Samick
dealers in my area. I even have multiple dealers to choose from for
much smaller lines such as Petrof and Forster. The only thing I don't
have a choice from is Steinway and Boston. In NY, the only place to
get one of these is Steinway.
With that much competition, the prices need to be less, and the
volumes are going to be higher, the discounts/kickbacks from the
manufacturers more forthcoming, etc., etc.
Just because one can get a new L for somewhere in the sub 19000 range
around here, doesn't mean that you can wherever you're living.
Third, ANY price quote or judgement on a price is useless without
information on the source of the piano. A privately sold '79 L will
go for less than the same piano from a dealer. Hopefully, the dealer
will clean/regulate/tune/voice/warranty/hand-hold or something to
justify the higher expense.
So, to clarify my recommendation: in the NY (and probably CA) area,
$18500 for a scratched L is not so hot in and of itself. If the
dealer will clean it up and guarantee it for a substantial period,
that's a plus. If you're in a different area, the price might well be
better.
To highlight the regional pricing differences, I passed on a 1960's
era Yamaha C3 at $9000, tax/delivery/tuning included, with a 10 year
warranty. The piano was actually in quite reasonable shape, but would
need action work over the next few years. Two local techs advised me
that this piano was priced high, but would be a good value at under
$7000. Elsewhere, this might be an excellent value at $9000.
I do have one piece of advice that will figure prominently in my web
page, (when available), and that is this: Make sure you've found a
GOOD DEALER. There's no point in buying a piano at a rock bottom
price if the dealer won't stand behind it. Many pianos come from the
factory requiring some work. "Dealer-make-ready" is the phrase that
was used. Make the dealer earn their margin. A good one will be
happy to, since that's what earns repeat business and
recommendations.
Those of us lucky enough to live in an area with choices can shop not
only price but service.
~~~Steve
--
Steven Abrams abr...@cs.columbia.edu
Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
-Lennon/McCartney
OlympickedOut
have seen seven foots at this price or a little lower for Baldwins.
I got a great deal on my Baldwin grand (15k)
sounds as good as the bass of a Steinway.
Thanks
Nicole
graham.a...@tek.com (Graham Bezodis) writes:
>I looked at a 6'3" Balwin "L" this last weekend,
>and was quoted $18,500 for it.
>It was in good condition with some scratches.
--
Nicole Michelle Seguin
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
uucp: ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt4820a
Internet: gt4...@prism.gatech.edu
vincemrykalo, rpt
>And here I go.....................
>If you have read it, take it with a grain of salt. The Piano Book by
>Larry Fine and Baldwin really aren't on good terms, and I feel that Larry
>has used his review of Baldwin in the book as some sort of personal
>vendetta against Baldwin. There....I said it :-P Remember, I do think
>the book is a source of good technical information.
>Let us know how it goes. And never be afraid to ask for a better deal :-)
>dave
Sounds like we should take *you* with a grain of salt.
vince mrykalo rpt
DZappa
In article <vince_mrykalo...@byu.edu>, vince_...@byu.edu
(vincemrykalo, rpt) writes:
>
>Sounds like we should take *you* with a grain of salt.
Oh my goodness, I've offended someone. <big swoon>
John B. Steele
Hi guys: I bought a 1984 Baldwin L in very good condition last year. I am
in Canada, so the prices are different, but I paid $14,000 for it, and
have been well pleased with it. Other pianists have concurred that it was a
bargain.