Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum 1984 Baldwin SF-10 bridge crack should I buy?

Yes. I saw post on this forum about the bridge problems on this model. But I was thinking it is just a QC problem and not everyone will develop that problem. So, I it’s the first thing I went to check when I was inspecting the piano. But, unfortunately…

Imply? Yes. But the fact that you -- a non piano-technician -- noticed a show-stopping problem that the "pro" who prepared the report did not note, calls the credulity of the entire report into question. As others have suggested, you should have a piano inspected by someone who represents you, and only you, objectively and without bias. In other words, you cannot trust a single word of what that report says, or implicitly by what it doesn't say.


If you already owned this piano, then it would be worth some judicious attempts at repair, like the described epoxy repair which might be sufficient. Depending on how much the piano meant to you, it might be worth even more, like the proper repairs Del and others have described.


The notion that something is worth it's "full value" less the cost of a repair estimate (for known problems) is poor judgment. Frankly, it's the path that for many fools leads to the proverbial money pit. The value associated with improving quality belongs to the person who takes the risk. No one should buy something defective, assume the associated risk, and pay the seller for the privilege!

On a different note, re. the bridge design and problem, the post of Del’s that you linked to said this:


For your small sample size of 1 the occurrence may be 100%, but it’s not accurate to give the impression that it’s always 100%.

FWIW, bridge cracks occur on pianos of all brands. That’s why the how-to-inspect-a-piano guides mention them.

There are just so many good Baldwin pianos out there in fact that this would be a good reason not to buy new, but in fact buy an older Baldwin piano.The thing is that they last and they age well.
Serious cracks often happen in many pianos.I remember reading here about a Masterclass Sauter 122 that had a serious crack.There was also a new Bechstein grand, at least I think it was a Bechstein that had a catastrophic problem.There was also a Petrof grand with bridge cracks.So yes this can happen in any brand.

Right I admit I do remember these sort of problems because I never thought they could happen until I started reading PW.Of course like most piano owners here that is why I take climate control measures.

Yonion

Wise to let it go for now. If as time passes it gets sold to some unsuspecting soul who doesn't care, then you have lost nothing. If, as time passes and the seller realizes that it is overpriced but really wants tovsell it, you may be in a serious negotiating position and possibly get it at a reasonable price. I agree that about $6k would be the absolute max.

Nonetheless you should hire your own tech that you know and trust (or that someone you know knows and trusts) to evaluate it for you and you alone. Preferably someone with excellent rebuilding experience and facilities.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

Indeed. And the seller shows his hand on this matter by the mere fact that he didn't have the necessary repairs done and sell the piano in fully functional condition with a fair price. The seller knows the potential money pit status of this piano.

I do not think you can assume that about the seller. Most people know very little about their pianos.

I wouldn't be super confident in this seller because they are providing a very positive report about the piano from a technician. I would contend that most pianists do know enough about their own piano to know that cracked bridgework is a bad thing and ought to be detailed on a technician's appraisal. Especially when they are selling the piano and providing detailed pictures of it in order to sell it. I don't buy it - I think they know this piano needs plenty of work and that it's going to be expensive.

Thank you all for honest opinions! I am not sure I want to spend the time and energy to do the repair. And I have no idea what the piano would sound like after the rebuilt. So it seems a big risk even if the price is low.

I am not in a hurry to buy and I will pass on this one.

When Del said it works most of the time, I am not sure whether he meant it works for most of the lifetime of the piano or it works for most of the piano during their lifetime. Anyway, we don’t know how long their lifetime is.

Now I am left wondering why/how Baldwin decided to do this “vertical laminated without cap” design on their flagship models.

I think it is possible that a private seller may not know much about their piano.

However, it has been my experience in the past, while shopping around for a nice, used piano, some unscrupulous dealers, techs, and resellers will advertise used pianos under the guise of being a private seller, when in fact, they are not a private seller at all; they buy and sell pianos in an effort to make a profit. And, that is not a dis toward good dealers, techs and resellers.

I'm just saying that some used piano sellers advertise the piano as a private sale, but they are actually in the business of selling used pianos. And, they do know about pianos.

Not to keep rambling on, because we don't know all the details, but I too find it very disturbing that the seller touted a very positive tech inspection report on the piano, when in fact it has a serious defect with cracks in the bridge.

If the OP is still interested in the piano, he could confront the seller about the cracks in the bridge and offer a lower price. Otherwise, I agree with Peter Grey here:

P.S. Sorry, yonion, I was typing this post when you posted your last post and I didn't see that you had already made a decision... but I did get to ramble on a bit, in my old age...

Wishing you all the best in your piano search, and I'm sure you learned something from this experience!

Rick

Unless you own one of those that sometimes experiences the issue, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.