I am back out there looking at pianos again and fell in love with a 9'0 Baldwin built in 1979. I never considered a Baldwin but was encouraged to try this one out by the dealer. This one played like a dream and made me sound 10 times better than I really am. Most 9'0 pianos I have played before always overwhelmed me and seemed difficult to control. This was very responsive and "obediant" and played and sounded just the way I wanted it to. I am considering trading my Yamaha C3. I was quoted what seems to me an excellent price. I've always had it in my mind that I should buy a brand new piano when I purchase my next (and maybe my last) different piano. This Baldwin sure has me on the fence now. I always dreamed of having a "concert" grand and thought the prices would be impossible, but this is an affordable purchase for me with my trade in. Could anyone enlighten my about Baldwins, or know anything about this age of a piano and any potential downsides or other points to consider ?

Am I correct in sayng that it is an SD-10?

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, the decision has been made. It plays very nicely, it's affordable, you like it and it's a 9'. What better?

Good luck.

It's very hard to beat a good Baldwin, but a 9' piano is a big piano. What kind of work was done to it?

Yes.



Not quite. There are a lot of things to consider, like if a concert instrument is the best choice for the space it would be in. A 9' piano that sounds nice and is easy to control in a big show room may not be so nice in a home. There's also the condition factor, which most people aren't qualified to make. An independent tech should be hired to do an evaluation.

Be sure to get a good tech. One that can voice well (big piano, smaller room, changes need to be done).

Yes I can attest to that. But it depends on the particular piano. I have seen a old pounded in Yammy G2 in a practice room not more than twoce the size of the piano, and it played well and was controllable. But my 7' C7, well, it needed a good amount of soundproofing, and I'm waiting for voicing to be done (sometime in april i think, with my next tuning).

Condiion is something only a tech can determine for sure. One thing that customers can look out for is attention to detail. It gives some kind of insight to what work was done.

Anyhow, I look forward to your decision.

I was wondering about room size. It's going in to a 40 foot long room 15 feet wide with 10 foot ceilings. I would be really disappointed if the character and sound of the piano totally changes when i bring it home and play it.

That room is big enough.

What is the difference between an SD6 and and SD10 ? I don't know if the one I looked at is a 6 or a 10 ? It did not have the "Baldwin" logo on the side if that makes any difference ?? Sorry for the dumb questions, but I haven't spent a lot of time researching this.

The design and period of the SD6 and SD10 were different, although both were 9'. The SD6 was their Flagship instrument made before 1965. After 1965 their concert grand was the SD10, with probably a different design.

The logo on the side makes no difference, although IMO it's a nice addition

That kind of a room should be big enough, but it depends on the acoustics of the room (i.e. floor materials, furniture, walls, etc.).

If it fits into the room, the room is big enough.

Let's do this point by point:
1) "...I always dreamed of having a 'concert' grand...", and in later, words to the effect that the piano played like a dream, was very controllable and made you sound good.
Conclusion: you're in love with that piano.
Solution: buy it if you can afford it and it fits into your living space

2) Is the Baldwin 9' of that vintage a good piano?
Answer: You bet! It's been years, but there were lots of Baldwin artists. Liberace and Bolet come to mind. They sounded great on those instruments. The 9' pianos were used in major concert venues. They were built for professional use.

3) What is the condition of the piano?
Answer: unknown, but it sure plays great
Recommendation: Get an independent tech to evaluate it for you

4) Will this piano be "too much piano" for my music room space?
Add'l Data: The room is 40' long by can't remember how wide with 10' ceiling.
Answer: The room is big enough though the Baldwin could have been used in much larger spaces. How the piano sounds will depend on the room acoustics. If you have all reflective surfaces and little to absorb the sound, you'll have echoes to deal with.
Solution: You can add acoustical treatment to the room, bit by bit, until it gets where you like it to be. Several of us have adjusted our acoustical spaces with 2"by2'by4' acoustic panels. I did mine with some from ATS Acoustics. You can get them with various good enough looking and acoustically transparent fabric coverings and hang them on the walls.
Add'l Work: Of course you want to have the piano voiced in your space by somebody who's good at that sort of thing. The good news is that with a piano of this quality it CAN be voiced various ways depending on what sort of music is to be played on it and where that music is being played.

Me - let me know if you buy the piano and get it set up. Playing a house concert in your 40' Chicago City space on a great vintage Baldwin could be a lot of fun

Do let us know how things work out.

Thanks everyone for your great replies. I can't stop thinking about the piano and want to go back and give Rachmoninoff a try on it. I've done some more looking on the internet and I see several Baldwin sd10's out there all showing prices similiar to what I was offered, but the offer extended to me included the trade in on my C3... so now I am confused about the price. What value should I expect to receive on a tradein for my 1980's excellent condition Yamaha C3 ??

8-10k is probably about what the trade in would be worth, at least to me. It could possibly, of course, be higher. And yes, do go and give Rachmaninov a go.

Thanks for that info. It at least gives me some ballpark figure to consider. One other point, I measured incorrectly and the room is only 31 feet long, not 40, not sure if that changes anyone's opinion about the capacity of the room to handle this size of piano ??

It's still big enough.

This is a simple answer, but IMHO, an accurate one. The reason to choose a concert grand piano has as much to do with color and control as with volume. Yes, a 9 ft. grand can play loudee than a 6 ft. grand, but because of the dimension of parts it also offers better leverage to the player.

On a well prepared concert grand I can "feel" the movement of the hammer better and lightly touch the strings in a way that can be difficult in a smaller grand. I can actually play quieter, but with the breadth of tone that a concert grand can offer.

My 2 cents,

Rich, I agree with your comment about the feel of the larger piano and the ability to actually play quieter.

Does anyone have any sense of what a reasonable price is for a 70's era Baldwin Sd10 ? I am still trying to get my head around what a fair price is. I will find out exactly what work has been done on the piano.

I am almost ready to pull the trigger on this piano. I noticed one thing I didn't understand. The soundboard has what looks like a small brace screwed in to the boards diagonally near the base part of the piano. In looking at other pics of baldwins I've seen this on a couple other pianos. Does anyone know what this could be ?

Does it worry you? Actually i have no idea what that is.

It's called a cut-off bar, and is not a unique feature to the SD-10; it can be found on some Steinways, Bluethners, Boesendorfers, C. Walters, Mason & Hamlin, Sauter, etc. You can read about it in more detail, here: http://www.overspianos.com.au/98lect.html

In original condition, I wouldn't pay more than about $15,000. If it has received a thorough restoration (but not a complete rebuild), maybe upwards of $25,000-$30,000. It's impossible to say without having seen the piano, and without knowing what was done to it, especially since not everyone does the same quality of work.

I was very worried about this. Your article helped tremendously. Thank you. Do you have any pictures of this in any pianos so I am sure we are talking about the same thing?

I assure you, we're talking about the same thing, but since you asked:

http://www.overspianos.com.au/ctoff.html
http://overspianos.com.au/stdctoff2.jpg
http://www.farrellpiano.com/cutoff.htm
http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthrea...ite_id/1#import

http://www.pianobuilders.com/soundboards.html

After much more shopping around, I finally completed my purchase of a 2000 Baldwin SD10. I am thoroughly satisfied with the instrument. It was delivered to my home on March 26th. The 1979 Baldwin that I tried was a very beautiful piano but in the end I wanted a newer instrument. After a lot of searching I found the perfect SD10 for me. The piano I bought is in pristine condition. I cannot believe the sound that comes from this instrument. I am going through all of my old favorites and rediscovering all the music I have played again. I think I died and went to heaven. I never thought I would be able to own an instrument like this. I did not have to pay a fortune for it either. It was affordable for me and I think I found a great piano that is going to last me a very long time. (Although I dread if I ever move. The delivery was not a simple matter bringing a 9 foot concert grand through an alley up a sharp flight of stairs, and then down a long hallway with a barely passable turn.) I also did have some mild concern from other posts I had seen on the internet about occasional quality problems with some of the more recent Baldwins, but thus far I am very happy with it (I know it's only been a few days, but I also thoroughly trust the seller.)

Wow congratulations!

Enjoy!

We demand pictures!
(please?)

Here's the new piano !!

2000 Baldwin SD10