Hello all,

Does anyone have any opinions or info on the Hamilton (Baldwin) BH185? The only info I can find is off the Baldwin site. I had the opportunity to play one and must say I was impressed. At least on paper it seems to have some great specs (sand cast plate, spruce soundboard, etc).

At around 10k for a 6'1" grand, it seems like a steal. Opinions?

Thanks for any info,
Steve

I think they had five brands until recently: Wurlitzer, Hamilton, Chickering, Howard and Baldwin. I think that was also the order of quality. The store I was at didn't have any Chickerings. The Wurlitzers didn't sound good to me and the Hamiltons were so-so and then there seemed to be a big jump in tone quality to the Howards. (Of course there was a big jump in price too!)

I don't think they're making any new pianos with the Hamilton name, so it might really be a good price, if they're trying to move some merchandise that's been in their store for a while.

On their site the BH185 has 'Baldwin' written on the fallboard. I wonder if having that name on the fallboard might increase resale value (the ones I tried actually said 'Hamilton'.)

They don't mention anything about the action or hammers on their site. And there are various types of spruce that can be used in the soundboard -- some better and more expensive. Also they don't say whether it is solid or laminated (some say it isn't very important but it seems all the high-end pianos have solid soundboards).

For around 10K it might be a good deal, I would just make sure you like the sound and feel of it. Used you could get a nice Yamaha for that or a rebuilt older Baldwin.

Thanks for the reply Charles. After taking a second look at Baldwin's site, it looks like it does say 'solid spruce soundboard', for what it's worth. And yes, the one I played on also said Hamilton on the fallboard. I guess those must be older inventory.

Steve

The Baldwin branding structure has changed a lot in the last 10 years, and it's very hard to sort out what's what. But the piano you're looking at is made in China, and is a good piano, but not as good as the American made Artist series (models "M","R" and "L"). If you like Baldwins you might want to try to find a used one of those. But if you want a new piano, for the same money you could find a Hailun or Brodmann that would be a better piano than the BH185. Larry

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately, there are no Hailun or Brodmann dealers in my area. But, here is another question:

Opinions on the aforementioned BH185 vs. Cable Nelson CN161? I know there's a size difference of course (6'1" vs. 5'3"). But given the choice between the two (and the new price being more or less the same), are there any opinions?

Thanks all,
Steve

I don't know anything about Cable Nelson, but in general that big of a size difference would usually favor the bigger piano. Unless the Cable Nelson at 5'3" is really exceptional, it would have a hard time competing with any decent grand that's 6'1", including the BH185. Others may chime in who know something about Cable Nelsons. Larry

I'm pretty sure quality-wise you're in good shape with a piano from the house of Yamaha (Cable Nelson), but on the other hand a lot of professionals on here seem to think that the average quality of new pianos these days is pretty high (speaking in terms of 'quality' meaning the likelihood that something will break, stick, go out of tune etc. -- not in terms of tone).

I'm not a pro and just a fellow who really likes to play pianos but I did get a nice impression of those Cable Nelsons. I think that's the lowest priced piano that I found myself sort of 'settling in' to play in the store. (It's all subjective of course but I offer my opinion because I guess sometimes if you get your own impression and it's backed up by someone else's, it makes a stronger case.)

They seemed really 'tightly made' but I did still notice a tone difference when switching to Yamaha -- but what are you gonna do? They cost more for a reason of course.

I do remember they look gorgeous. Name on the fallboard inclusive.

The uprights have laminated soundboards I think, not sure about the grands.

I could definitely imagine a case where I would go for a shorter grand over a longer one, but Larry Larson does have a point when the difference is so big.