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I would like to hear about the tour, any comments?.

Regards,
Steve

It was, in a word, Superb!

I'm sitting in my hotel room sipping Sauvignon Blanc, munching on leftover glazed duck from a wonderful restaurant that Bee Lady and her hubby took me to. . .
Huh?
What?
Oh, You wanted to know about the tour. . .?

It was amazing.
I hardly know where to start.
It was all so impressive that I honestly found myself thinking, "They should charge more for these pianos."

I'll post more later, but I have to mention the treat that followed the tour.
They had 6 of their beauties ready to ship.
They were all lined up in a row with military precision, like Marines - polished and precise, awaiting orders.
Their very first AA was particularly lovely to my ears.
I think this model is going to be a big hit!

It was a blast to meet lots of forum members and the owners and staff of Mason and Hamlin.
Forum members are not as I expected.

Everyone played beautifully, but I was particularly astonished by Axtremus.
He had an exceptional clarity of tone, and an effortless fluency to his playing.

Oh Yeah, we got to see them bend a rim.
They fed each layer of maple into a glue thing, stacked them and put them into a huge press and clamped it down, very nice that they scheduled that for us.

More later.

Thanks for the post, I had a feeling it was going to be fun. I keep hearing great things about the new AA.

Thanks again,
Steve

As most of you know, I prefer to stay neutral in conversations on the boards, particularly when talking about manufacturers.

But all I can say is Wow!

It was a great day, our hosts were most gracious, and showed us every step of the process for building their pianos.
And I mean every step, all 6 floors, just ask my feet:-)

The staff was wonderful, and everyone obviously takes great pride in their work.

And yes, listening to everyone play was a real treat.
I'll let the others finish filling you in.

If any Forumites happen to buy an AA, let us know... We saw the first two, still in production, serial numbers 92000 and 92001!

I was impressed with the number of new tools since I visited three years ago, a computer controlled drill/router/planer (I think it was just delivered back then), New rim presses, etc.

Seems that M+H is looking to make their operation better and better...

I had the pleasure of seeing a Steinway rim bent when I took the tour of their factory last October. It is quite an amazing feat.
Really hope that the new improved M&H takes off.

Here's Bernard:



Stay tuned...testing..

Came thru great Chris. I posted other pics on a separate thread..it was difficult choosing which of the 50 I took! :rolleyes:

Chris
First I got the dreaded Red X.
Now it works.

It's back. Great picture, Chris! What a lovely room!

Jodi

I just shrank it. FTP freeware, web space, this space...wish it were easier. Jodi, that was the first of the 6 pianos on their top floor, 3BB's, 1AA and 2A's, I think.

BeeLady. I rattled off 80 jpg's .

BTW, Bernard was playing a wonderful Brahms.

What a splendid time. What wonderful people. I'm basking in the glow. More later.

Sounds as if you all had a lot of fun! Wish I was there, maybe another time if another opertunity comes up. It actually sounds quite impressive. So, when is the AA due to hit the retail market?

BeeLady, you beat me to it. Most of mine didn't come out that good. I've got some more filler of the 80 I took that I've picked so as not to overlap those you put up.

I'd like to say thanks, too, to all the great folks at Mason & Hamlin. I've never met a guy who could put a piano together from scratch like I bet Bruce Clarke could. I gotta admit I left with a refreshed impression of just how high up into the treble the Mason's seem to keep a nice clean and round tone. In some respects, listening to the AA it struck me as having all the life of the finest euros, yet still with its own signiture.

At the end, I think guest virtuosity raised the fear factor of our, one by one, going up to play the pianos. I tucked a picture at the bottom of this post showing a visit I was lucky to have from Kenny (samekenny1, 2, 3..) and BeeLady over the weekend leading up to the event. Playing for and listening to the two of them reminded me how enjoyable it can be to be around others who appreciate music. That carried into the will to simply let bad notes be bad notes in Haverhill. This forum is definitely a musical bunch.


Very high on my gearhead meter (like 400 ft lbs!):


Massive CNC router. Can you spot the keybed?


Bruce Clarke over headphones to the group. RE: The Tension Resonator


The CC, at 9 feet 4 inches, come'ith:


Pneumatic belly press w/inflatable fire hose for regulated pressure:
Open

Closed


Interesting cantilever on the AA's bass bridge. How many 6'2'-6'4's use one I wonder?:


Setting bearing. Yet another custom tool/skill set:


8 pic limit, see next post...

Bridge notching:


Kenny entertaining us on the AA. So much response from this piano. Sorry for the back lighting:


A special visit from Kenny and BeeLady to our home:


Chris W1

shoot! i'm mostly getting red xes. what's wrong?

If you right click on the x, and then click on properties (at the bottom), you can copy the URL, and paste it into another window, and see the picture...

Jodi

I thought about it but I decided early on not to attend. I worked on my house instead. I definately regret my decision.

You can also view the pictures with the red x by right clicking and then click "show picture".

Wow, that M&H piano factory is a power tool lover's fantasy! Thanks for posting the pictures-- they are great.

I am cracking up, however... since in all of the pictures the center of attention is the PIANO... the people are just specks. I guess we know where our priorities lie!

Nina