Acrosonic Baldwin upright piano? Is this a good brand of piano? I was looking for a piano a few years ago, and had my piano tuner assess them, and that was one of the problems with a particular piano I was looking into. Anyway, Baldwin is definitely one of the best brands of piano. Personally I hate the name 'Acrosonic'.
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Baldwin Pianos are a musical legacy that for over a century, continues to live on. Each piano that carries the name Baldwin, is a piece of that legacy which has contributed to American piano history and manufacturing. Company History The company was founded by Dwight Hamilton Baldwin in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1862.
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Also known as D.H. Baldwin, the name has always been one of the most widely renowned names in the American piano industry and history.The company originally began as a retail enterprise,who sold Steinway and Chickering pianos. They began manufacturing their ownpianos in 1889, as 'D.H. Baldwin & Co.' In 1903, shortly after the founder's death, the name became the Baldwin Piano & Organ Co.Baldwin also manufactured pianos under the names Acrosonic, Ellington, Franke, Hamilton, Howard, Kremlin, Manualo, Modello, Monarch, St.Regis, Sargent, Schroeder, Valley Gem, Winton,. Recognition and Design In 1904, the Baldwinpiano was awarded the Grand Prize at the Louisiana PurchaseExposition, St. Louis, Mo., and another Grand Prize was also awarded tothe Baldwin pianos and Manualos at the Anglo-American Exposition,London, 1914.
The Baldwin piano is recognized as a universal favorite between the leading operatic artists and virtuosos of the pianoforte.TheBaldwin Grand Piano, which was designed, manufactured and guaranteed bythe Baldwin Company in Loveland, Ohio, is exclusively enjoyed by toptier of artists in all areas of musical expression – ranging frompianists, composers, conductors, singers, and instrumentalists - as wellas outstanding symphony orchestras all over the globe.Baldwin Pianos: Modern TimesBaldwin purchased the andnames in 1988, but in 2008, both names ceased production. (Korea)manufactured pianos with the DH Baldwin name in the 1980s, as pianoswere purchased by Baldwin and sold through Baldwindealers.Around the decade of the 1990’s, the company was sold and relocated toArkansas and Missouri. Today, Baldwin is owned by the famous GibsonGuitar Company (in 2001).The following brands have been in use or are in development by Gibson, since 2003: A.B. Chase, Aeolian, Ampico, DH Baldwin (built in Arkansas since 2004, discontinued in 2008), Cable, Ellington (2003, made in China), Hamilton, Howard grand pianos, Ivers & Pond, J & C Fischer, Monarch, Mozart, Pianola, Pianovelle, Sargent.In 2006/2007, Gibson purchased the Dongbei Piano Group, the third biggest Chinese piano maker in the world.In 2008, Baldwin moved all production of pianos to factories in China (ownedby Gibson Guitars, Nashville, TN).
Pianos are manufactured there for the USmarket, the Chinese domestic market, and otherinternational piano markets.Baldwin ceased piano production at itsonly remaining U.S. Factory in Trumann, Arkansas in December 2008. Thisfacility remains open as a US distribution and service center.Withoutany doubt and dispute, from the nine-foot concert grand to the fivefeet, two inch baby grand, every Baldwin piano demonstrates the most modernideas of acoustical science and piano making; its manufacture isprecision engineered, which gives each instrument the highest degree ofexcellence. Any Baldwin made piano is worth the time, money and energyto rebuild or refurbish.Baldwin Piano Serial Numbers / Piano AgeFind the age of your Baldwin piano using the serial number chart found below.
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The company thrived in spite of the Great Depression and World War Two when the Baldwin factories were taken over by the military to produce plywood parts for aeroplanes. By 1973 it is claimed that Baldwin had manufactured one million. The story changed for Baldwin during the early 1980s in spite of significant diversification into the manufacturing of other musical instruments. At this time the sales of pianos contributed as little as three percent of the impressive $3.6 billion it gained in revenue. Bankruptcy followed in 1984 and these days Baldwin is now a subsidiary company of the equally famous Gibson Guitar Company.Following the death of the founder of Baldwin piano in 1899, the company decided to develop and later introduce the ‘Acrosonic’ Upright Piano to the public.!936 was the year and the claims by Baldwin were quite forthright.
The acrosonic piano had what was described as a ‘supreme sound’ and from the sales figures, it would seem it was met with a warm and positive response. In fact, it is claimed on by many sources that the acrosonic piano has sold more than any other model of all time.
Such was the importance of the name Baldwin registered the trademark ‘Acrosonic’ at the US Patent Office.The acrosonic pianos can broadly be divided into the Spinet Piano and the Console Piano. Both varieties have the ‘supreme tone’ of all Baldwin acrosonic vertical pianos but the Spinet model is 36 inches tall and the Console model a little larger at 40 inches. The woods used for the cabinets vary from Mahogany to Pecan and Dark Walnut and are distinctive in character. These pianos were in their day considered to be extraordinarily good with a rich tone that was far ‘bigger’ than the modest size of the piano. They had the full 88 keys that you would expect on the pianos of today.
If you can find an acrosonic piano from the 1950/60’s that is in excellent condition, they can compare favourably with today’s pianos.Each of the acrosonic pianos has what is described as a “full blow, direct action”. What this means is that there is a 23% faster repetition rate in respect of dynamics. This alongside their small size and full sound, made these pianos highly sort after for families and professionals alike. They offered a high-quality home piano that was responsive to the touch, compact and manufactured to a level of excellence.The shorter strings inside the acrosonic piano give it a brilliance of tone that has a bell-like quality. This is not to say the richness of a larger piano is missing, but that there is a distinct timbre with these spinet/console pianos that is quite appealing. Even though these specific models are not made anymore, manufacturing of today’s Baldwin pianos continues with the production of new models mostly outsourced to China.
There is still a distribution and service centre in the US. Baldwin has in recent years undertaken to resurrect the concepts behind the original acrosonic upright pianos. According to the manufacturers, the Baldwin Models B342 and B442 are very similar to the spinet and console acrosonic pianos measuring in at forty-three inches in height. Baldwin continues to make pianos with every budget in mind and with the restrictions of size in the home at the forefront of many of their current designs.Today Baldwin pianos have continued to enjoy the popularity of yesteryear. The brightness of their sound works well in the pop setting where perhaps the mid to high registers of the instrument need to sound through the texture clearly.
This means that the lower registers of the old acrosonic pianos were a compromise in terms of timbre that served their purpose at the time. Many notable professional pianists have and continue to favour the Baldwin Piano from singer-songwriter Billy Joel through to jazz pianist Dave Brubeck. Even though these artists more commonly played on more contemporary grand Baldwin pianos, their timbre and legacy are what has assured Baldwin a secure place in the history of the piano.
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