Hi All!

I bought another piano this week… not that I needed another one, but being the piano enthusiast that I am, I do like pianos. It is an older Baldwin 243 studio model from the early 80’s.

A local college had it for sale at auction and I looked at it last week and decided to bid on it. I was the high bidder at $480. I’ve seen these for sale on Craigslist for less, but this one was close by and the insides are pristine.

I made a short video this morning… the quality of the video ain’t all that good, and neither is my playing! I also take a detour and show off my 1983 Chevy ElCamino… "My latest piano adventure"

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video and find it somewhat educational, entertaining and intriguing…

Rick

Looks and sounds great Rick - definitely a bargain!

When I finally get around to upgrading to a grand I'll have to ask your advice...

Sam

Thanks Sam!

Don't know if I'm much on giving advice or not...

Gordon College in Barnesville Ga. had the pianos for sale through DOAS state surplus. They have an older Kawai studio on eBay now, but it is not in that good a condition, though it still might be a good deal for someone who can fix it up.

Happy piano shopping, when you get ready for that grand!

Rick

Hi Rick, nice piano. Those go for around $1200 - $3000 around these parts, so nice price and sounds nice too. Way better than one I saw awhile back! Enjoy!

That was a cool video - loved your playing and singing at the end. Great buy!

Sweet Rick,

Our first piano was a new Baldwin Hamilton studio back in 1967. So what are your plans for it?

Good price, that's a nice sounding piano, Rickster. Nice boogie, too

And yes, pianos are a lot of fun.

Hi Swarth... I haven't decided how much effort I want to put into revitalizing the finish... like I said, the insides are in good condition and need little; the exterior is a different story.

After I recorded that video and posted it, I begin to wonder if I should be proud of it or ashamed of it...

I know there are a lot of highly accomplished pianist here on the forum and some professionals. Please keep in mind that I am in the early stages of the learning curve when it comes to playing a piano (as well as servicing and tuning)...

I took some 0000 steal wool with a little water and started cleaning up the finish… it was really dirty and scratched up.

Anyway, it will keep me busy tinkering and playing, playing and tinkering for a while…

Rick

Nice, congratulations! Great sound, good piano. So, how many pianos do you have now?

And should be VERY proud of it!!

Never enough!

Seriously, I have the Yamaha C7, that I absolutely love! I have the old 1907 Schiller upright... beautiful oak finish and wood work. I have a Casio Privia 310 digital and now the Baldwin studio.

I figue you can never have enough pianos!!

It is amazing how much stress a piano can help relieve...

Now, if I could just play one...

Rick

Rick,

You may need to build another carport to enclose.

Charles

Nice piano. It's also nice to put a face with the name!

I've seen photos, and I was picturing jolly Santa, not a Southern gentleman!

Nice El Camino, by the way. You did a good job there.

Great find on the piano. Congrats!

Rick, you are well on your way to having a piano in every room It's nice to have an interest that gives you so many hours of enjoyment and you obviously really enjoy finding these older pianos and coaxing the most out of them. And you are spending a lot less on this than many people do on their pastimes. It's fun to read about these newest finds of yours.

Dan

Thanks for the complement! Jolly Santa might have been a good description of me a couple of years ago… I’ve lost over 50 pounds sine then.

Thanks for the comments, All! Yes, I do enjoy the piano as a past time and hobby and even more so since I’ve been a member of Piano World! (support group? )

I get a certain euphoric feeling when I read about members here getting a new or new-to-them piano. I get an even higher euphoric feeling when I get a new or new-to-me-piano!

Rick

Looking forward to the arrival of your next piano!!

The piano sounds great and the insides look wonderful. I like the El Camino too. Over the last few years (especially since the cash for clunkers thing & the price of scrap being so high) there are very few 80's cars on the road anymore up here in northern Ohio. I really miss them. I guess the upside is that we don't have any trouble finding our 1985 Caprice station wagon in parking lots.

Older? From the 80's?

Rick, you're too humble! I love your playing, and wish I could play as "fluently" as you do (I still have WAY too much hesitating and stopping to think things over in the middle of a piece )

Congratulations on the new piano! Looks like you got a good deal, and a nice "new to you" piano to play with. But, you're not going to leave it out in the garage, are you? Poor little piano!

By the looks of the videos, I think Rick leaves all of his uprights in the garage!

Please move them!

Thanks, Saerra!

And, no, I got the Baldwin studio cleaned up real good and brought it in my music room late this afternoon. So, my Yamaha C7 has a partner! Actually, it cleaned up prettel well, but the insides are in great shape. I'll take a picture of it post clean-up and try to post it tomorrow.

I'm thinking of enclosing my pole-barn garage and making it more enviornmentally friendly so I can tinker with old pianos and not have to worry about them being damaged from the weather.

Take care!

Rick

Oh good! Yay!!!

Here is a pic of the Baldwin studio after I got it cleaned up. It still has some blemishes and scaring on the finish, but it doesn't look too bad... I've seen worse.

It sounds nice and plays nice, though. I figure I can pound on it some and save my C7 a little grief!

Rick

I think it looks really nice especially against the brick.

Oh wow! I think it looks beautiful - you did a really good job with it! (Hehe now I can say, "lucky little piano!" )

And creating your own piano workshop? How cool!!!

That is quite a beauty! Enjoyed the piano playing. Post another after the piano is tuned. I'd be interested in the difference.

Rick, I had a friend at work years ago who played guitar and banjo, and had been bitten by the collecting bug. One day he brought an old Gibson banjo in to show me. It was one of those pre-war Gibsons - I have no idea what it was worth.

Imagine my surprise when he asked me to take it home and keep it for him for awhile. Of course I agreed. He said, "I can't bring all my instruments home at the same time - if I did my wife would divorce me."

So if you find yourself in a similar situation, since I can be trusted with a pre-war Gibson banjo I can be trusted with a piano. Just sayin'

Sam

Congratulations Rick! I like big Baldwin uprights. You should be able to hear it up against that brick wall!

Congrats, Rick!

By the way, are the shoulders of those hammers eaten by moths, or is that just an optical illusion with the angle of the lighting in the video?

Thanks, Sam!

Hey, I will keep you in mind when I don’t have room for any more pianos! I think I need to concentrate on learning to play, verses collecting pianos. But I do love the instrument.

Speaking of that pre-war Gibson 5-string banjo, I’ve gotten more hits on YT with my banjo playing than my piano playing! (neither of which is all that good…)

"Foggy Mountain Breakdown" (This was before I lost 50 pounds! )

Thanks for the comments all!!

Rick

i don't know that i agree about 'saving' your C-7.. pianos are to be played. However, one can never have too many pianos.. that little Baldwin sure looks nice and you know, probably, that i am a fan of those uprights.

Thanks, Apple!

I think I may be becoming a fanatic about pianos, if I’m not already (and, I’m already addicted to Piano World ).

But, what the heck, I can’t think of anything better to be a fanatic about than pianos!

Rick

Hey Rick,
Congrats with your new baby, eh, I mean piano
You are like me, piano obsessed, it is is the best thing isn't it. I wish I had more space like you..... O well who knows one day...

Keep the videos coming my friend, they are alway good to watch, your not camera shy at all ! That is a blessing....

Thanks Patrick!

Yes, being obsessed with pianos is not a bad thing!

And, I’m thinking you have quality over quantity with your Konzert Shimmel 189! That is a super nice instrument. And, you bought it brand new… that’s saying something.

Thanks for the complements on my YT videos… As far as me not being camera shy, it would help if I could play better… but I figure being able to play a little back-woods boogie-woogie is better than not being able to play at all!

Take care,

Rick

Enjoyed the video! The piano looks great, you did a good job cleaning it up! Love it against the brick wall. Enjoy that beautiful Baldwin sound :-)