Hi, I'm new here and I need help.

I want to buy a used Baldwin manufactured in 1994 in the US. It's a baby grand model M 5'2". I like the sound, but the key slip on the piano is wobbly and a bit loose. The fallboard is also deformed, causing it to not fully cover the keyboard and leaving a 1.5cm gap.
This is from a private owner.

Is it a big risk to buy this Baldwin? Later, will it affect the whole piano's performance?
Is there anyone with a similar experience?

I have 1995 Model R, the next size up from the Model M.

The loose key slip should easily be tightened by a technician. Mine had been loose after removing it myself. After last tech visit it is seated correctly and tight once he reinstalled. On the R there is a single screw that comes up from the bottom to tighten.

As far as the fallboard covering the keys, there is a gap (approx 1/2”) when closed and the key fronts are visible. I believe this is a design characteristic of these pianos. I thought is was odd as well when I first noticed it.

Internally are where most of the risks would be, so a thorough check up by a technician would be wise before moving forward. [img]http://ibb.co/Hh6vrQ1[/img]

All of the 70s era Balwins at my music school had fallboards like that. I was told that it had something to do, by design, with keeping the keys from swelling when the fallboards were kept closed.

Plagg707, welcome to Piano World!

See if you can push the key-clip back down in the case. There are wooden dowels that align the key-slip. It should not be wobbly.

On the fallboard, it sounds like the hinges/dowels on the sides of the fallboard are not properly seated and positioned correctly in the fallboard hinge brackets on the inside of the case of the piano. It is easy to misalign those hinges when reinstalling the fallboard. Get a flashlight and look at where the fallboard hinges fit into the hinge bracket on the inside of the case of the piano. You should see whether or not they are aligned correctly, and it sounds like they are not.

When I replace a fallboard, I have to align one side, making sure it is installed correctly, and then look at the other side and get it aligned. Sometimes I will get lucky and get them both aligned correctly simultaneously.

Or, you could just call a technician and let them make the adjustments for you.

Not sure I used all the proper terminology, but I have done this many times on my grand pianos, one of them being a Baldwin R from 1999.

Good luck!

Rick

My best advice is to have the piano examined by an independent technician. A Baldwin M at that time could have a number of flaws, but it could also be a fine piano.

Good luck,

MAlex, WhoDwaldi, Rickster, and Rich Galassini, thank you SO much. My pressure has been released.

I'm so happy to get this much help, I really appreciate it.

I will let a technician to go check it again.

The piano costs $7600 US dollars, is it fairly priced for a 1994 Baldwin baby grand model M?

Your technician should be able to answer that question, as the price (value) of the piano is dependent in large measure on its condition and you don't know its condition yet

Regards, .

Thank you BruceD. I will get a technician to look at it today.

Thank you so much,

Plagg707

Pricing is influence by some many variables, but I am shopping for a grand right now and for the last few months I have been looking all over the internet, visiting private seller as well as various dealers within driving distance. Based on what I'm seeing, for a piano that size and age, from a private seller, that seems like a very typical price, so I would say that's a fair price (again, without seeing or playing it, take it with a grain of salt!)

Good luck! Let us know whether you get it inspected and what you ultimately decide to do.

Thank you ShiroKuro.

Yesterday we had a technician look at it and he says it's in pretty good condition. Only the key slip is a little bit wobbly, but the pins are still very shiny along with the strings too.

We decided to buy it tomorrow and hired professional movers. However, we don't know how the piano will be after being moved. Later, I'll let you know how it went.

Thank you to everyone!

Any piano after moving will need an adjustment period to its new environment and will need tuning when acclimated. Any other hiccups can be adjusted by your tech . Not to worry! enjoy!!!! 😊

Congrats and welcome to the Baldwin club! Looking forward to hearing how well the move went and how much your family enjoys the piano. What finish is it btw?

Did the inspecting technician indicate whether the keyslip was simply misaligned or if it could be repaired?

Anyway, welcome to the Baldwin M club!

Congratulations on your Baldwin M baby grand!

Just out of curiosity, what did the technician say about the fallboard? I know you said earlier it look kind of warped or something.

Enjoy your piano!

Rick

Thank you dogperson, MAlex, Retnascal, and Rickster for the welcome!

The piano is done in a satin ebony finish.

The technician said the key slip was misaligned, so he fixed that.
He didn't say anything about the fallboard, and after seeing other pictures online we found that it was by design.

The piano is on its way right now, we're all excited!

Thank you to everyone for helping and for your concern!!

When mine was delivered, the fall board was stuck open. Don't know if it was humidity, or bits of stuff shifting, or what, but after a few taps and jiggles it closed (and has never been a problem since), but then I noticed the same gap, and assumed "well, it's closing, but not all the way!" I went through the same sanity check with pictures of other Baldwins before realizing it was ok and normal for Baldwin.

Retsacnal, we had the same experience!
In the beginning when the fallboard had a gap we thought it was deformed, but then we asked around, looked at pictures, and the nice people on this forum told us it was normal.

Now after moving, we meet ANOTHER problem. After the movers put the piano together, the pedals were not right and weren't working as well as before (I also noticed the pedals were lower than before).

Not only that, but a few notes on the piano kept on sounding after lifting my finger, which did not happen before.
What's causing that? What should I do?

It's not unusual for a piano to need to acclimate a little after it's delivered. It sounds like the trap work may need a little attention after the move and the lyre was reinstalled (it connects the pedals to the damper assembly).

In the short term, give it some time to acclimate to your home. At some point you'll want to have your technician come and check it over, adjust anything that's still misbehaving, and probably tune it.

Most folks say to have a piano tuned about a month after delivery, but to some extent that depends on how irritating any issues are to you. You could have the pedals addressed sooner. A few notes ringing longer could be due to the change in environment, and time may take care of that as it adjusts to your home.

If it were me, I'd give the few sticky dampers a little time to adjust. But if the pedals feel distinctly different and aren't functioning properly, that is likely not due to environmental changes and probably needs some attention.

I will wait a bit for the piano to get used to our house's environment and get a technician to look at the pedals.
Thank you Retsacnal for your suggestion!

My pleasure!

The movers didn't get the pedals installed correctly and it sounds like the pedal lyre may also be coming apart. You'll need a piano technician to address these issues.