We all know that there were many, many Steinway copies by firms such as AB Chase, Steinert, even Tokai (just ask Rickster) and it's easy to see why, with Steinways success in the marketplace. My question is, were there any notable Baldwin copies. Let's face it, Baldwin was a company of nearly equal reputation amongst top tier pianists and had many famous endorsements including the likes of Liberace and Leonard Bernstein. They also had a tremendously successful design, but I've never heard of a Baldwin copy. What say you?

I just answered a similar question on the Russian piano thread, but….

There are no direct Baldwin copies around that I know of. Keep in mind, though, the original Baldwin pianos were strongly influenced by the basic Steinway format when they were originally introduced. They drifted away over the years but retained some of the most awkward manufacturing processes such as the integral rim construction—i.e., the practice of pressing the inner and outer rims together simultaneously—which necessitated installing the soundboard assembly inside a completed rim assembly.

With that exception Baldwin’s construction was some less complicated than Steinway’s. Especially after they developed the floating plate suspension and the vertical hitch pin systems. Both of these features, by the way, are now starting to show up on various pianos. Variations of the adjustable plate suspension are now found on quite a few Asian pianos and the vertical hitch pin—in somewhat more exotic form—is showing up on several very high-end grands from Europe and Australia.

ddf

When Roger Williams (Louis Jacob Weertz - Autumn Leaves) was with Kapp Records in the late fifties, he endorsed the Baldwin piano. I bought my then girlfriend a double LP album with him on the cover posing with a Baldwin. They were beautiful pianos, with a clear bell-like upper treble.

Glenn