Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Bye,Bye Baldwin

Baldwin shut it's doors.

Say What?

double post - deleted.

The Trumann factory is shutting down, not all of Baldwin.

I think Gibson is making a big mistake. I just hope that they have the foresight to keep the factory in working condition until the economic situation changes so they can reopen when needed.

And then there were three.

What a shame.

This is very sad. I really love Baldwin artist grands. I always figured that if/when I upgraded to a bigger piano it would be a Baldwin. I guess that dream is now gone. I wonder if they will try to produce them in China, or if they are just gone away.

No financial bailouts for the piano industry, I reckon.

Dang.

Steven

Does this mean we will see Dong-baldwins? (Dongbei) Or is the grand production moving to Gibson's?

Very SAD INDEED!!! I agree that the Baldwin Artist grands are a pianos!


Terry C.

Meant to say that Baldwin Artist grands are great pianos! Sorry!


Terry C.

Dongwin? Baldbei? Hmm . . . you may be onto something there. Gibson Artist Grands produced in Nashville.

I recently visited a dealer who carried new Baldwins, he only sold a few in over a year.

The uprights were almost pathetic, the grands just soso.

Needless to say such meagre efforts are not enough in today's world of super competitive piano making.

Laugh all you want, but some of the better Chinese today would be sounding like Premium pianos besides some of the recent Baldwins I saw.

Feeling like the German soldier in the Normandy shouting "the Allies are coming" I was heavily ridiculed here only few years ago when pointing out the mass of new Chinese pianos coming onto market, many of which started to impress with a tone quality never seen [heard] before.

Instead of being accused of 'promoting Chinese pianos' - as I inevitably was quickly after - the smart ones in the industry should have recognized mine as well as those of many other industry professionals at least a bit of a warning that things were perhaps changing out there and to be on the look out for themselves.

I can only hope we'll do better with our own auto industry next...

Nostalgia and wishful thinking won't cut it any longer.

There will be more piano makers that will have to go - better brace yourself for some more unexpected moves and surprises in the near future.

Norbert

This is stunning...

Now Baldwin is not making pianos in the United States?

So at what year of manufacturing of Baldwin did they turn from great or good pianos to poor pianos? I only ask because a used 6' baldwin is in the mix of pianos that I'm considering for a Christmas present for my wife. I'm also looking at used Knabe's and Yamaha's as well.

I am very sad. Both as a former employee and as a dealer.

Ric Overton

What Norbert said is the first I've heard of any descent into "poor" or "pathetic" territory, and he doesn't make clear just what the problems were, i.e., whether they were built badly or just poorly prepped.
Ric, do you have any further information about what happens to the Artist Grands now?

Unfortunately, that article in the Trumann newspaper is the only mention I could find so far in the media when I googled this sad announcement.

Steven

I was at a local Baldwin dealer here in Las Vegas this afternoon. That is were I heard about it. Steinway and Yamaha are their main lines however.

Pretty remarkable that in a country of 300 million a company making pianos with less than 100 employees and a brand as valuable as Baldwin can't sell enough to pay the rent. Even if the economy's bad you'd think they could sell the required few hundred pianos per year nationwide. Plenty of European companies manage to do it, as someone said over in another thread.

It makes me sad too. I always thought I'd get a Baldwin grand someday. With also the news from the auto industry I have the feeling we Americans just don't have things together these days.

Will Gibson honor warranties on the new pianos that dealers will sell off now?

Continuing parts availability?

Maybe there are some deals to be had?