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Sounds like a wonderful time.
Wish I could have joined you all this year.

I'll bet that CC was heavenly.

Sorry that Beelady and Kenny could not make it. It was truly a wonderful day.
It was nice to meet your "stand-ins", Beelady.
Kenny----not one, but two tremendous CCs. What a treat!!
Jeremy

I am working on some pictures to post.

First of all, I’d like to thank Kurt & Gary Burkett, Cecil, Jamie, Paul, Tom and particularly Bruce for the excellent and very detailed view into the production of the Mason & Hamlin pianos. I would also like to than Frank for arranging this tour.

Some observations:

First, the pianos; the two new CC models that we were shone were as fine examples of a tier one concert grand as I’ve ever seen. The pieces Axtremus chose demonstrated the full tonal range from ppp to FFF. The tone was full and very rich across the entire range without breaking up and getting harsh at the top volume level or getting muffled in the soft passages. These are world class instruments fully capable of competing on the concert stage.

As for the tour itself, Bruce gave a most detailed and complete tour of the entire production process. He explained each step in detail and went into the whys and wherefores. For instance, he made an excellent, detailed case for using inner/outer rim production method as opposed to the single rim method used by their competition. My son, a mechanical engineering student who knew very little about pianos (at the start of the tour, anyway) gained a very valuable insight into the process design engineering and the reasons for the choices made in a real world factory production situation. The use of sophisticated CNC equipment in combination with very old fashioned craftsmanship was particularly interesting. The CNC was not there to save time or money. It was there to provide precision in the areas that the tolerances were critical. This is what CNC does best. Operations that are better done by hand, such as setting the bearing and notching the bridges, are done the old fashioned way. This minimizes the accumulation of minor tolerance errors to levels that don’t compromise the overall quality of the finished instrument. Bruce also showed us a minor innovation that makes the actions more responsive. He credited Dave Stanwood with the innovation, which is to use especially finished aluminum capstans instead of brass ones. These have less than half of the mass, thereby allowing significantly less key leading. This decreases the inertia of the key action, making it feel more responsive. The result is quite noticeable.

All in all, it is obvious to me that M&H is a first class operation. Thanks again to everyone at M&H and to Frank.

Thanks everyone for the pictures and reports. It's great and exciting to read and see. Brings back memories of my trip there for last year's tour.

Looks like you all had a great and wonderful time.

Jeremy, I saw them today and the first thing they mentioned about the tour was your beautiful piano playing!

They enjoyed the tour and I think next time I am over, there will a very large photo album full of pics!

Just a few last pic's to share...

Our group had moved on to the next section but Lilylady looked back and noticed the craftsman doing bridge notching had changed his position. I thought this photo captured the art of perfection!



Bruce displaying the rosewood/ebony key



Cecil ~ entertaining us to his delightful arrangement of Someone to Watch Over Me
(Cecil graciously posted a recording of this song in the Members Recording forum after it had been requested by a certain member!!)



Frank jamming out some good ole rock’n roll



A441/Jeremy & Cecil ~ a jazzy improv duet



M&H Team ~ PW Members

Great pics Terrytunes. Many thanks! Wonderful shot of Cecil at that rosewood beauty!

Frank... thank you for resizing!

Thanks Beelady for the kind words from your "sit-ins"!
We missed you & yours!

MH Tour participants,

I had two questions and one comment.

1st, in a lot of the pictures I see all of you wearing earphones. Are these audio tour guides ( like the kind you get in museums? ) I can only wish they are the fancy kind where you push a code and get neat information at each location. That would be something for the other companies to stretch to beat on tours!!!

I also noticed in the most recent post that continue to be many asians employed at MH. I remembered in the brochure from MH they sent us they talk about rely on a large number of bussed chinese immigrants from Boston. Is this still the case? What kind of training do they get before they are put on the factory floor, especially the bridge cutter ?

It is interesting in my business all the people would be wearing eye protection, ear protection, and hard hats in the work enviroment seen here. With all the work hazards I've seen I assumed it was the foreign safety code that allowed Bosendorfer to avoid these, but I see it was similar at the MH factory.

Thanks,

Charles

Hi IH,

We were given earphones to wear to help us hear what Bruce, who was giving us the tour, was saying when we were in noisy areas. It really helped. You can see Bruce and his mic holding the brown sided piano key.

In many places they were wearing face masks, eye gear and hard hats.
EDIT: and ear plugs!

Yes, several craftsmen are Chinese.

I asked about their training as well. EXTENSIVE was the answer!

Love the pics everyone! I am saving each one.

Roberta

I'm with Bernard in feeling nostalgic. Looks like another fantastic PW event.

IH, I had asked about the Asian workmen too, when I was there last spring. It struck me when we were watching a rim being built. There were four men laminating and bending a rim. They worked perfectly in sync and they were all Asian, and in their uniforms and uniformity, I couldn't help myself from imagining Oompa Loompas from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.




These were two pics I snapped from last years tour trying to depict this. I asked about it, and was told they were all Chinese, from the Boston area. There is a large Chinese community in Boston, and it's a very easy commute to Haverhill, so it's not as though they have to be "bussed in." Apparently this is a very good, loyal and dedicated core of local workers that M & H has found. Hope someone corrects me if this is inaccurate.

The ear phones were an ingenious innovation to allow us to comfortably spread out yet continue to hear Bruce's narration.

This is one amazing tour than anyone who loves pianos should endeavor to do at least once.

And not to sound like another peanut in the gallery, but, Scheez that Rosewood CC is to die for!!

All,

Thanks to all for the info. The last post reminds me of what one of my Bosie tour attendee shared about his visit to Steinway. Where he watched in amazement as some rather large men were in his words "wrestling a large piece of wood bending it into a rim" :rolleyes: These last pictures seem to indicate MH has solved the wrestling problem

One of my side interests at some point ( be less ignorant ) to truely understand whether the PR we get from Mason Hamlin, Steinway, and Bosie truely result in difference in durability to the rim holding soundboard crown....

Any thoughts, words of education from PW about what is really required for holding soundboard crown. Mason makes lots of noise about the thickest rims and the rim tension system, Steinway about the careful handfitting of soundboard to the rim. Or Bosie who build it out of sections ( completely different ). Ahh, I'll post this ? to the technician's forum...

The rim tension system is for real. You've probably seen some pictures somewhare of that steel "hockey puck" with the four rods attached. I don't see how anything could move with those in place and attaching in four locations 90 degrees apart to the piano rim.
It was impressive.

To see the rim tension system, see Rustyfingers photos on page 1 of this thread, second photo from the bottom.

Nice Tour. I am glad for your experience. I went on their tour last winter with my wife, and talked with everyone I could. I am trying to build my own piano, and wanted to see for myself how an american piano company does it! Very impressive. Everyone I met was friendly and accomodating.... they put up with me for 4.5 hours! And to boot, there was a Dunkin Donuts up the road! Each piano goes through a rigorous regimend of careful and detailed work. The end product is consistent and clear. If you are thinking of touring somewhere this year, I reccomend going there, buying a piano, stocking your showroom, and showing support for the enormous effort they have put into providing the world with a hand made american piano. May God bless the work at their hands!

Mark Perry

Looks like everyone had a terrific time!
My husband and I attended the M&H tour last year. What a class act company and what a superb PIANO! And now a concert size grand. WEEEEEEO!



Jeanne W

Wow, thanks to all who provided accounts and photos of the N&H factory tour. It brought back memories for me, too, having been at the last one.

I sure envy your getting to play TWO new CC's!