Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum What do you all think of the Mason & Hamlin AA?

I am thinking of looking at one from the “golden age,” well rebuilt. I do play professionally and it will get a lot of use. I like Masons in general.

They were good pianos. I think the old ones were based on the Steinway A designs. But the quality of a rebuilt one will depend on how it was rebuilt.

I should mention that I’d have to travel about 200 miles to see this piano. So looking for opinions before considering this. Thanks.

If you are still in New York City, I doubt you would have to travel that far to find one, or something equivalent.

Hello Joe:

In my opinion, with the exception of the little B scale (5ft), they were the weak link in the VINTAGE chain. Oddly, of the new Bruce Clark pianos, the AA is a terrific piano, not sounding anything like a M&H, of course, but a really impressive piano.
I don't especially care for the old ones and, together with the first-generation, rather ponderous old W,N&G actions, not my favourite piano. However, they do still have a very strong element of Mason DNA. Not such a bad thing, after all !

Karl Watson,
Chicago, IL

Probably no way to know without an up close and personal look and play. If you're familiar with them already, that should tell you what you need to know.

I like them. I think they were well built to begin with and in the hands of a good rebuilder had lots to offer.

An old piano that's rebuilt will be just as much (if not more) of a reflection of the rebuilder as the original manufacturer. Have seen rebuilt Steinways that were quite "meh" while I've seen a rebuilt Kimball grand that was actually turned into a pretty decent piano.

As far as the action is concerned, is it original? Or was it replaced / upgraded at the rebuild? (If it had new whippens, butts, flanges, it wouldn't matter what original was.)

Thanks for the comments so far. As some of you may know, especially Karl, I own a Mason CC2 which now really needs a new action, so I am considering selling or trading it (I expect it to be hard to sell) for a piano in the 6-7 foot range with a good action. I noticed an AA for sale, redone by a quality rebuilder, at a good price, which led to my inquiry here.

They are good, and as others have said take more inspiration from the Steinway A than most M&H pianos. But it does beg the question, if you already have a CC2 why not just get the action rebuilt?

You could try the AA, and if you like the action, find out who worked on it. But as I said, you can probably do that just as well in NYC.

It seems likely that you would be spending more to buy the rebuilt AA than you would be spending on a thorough rebuild of your action with all new parts by a good rebuilder, the only caveat being whatever the condition of your CC is (strings, block, board). Being in New York, I believe the right action rebuilder can be found.

I think the AA is a decent piano, but it does not shine like the BB and CC do. Likewise for the A.

I clicked on the link to your web page, and saw your eclectic musical interests.

I tuned for John Cage sometime in the mid 80's, for a prepared piano performance. I remember a large TV monitor out in the lobby, with a close up of John Cage's face staring at ME, eyes open and unblinking, dispassionate. Atman?

The Achilles heel in the AA (IMO) is the third bridge which makes it very much like the Steinway A1. However this is looking at it from modern standards. Back in the day musicians abd composers understood that pianos had different "voice" registers in them. They were not anal about having a perfectly smooth transition from bass to tenor and beyond. They used these registers in ways we have long forgotten. Otherwise I think the AA is a fine instrument. I've seen them in all levels of repair, from really great to frustratingly poor, but that's true of all makes and models. If it well cared for and well restored it can be a highly satisfying instrument. (I'm going this morning to one that was marginally restored and is exhibiting weird problems, but potentially a great instrument).

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

I have a BB and would recommend it (since you mentioned 6-7’ range), but I had always thought the AA would be my second choice. In theory it seems like a good size. I also played on an AA at my high school which I loved although I have no idea what the year of it was. I don’t think it had a 3rd bridge (but might have, it’s been a while…).

With that said, when I toured the M&H factory in 2019 I played on an AA and didn’t care for the changed scaling.

Not all AAs have the third bridge. Very late ones are more like the A-II, rather than the A-I Steinway. I have seen one from the 30s that had the bridge that branched off the tenor-treble bridge in a Y shape.

Thank you all for these illuminating comments. I am also considering pianos such as the S&S B and A. But my contrarian spirit wants a Mason. Judging by the comments, the BB is preferable to the AA.

I would keep the CC2 and redo the action if the piano weren’t so loud (partly due to hard hammers) and perceived difficulty of selling should we have to move (or I kick the bucket). As it is, I have some hearing loss and I have to wear musician’s earplugs when I practice. But objectively it’s a great piano that has served me well for over 20 years.

Put Ronsen Bacon felt hammers on it. Problem solved.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

Maybe so, but even with such a change, I still fear the piano is too big for my space…or ears. Although I do love the tone and feel.

When it comes to the size of a piano, the size really doesn't dictate volume. The soundboard and the hammers do. A good soundboard has the potential to project very far and a harder hammer will take advantage of that potential. I mean you can voice a CC with the right hammers to play very well in a room just big enough to fit the piano in without damaging your hearing.

Now that being said, if it is a size issue and you just want a smaller piano for space that is a different problem. But if its that the piano is loud, then my recommendation would be to change your hammers to some more appropriate for your space.