I am looking for a good used piano for my kids. And I think I settled at least for the brand. I played the older Baldwin 60,70s console and the newer Hamilton 90's upright. And surprisingly older consoles sounded better to me. Is it true that quality was better back then or it is depends on each single case? At the beginning I thought that the newer the better. Now I got lost
Any suggestions.. Help!!!

Newer isn't better...nor worse.

It is a matter of the sound, look, and touch you prefer.

Piano quality by brand through different eras - it's a complicated question. I'm gonna pass on it for right now.

But I do have one idea that might be helpful: consider each piano individually. In other words don't worry about when it was made, be concerned about the condition and quality of each piano.

Hi, Tina, and welcome to Piano World!

I know what you mean about the unique Baldwin tone... I think most of the older Baldwins have it; not sure what the newer ones sound like.

There is a community college not far from home and they had 4 old studio upright pianos for sale through state surplus not long ago; two older Kawai's and two older Baldwin 243's (all 45"/46").

Since it was close by, I went to look at the pianos... the Kawai's were okay, but didn't really stand out to me... the Baldwin 243 models had that unique Baldwin tone. It appealed to me.

The pianos were actually listed on eBay through the state administrative services surplus sales department. I bid high enough on the Baldwin to insure I was the high bidder... I was, and I love the piano.

So, I can relate to what you are saying about the sound of the older Baldwins. The studio models are a little taller than the consoles but I'm sure the consoles sound nice too.

I would suggest having a qualified piano tech check out whatever you decide to buy.

Good luck and keep us informed.

Rick

Rickster speaks the truth. There is something "special" about the sound of a good Baldwin. The Baldwins from the 50-70's were very well constructed. Maybe others have info on the craftsmanship during the 90's.

Good luck with your search.

Thank you much all! Now I got a better idea about Baldwin.
Today I went to see an older Baldwin, it sounded good, but had a web and dust all inside and outside. Not sure if it is even worth to ask technician to come.

Does anybody know about Sherman Clay SRS-11, 6 years old barely use. Looks very attractive and price seems unrealistically good for the new piano??

Probably someone else here will have more information, but here's a start:

The Sherman Clay would be a stencil piano (in other words a manufacturer built the piano and then Sherman Clay puts their name on it). The question is, who manufactured the piano?

Thanks for your help, I thought something is wrong there.
I tried contact the seller about manufacturer company, but he doesn't know anything. So, I guess it is just waste of time to go there..

I wouldn't give up on a dusty piano with spider webs. Rust or moisture stains, yes, but dust can be cleaned. Most stencil pianos are lesser quality than OEM.

Hi Tina,

Sherman Clay is a dealer on the West Coast with numerous locations and the piano you are thinking about would be their "house piano."

http://www.shermanclay.com/

There is a member here who is associated with the company, but for the life of me, I can't think of the name. Someone will help out, I'm sure. Sherman Clay, the dealership, can tell you who manufactures their pianos.

I don't think we have enough information yet to determine that. A stencil piano can be a nice piano.

Not necessarily true in today's market.

Just found out that Sherman Clay was made in Korea, 5 or 6 years ago. Is it worth a trip?

Yes, I think so. Made in Korea probably means it was manufactured by Samick or Daewoo (or perhaps Young Chang). For a time Korean pianos were considered a step above Chinese or Indonesian pianos (but lesser than the Japanese pianos). Certain Chinese manufacturers have - in my opinion - greatly come up in the world recently, but my point for this piano is that it was not a "bottom of the heap cheapest possible" manufacturer.

In my opinion the average Korean piano is a generally reliable but thouroughly consumer grade instrument. As long as the price reflects the consumer grade then I'd go look at it.

And sometimes these (meaning consumer grade pianos) sound better than they have any right to. I'll never forget a certain Young Chang grand I played when I was hired for a gig one time... it was a delightful piano.

I agree with Marty.