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Hi everyone! Newbie poster here...

This is extremely painful for me, but as much as it's going to hurt, I am, unfortunately, in the position where I may have to sell my grand piano due to economic reasons, and am trying to find out more information about my particular model.

What I know about it: It's a 1929 Baldwin C, 6'3", S/N 60502, traditional style, with ivory keys, and was refinished in 1996 with a polished ebony finish...and that's about it, except for it being built in the "golden age" of piano making - at least that's what I've been reading everywhere. But, I have to agree with whoever made the post here at PW about vintage Baldwin's having a "HUGE sound"...it's awesome!

I'll be getting it tuned again soon, and the technician (a registered piano tech with PTG) will also include an appraisal for free, so I'm not asking for value information (which is pointless, since you can't see it to figure out it's condition).

Basically, what I'm looking for is more information about the model itself. Like...How is it different from the "L" model (and others) built in the same year/decade? How many were made in that year/decade? When was the "C" model discontinued? Why are there so few "C" models anywhere online (for sale, information, etc.)? How can I tell if I also have the original bench?

As you can tell, I don't know much about my piano - I purchased it on sound and feel/touch alone in 1996 (a somewhat funny, yet shudder-worthy, story, if you'd ever like to hear it).

If anyone has any information to share, I would appreciate it.

Thanks!

Meep

P.S. If anyone also has ideas for keeping ownership, but not having to worry about what to do if I have to move into a smaller place, that might be an option (e.g. temporarily "loaning/renting" it?). While I may really need the money, it's highly unlikely I'll be able to sell it for a reasonable amount in this economy, if at all. If it's in good enough condition, do piano rental companies "consignment rent"? (I don't know if there's a proper term for "renting someone else's piano".)

I think maybe your model C predates the L.

I have a ca. 1922 model H (5'8'') It predates the Model R, and postdates another model. Baldwin changed around their model numbers a few times, but the pianos remained the same.

I am sorry you must sell your beautiful piano! I hope it goes to a good home. Baldwins were among of the finest piano makers in the world!

Sorry to hear about your situation. Unfortunately, you are right in thinking that you might have a hard time selling it... for a fair price, at least.

I have been trying to sell my rebuilt Baldwin C for 9 months or so and have just very recently found someone who is seriously interested. If you really need to sell it, you will have to advertise it aggressively on the Internet (eBay, Craigslist, Piano Mart, Piano World, etc.); you will need good quality photos, an accurate description of the piano, and recordings are a nice touch).

Anyway, the Model L replaced the C sometime in the mid-20th century, but I'm not sure of the exact year. The 9' SD-10 replaced the 9' SD-6 in 1965... probably sometime around there. One of the key differences is that the model L has accu-just hitch pins. Presumably it has a different scale design, too, along with a few other things. There are others on here who can be more specific).

You may see few C's for sale because many people assume they have an L. In the 6'3" size, the scale designations were C, then SC, then L. There were L's prior to Accu-just hitchpins. L's from the 50's, for example, had SC cast in the plate. But they were marked as an L above the serial number on the plate. I think that they would have been sold as L's. Many of the C's have a K preceeding the serial number. So were they sold as model K's? I don't know. I guess that you would have to find sales literature from that period. I have thought that Baldwin went from the C to the SC scale in the 30's. The latest C's I have seen have been that vintage. The pianos I see which look more like modern L's (minus the Accu-just hitch pins, etc), are 40's-60's vintage.

There was a 6'3" Baldwin built in the 1890's. The plate was different from the 1919 C I have in the shop. The plate "holes" were triangular instead of round, for one thing. It didn't have the scale letter cast in the plate like later Baldwin's do. I partially rebuilt one several years ago that I thought was probably built in 1896. One feature was that it had the kind of trapwork springs that were fashioned out of thinned wood instead of steel coils or leafs. I didn't do the re-stringing on that piano, so I don't know if the scale was different.

One difference is that the C's had steel action rails. The action geometry is a little different. Current Baldwin replacement wippens don't fit, for instance. I've had to piece together wippens for these from components.

Wow! You guys are incredible!

I really wasn't expecting that much information in response to my post, but you really blew me away. Especially the difference between the parts used in various models!

Other than the refinishing (which I got to choose), I don't know what, if any, work has been done on it, so it will be interesting to find out if there has been any rebuilding, refurbishing, or partials thereof.

Thanks for all the "above and beyond" information! I'll welcome more, if anyone else wants to contribute.

Meep