Pianotech

This Monarch studio upright has SN 339428. It was 1st tuned by Clyde in 1985 [if you enlarge the photo you can see the dates on the hammers]. The basic Baldwin number would put it made in 1996, which obviously doesn't fit with the 1st date tuned. Of the different Baldwin listings: 44" tall + up/ Howard/Acrosonic/Hamilton, the only one that makes sense is the Hamilton date, which would have the piano made in 1979.
Can anyone shed more light on why Monarch was using Hamilton numbers, but not listed under Hamilton in Pierce? And just more about Monarch pianos in general?
Thanks,

------------------------------
Sheffey Gregory, RPT
------------------------------

If it were made between 1974 and 1984, it would have Corfam on the hammer butts.

It is not a typical Baldwin case design. With the two pedals it looks of Asian manufacture.
------------------------------
Regards,

Jon Page
mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
http://www.pianocapecod.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-19-2020 21:52
From: Sheffey Gregory
Subject: Minor Baldwin SN mystery

This Monarch studio upright has SN 339428. It was 1st tuned by Clyde in 1985 [if you enlarge the photo you can see the dates on the hammers]. The basic Baldwin number would put it made in 1996, which obviously doesn't fit with the 1st date tuned. Of the different Baldwin listings: 44" tall + up/ Howard/Acrosonic/Hamilton, the only one that makes sense is the Hamilton date, which would have the piano made in 1979.
Can anyone shed more light on why Monarch was using Hamilton numbers, but not listed under Hamilton in Pierce? And just more about Monarch pianos in general?
Thanks,

------------------------------
Sheffey Gregory, RPT
------------------------------

I worked for a large Baldwin dealer in that period and they sold those. They billed them as a "European" design owing to the no front legs and 2 pedals. They were fairly tunable instruments sold at the low end by virtue of their simple cabinets. Maybe around $1800 in 1980. I actually liked them better than the Howards.
Jon may be right but I seem to remember that these pianos didn't use Baldwin actions, they were absorbing Pratt Read and Wurlitzer around that time, maybe later. I might be wrong but I think these had a compressed, direct blow, action as opposed to the Baldwin "full blow". Those don't look like Baldwin hammers either. I also seem to recall that they tried out a brown plastic (delrin?) flange that had no felt or inserted bushing for a year or two.
Perhaps they used the Hamilton SN's to differentiate them from the Howards. Also not sure if Howards had any direct blow actions at that point. 
That's what I'm recalling through the haze of 40 years anyway.

Here's some interesting information about the House of Baldwin. https://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/b/baldwin_co.htm

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal
Honolulu HI
808-521-7129
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-19-2020 22:25
From: Jon Page
Subject: Minor Baldwin SN mystery

If it were made between 1974 and 1984, it would have Corfam on the hammer butts.

It is not a typical Baldwin case design. With the two pedals it looks of Asian manufacture.
------------------------------
Regards,

Jon Page
mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
http://www.pianocapecod.com

Original Message:
Sent: 11-19-2020 21:52
From: Sheffey Gregory
Subject: Minor Baldwin SN mystery

This Monarch studio upright has SN 339428. It was 1st tuned by Clyde in 1985 [if you enlarge the photo you can see the dates on the hammers]. The basic Baldwin number would put it made in 1996, which obviously doesn't fit with the 1st date tuned. Of the different Baldwin listings: 44" tall + up/ Howard/Acrosonic/Hamilton, the only one that makes sense is the Hamilton date, which would have the piano made in 1979.
Can anyone shed more light on why Monarch was using Hamilton numbers, but not listed under Hamilton in Pierce? And just more about Monarch pianos in general?
Thanks,

------------------------------
Sheffey Gregory, RPT
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11/19/2020 10:55:00 PM
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: RE: Minor Baldwin SN mystery

I worked for a large Baldwin dealer in that period and they sold those. They billed them as a "European" design owing to the no front legs and 2 pedals. They were fairly tunable instruments sold at the low end by virtue of their simple cabinets. Maybe around $1800 in 1980. I actually liked them better than the Howards.
Jon may be right but I seem to remember that these pianos didn't use Baldwin actions, they were absorbing Pratt Read and Wurlitzer around that time, maybe later. I might be wrong but I think these had a compressed, direct blow, action as opposed to the Baldwin "full blow". Those don't look like Baldwin hammers either. I also seem to recall that they tried out a brown plastic (delrin?) flange that had no felt or inserted bushing for a year or two.
Perhaps they used the Hamilton SN's to differentiate them from the Howards. Also not sure if Howards had any direct blow actions at that point. 
That's what I'm recalling through the haze of 40 years anyway.

Here's some interesting information about the House of Baldwin. https://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/b/baldwin_co.htm

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal
Honolulu HI
808-521-7129
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-19-2020 22:25
From: Jon Page
Subject: Minor Baldwin SN mystery

If it were made between 1974 and 1984, it would have Corfam on the hammer butts.

It is not a typical Baldwin case design. With the two pedals it looks of Asian manufacture.
------------------------------
Regards,

Jon Page
mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
http://www.pianocapecod.com

Original Message:
Sent: 11-19-2020 21:52
From: Sheffey Gregory
Subject: Minor Baldwin SN mystery

This Monarch studio upright has SN 339428. It was 1st tuned by Clyde in 1985 [if you enlarge the photo you can see the dates on the hammers]. The basic Baldwin number would put it made in 1996, which obviously doesn't fit with the 1st date tuned. Of the different Baldwin listings: 44" tall + up/ Howard/Acrosonic/Hamilton, the only one that makes sense is the Hamilton date, which would have the piano made in 1979.
Can anyone shed more light on why Monarch was using Hamilton numbers, but not listed under Hamilton in Pierce? And just more about Monarch pianos in general?
Thanks,

------------------------------
Sheffey Gregory, RPT
------------------------------

Sheffey

Baldwin owned the Monarch name. As such, they used it on several different pianos made by them, including Acrosonic,  Howard, Hamilton, Monarch, and even Ellington. So check those names and serial numbers for the correct year it was made.

------------------------------
Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
Mililani, HI 96789
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-19-2020 21:52
From: Sheffey Gregory
Subject: Minor Baldwin SN mystery

This Monarch studio upright has SN 339428. It was 1st tuned by Clyde in 1985 [if you enlarge the photo you can see the dates on the hammers]. The basic Baldwin number would put it made in 1996, which obviously doesn't fit with the 1st date tuned. Of the different Baldwin listings: 44" tall + up/ Howard/Acrosonic/Hamilton, the only one that makes sense is the Hamilton date, which would have the piano made in 1979.
Can anyone shed more light on why Monarch was using Hamilton numbers, but not listed under Hamilton in Pierce? And just more about Monarch pianos in general?
Thanks,

------------------------------
Sheffey Gregory, RPT
------------------------------

Hi Sheffey, it sure looks like a Baldwin 243 (studio, Hamilton) with a different cabinet.  Piano assembly starts with a strung back.  The strung back is then married to a cabinet.  The cabinet could have been produced by an outside company.  The eighties were a time when American companies were considering out sourcing more.  I agree that the cabinet certainly looks Asian.  Samick was blossoming about that time.  Additionally, Baldwin was starting to use Mexico for assembly about that time.  When did Sojin start showing up? 

There was a "summer special" 42 inch piano that was a bottom feeder about that time as well.  It came to the dealers needing darn near everything including some missing parts.  Perhaps this one was a sampling of that process. 

I'd go with the Hamilton serial number.

------------------------------
Larry Fisher
Owner, Chief Grunt, Head Hosehead
Vancouver WA
503-310-6965
Working the gravy zone for the rest of my days.
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-19-2020 21:52
From: Sheffey Gregory
Subject: Minor Baldwin SN mystery

This Monarch studio upright has SN 339428. It was 1st tuned by Clyde in 1985 [if you enlarge the photo you can see the dates on the hammers]. The basic Baldwin number would put it made in 1996, which obviously doesn't fit with the 1st date tuned. Of the different Baldwin listings: 44" tall + up/ Howard/Acrosonic/Hamilton, the only one that makes sense is the Hamilton date, which would have the piano made in 1979.
Can anyone shed more light on why Monarch was using Hamilton numbers, but not listed under Hamilton in Pierce? And just more about Monarch pianos in general?
Thanks,

------------------------------
Sheffey Gregory, RPT
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11/19/2020 9:53:00 PM
From: Sheffey Gregory
Subject: Minor Baldwin SN mystery

This Monarch studio upright has SN 339428. It was 1st tuned by Clyde in 1985 [if you enlarge the photo you can see the dates on the hammers]. The basic Baldwin number would put it made in 1996, which obviously doesn't fit with the 1st date tuned. Of the different Baldwin listings: 44" tall + up/ Howard/Acrosonic/Hamilton, the only one that makes sense is the Hamilton date, which would have the piano made in 1979.
Can anyone shed more light on why Monarch was using Hamilton numbers, but not listed under Hamilton in Pierce? And just more about Monarch pianos in general?
Thanks,

------------------------------
Sheffey Gregory, RPT
------------------------------

Sheffey, yes, Baldwin made no effort to dress the string termination surfaces on their verticals in that era and the stringing was fairly slapdash. Also, I believe that on the Monarchs they didn't use key buttons and fixed the balance rail bushings right into the key sticks. 
The earliest model I ran across also included a nice little capstan wrench screwed to the upper, inner right cabinet panel. I think they only did that in the beginning. It had a 22 degree bend in it so you could slip it under the whippen and find the capstan without seeing it. About 4" long.

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal
Honolulu HI
808-521-7129
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-20-2020 12:16
From: William Klein
Subject: Minor Baldwin SN mystery

Monarch name belongs to Baldwin. The Hamilton (Baldwin) used Monarch name. Piano is 1979 studio piano with a Hamilton  number. No one knows why. Get it tuned. Play it. Good for another 60 years.

Bill Klein

Original Message:
Sent: 11/19/2020 9:53:00 PM
From: Sheffey Gregory
Subject: Minor Baldwin SN mystery

This Monarch studio upright has SN 339428. It was 1st tuned by Clyde in 1985 [if you enlarge the photo you can see the dates on the hammers]. The basic Baldwin number would put it made in 1996, which obviously doesn't fit with the 1st date tuned. Of the different Baldwin listings: 44" tall + up/ Howard/Acrosonic/Hamilton, the only one that makes sense is the Hamilton date, which would have the piano made in 1979.
Can anyone shed more light on why Monarch was using Hamilton numbers, but not listed under Hamilton in Pierce? And just more about Monarch pianos in general?
Thanks,

------------------------------
Sheffey Gregory, RPT
------------------------------

I think I remember from the Tucson class on the history of Baldwin that Monarch was the lowest rung of the Baldwin brands?

------------------------------
Scott Cole, RPT
rvpianotuner.com
Talent, OR
(541-601-9033
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-21-2020 02:30
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Minor Baldwin SN mystery

Sheffey, yes, Baldwin made no effort to dress the string termination surfaces on their verticals in that era and the stringing was fairly slapdash. Also, I believe that on the Monarchs they didn't use key buttons and fixed the balance rail bushings right into the key sticks.
The earliest model I ran across also included a nice little capstan wrench screwed to the upper, inner right cabinet panel. I think they only did that in the beginning. It had a 22 degree bend in it so you could slip it under the whippen and find the capstan without seeing it. About 4" long.

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal
Honolulu HI
808-521-7129

Original Message:
Sent: 11-20-2020 12:16
From: William Klein
Subject: Minor Baldwin SN mystery

Monarch name belongs to Baldwin. The Hamilton (Baldwin) used Monarch name. Piano is 1979 studio piano with a Hamilton  number. No one knows why. Get it tuned. Play it. Good for another 60 years.

Bill Klein

Original Message:
Sent: 11/19/2020 9:53:00 PM
From: Sheffey Gregory
Subject: Minor Baldwin SN mystery

This Monarch studio upright has SN 339428. It was 1st tuned by Clyde in 1985 [if you enlarge the photo you can see the dates on the hammers]. The basic Baldwin number would put it made in 1996, which obviously doesn't fit with the 1st date tuned. Of the different Baldwin listings: 44" tall + up/ Howard/Acrosonic/Hamilton, the only one that makes sense is the Hamilton date, which would have the piano made in 1979.
Can anyone shed more light on why Monarch was using Hamilton numbers, but not listed under Hamilton in Pierce? And just more about Monarch pianos in general?
Thanks,

------------------------------
Sheffey Gregory, RPT
------------------------------