I know this thread is about Baldwin and Walter so this may be a little off subject but "All flash and not much substance" is absurd. I looked at several Yamaha studios (often highly recommended) before I purchased my Walter. When shopping I bring a
flashlight and look at the bridge, pins, action, every nook and cranny to assess the quality of materials and workmanship. The Walter is NOT just flash, they use top quality materials throughout. I'm not saying its better or worse than the best Baldwins
because I don't have experience with them, but Walter makes an excellent instrument. You can even find 43" Walters compared to other 52" uprights.

On Wednesday, January 17, 2001 at 5:22:56 PM UTC-6, Panama Jack wrote:

Hi mars:
I am both a tuner and a musician. It seems that my last posting didn't make it onto the newsgroup server. So, here goes again.
My most recent experience with Baldwin uprights has been mixed. They have
an upright grand which is absolutely the best vertical i have ever tuned. They really tried to do something special and i think they succeeded.
Be careful which upright you buy from Baldwin.
Some of them have inferior actions. Not all Baldwin pianos are the same
when it comes to reliability or dependability.
As for the Charles Walter, what you are paying for is the beautiful cabinetry.
If that's what you are after, fine. The action is middle grade, not bad but not great either.
The string length is about average and they hold their tunings fairly well. In my opinion, they are what we call a "Gingerbread house" in the music business.
All flash but not much substance.
If I had to choose between the two instruments, and the Baldwin was one of their better models, I would choose the Bladwin without question.

In response to another question you had, some piano dealers will dicker with you to a certain extent.
But for the most part, they don't have muchhead room to begin with.
Pianos of the acoustic variety just don't sell like they once did.
Too many people find it easier to buy a top quality digital piano and leave it at that.
I agree with you that the acoustic instrument is preferable for most applications.

Write me directly if you would like to.
It would be a pleasure to talk to someone with that kind of interest.

panama.jack1@home.com

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