baldwin hamilton piano serial number lookup

Baldwin hamilton piano serial number lookup full#

Removing the cabinet parts of a piano is seldom difficult and will usually follow the directions outlined below. If the work has been done by an experienced piano technician, though, it’s probably all right. Sometimes this work is done by people who haven’t thought of the consequences and who turn out pianos that are henceforth difficult or impossible to service. If you’re going to refinish the piano, of course, the veneer will first have to be reglued otherwise, it’s up to you.īeware of old uprights that have been restyled in nonstandard ways, such as by cutting down the height of the upper panel, installing mirrors, and so on.

In general, loose veneer is found on pianos that have undergone extremes of both dryness and dampness. But if you’re prepared for the long haul, hire a technician first to remove all the outer case parts and the action and to cover the strings then get a good book on furniture refinishing.Īlso check for loose veneer and other signs of water damage along the bottom edge of verticals. Some take short cuts, and end up sealing the piano shut or painting the strings. If you’re thinking of refinishing the piano yourself, let me warn you: stripping and refinishing a piano is much more work than refinishing other furniture, and most do-it-yourselfers give up long before this job is done. A grand can be partially restyled by changing the legs and music desk, and any piano can be refinished, but both of these are expensive (refinishing a grand piano can easily cost more than three thousand dollars.) Could you live with it? If not, you might as well not go any further. Looks, styling, and finish. Look the piano over. The tools you should bring with you are: a flashlight a soft brush, such as a paint brush, for brushing away dust a small screwdriver (with about a ⅛-inch tip) and a large screwdriver (with about a 5/16-inch tip), for removing outer case parts, if needed a tuning fork or pitch pipe, obtainable from a music store, to determine if the piano is up to standard pitch paper and pencil for taking notes this book and someone to play the piano, if you don’t, and to lend moral support. The information on how pianos differ in quality and features, also in Chapter 3, applies to used pianos too, especially those made since about 1960. Page references are given to sections of Chapter 3, “Buying A New Piano,” and other chapters that contain more helpful technical material. Basic descriptions of piano parts and how they work are in Chapter 1, which you may want to review now. Much of the information you need can be found in previous chapters. This value system is more likely to apply to inexpensive uprights than to other pianos, but you can make the translation as needed.

As such, I’ve used the terms “cheap” and “inexpensive” to refer to repairs that are likely to cost less than $100, “moderate” to mean $100 to $500, and “expensive,” over $500. In addition, I’ve tried to give some idea of the relative significance of each part as I cover it, and, in very general terms, of the probable cost of repairing it, if necessary. And while in many cases a decision about purchase involves a balancing of pros and cons rather than a clear yea or nay, this routine may help you to weed out those occasional catastrophes that do not deserve your, or your technician’s, further attention. At the very least, though, this inspection will teach you a lot about the piano, enable you to talk intelligently with your technician, and make you feel a useful and involved participant instead of a passive bystander. A thorough inspection of a piano must really be a joint effort with a technician, because some crucial parts of the piano, such as the pinblock, can be tested only by feel or with special tools, and an overall judgment of the condition of the piano requires some experience. Knowing that you’d rather not stare dumbly at the piano, I’ve prepared a little inspection routine for you here.

Baldwin hamilton piano serial number lookup full#

Unless you’re very rich and can afford to keep a piano technician on retainer full time, chances are that at some point in your searching for a used piano you’re going to have to go it alone.