Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Baldwin Logo: Why were the logo designs different?

I’ve notice Baldwin used different logo designs for pianos produced throughout the 1960’s into the early 2000’s (when the pianos were produced here in the US). For example when the logo was displayed on the fallboard, the Baldwin name was either in capitalized block letters (“BALDWIN”) or in lower case lettering (“Baldwin”). Also, there were two variations on the logo design with the lower case lettering design—sometimes a dot was displayed over the letter “i “ sometimes it did not have the dot over this letter. Here are my questions: Was this an indication of which location the piano was manufactured? For example, if the logo was in all caps, was this an indication that the piano came from Cincinnati and lower case letter meant the piano was made in Trumann, AR? Or, is my theory way off and the logo differences stood for something else?

I was just curious.

Thanks!

Many piano logos have changed with the times. Baldwin, more than most, had tried to remain "with the times", incorporating brass plates, plastic raised logos, and many different fonts over the years. I can think of at least a dozen off the top of my head. These logos incorporated different levels of quality at different times.

I hope that helps,

Check out this page. It doesn't answer "why?" however.

Baldwin logos

Regards,

My 1950 has the logo below on it.

During what years did Baldwin's have the logo below?





The page where it's listed for sale describes it as "stunning."
I'll just say that "stunning" is not always a good thing...

Thanks everyone!! Looks like they had a boatload of logos... (Mine happens to be in the block letters...) Do you think Baldwin, based on the picture immediately above, was trying to make a statement?

That Baldwin seems not to be of the period of that decal. The page you referred to shows a pre-Acujust model F, and the logo is newer than that. I do not think the decal is original.

There is footage from the 70's of Bernstein playing and conducting "Rhapsody in Blue" with the NY Phil in London's Royal Albert Hall. The piano was a Baldwin with a ginormous logo.

I remember the logo also in red on a fallboard miror to show the pianist's hands on TV.

That sounds like one of the Liberace Baldwin pianos, WhoDwaldi. Was he the artist?

Even better! I was thinking more Bob Smale on Lawrence Welk--you know, the show (along with The Waltons) that nobody claimed to watch, but everybody knew everything about.

I was wrong about the red, it was a standard gold logo on a mirror with bathroom wall type mounting screws.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=SsOKwPs6_s0

Best looking.

Rich

I still own my childhood Baldwin pecan spinet, which has the logo on a brass plate in Roman caps.



I like Old English best, too, and was shocked that Mason & Hamlin changed their logo from it, recently.



There was, and possibly still is, something to the meaning of whether the "i" has a dot and factory origin (or is that a myth?). Somewhat related, I never understood why some Hamilton uprights were rebranded Baldwin (obviously changed decal).

Here is a pic of the logo on my 1998/99 Baldwin R model 226.

I think I like the older logo better...

Rick

I agree!

Absolutely NO question. The Olde English style is by far the best. All the others are just a bit tacky, IMHO.

Karl Watson,
Staten Island, NY