🎹 A Musical Time Capsule: The 118-Year Legacy of a Mason and Hamlin AA Grand Piano 🎹
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- Опубликовано: 8 июл 2024
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This boston built, 150 year old, AA grand piano, built by Mason and Hamlin, one of the few remaining North American manufacturers, has been completely restored. Mason and Hamlin has been focused on their WNG carbon fibre action that borrows, in a general sense, from the Kawai Millenium III, but has added features like its carbon fibre shanks. This new action has been made available to rebuilders, so this 118 year old piano has one of the most lightweight and interesting actions.
Mason and Hamlin, a well-respected manufacturer back to the turn of the 20th century, introduced technical innovations such as the tension resonator, a device in the belly of the instrument to maintain lateral tension on the rim. They also implemented extraordinarily thick rims that are continuously bent, meaning no inner or outer rim, a feature found in Steinway pianos as well. Another innovation was the use of full perimeter plates and a lot of steel to create extra rigidity on the top of the frame. Finally, while not the widest tail at the time, they used a wider tail than most to provide more soundboard to generate the tone.
Playing a great restoration is like playing a time machine. If the work has been done at a really high level, you can enjoy playing an instrument the way it would have behaved when first produced. While this piano has a wholly new action, this does not affect the tone so much as the tactile response.
This particular instrument is very colourful with a lot of dark tones, a strong bass range, and a sustain that once at the mezzo piano range sounds like it is no longer decaying.
We love being able to share these types of instruments. Those with both musical and mechanical points of interest are fun to share.
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This is what we call true devotion for the piano world and it's history I love it
Thank you kindly! Glad you enjoyed it! :)
I LOVE Masons!! Some friends of mine when I was in high school had a beautiful Mason AA that was so much fun to play!
They're very gorgeous instruments with a lot of power! :)
i love Mason and Hamlin. The Burgett brothers current ownership of the company have done a great job keeping the piano a front runner. Way to go Stu!
They are very gorgeous pianos! Thank you so much for tuning in! We appreciate it. :)
I played that actual piano in front of that actual purple wall on a visit to their midtown Toronto store a few weeks ago. I played classical repertoire on a bunch of new models (C.Bechstein, Shigeru Kawai, etc) and when I got to this one, my jaw just dropped. The power and sustain are even more vivid in person. Because of the WNG action it felt like a brand new piano, which was unexpected in what is visually a vintage instrument. I would describe its tone as 'unique in character', as in: If it were a singer, it would be Barry White or Dinah Washington; if it were scotch, it would be a peaty 30 year old single malt; if it were a pool player, it would be Minnesota Fats. Sorry my references are all old but that's kind of the point.
Thanks so much for stopping by the showroom! We're very glad that you had a chance to play this wonderful Mason & Hamlin AA as well as some of the other amazing brands/models we have on display. This is really a wonderful piano with a beautiful tone. And you are certainly correct about the WNG action. It really does feel exceptional to the fingers. :)
Oh my what a beautiful tone!
Absolutely! Thanks for tuning in! :)
I grew up with a M&H piano in our home (w 8 kids, btw). I loved the key action, but I'd be hard-pressed to describe the 'tone characteristics' of the instrument since I had nothing to compare it to. Thanks so much for your loving review and, as always, for your terrific chops which I so enjoy.
That is awesome! Mason & Hamlin make wonderful pianos. Thank you for tuning in! I will be happy to pass along your kind words to Stu on your behalf. :)
Wow! What a wonderful tone!
Great playing!
Cheers!
Thanks for tuning in! It is a very exciting instrument to say the least! :)
Merry Christmas ❤
Thank you! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you too! :)
How am I supposed to pay attention to the bass when some guy is playing a terrific piece of jazz over it? ;-)
Stu's playing is certainly captivating! Thanks very much! :)
@@MerriamPianos It absolutely is. I bought a keyboard because of him. If I lived in America, I would have happily given you the business.
My dad played a 1920 Mason & Hamlin A (5’ 8”) his whole life. My brother and I let it go after he died because it needed a substantial rebuild and because the action was fairly awful. Had we known that we could have purchased a modern action from Mason for the rebuild we might have made a different choice. Like its big brother, the AA featured in this video, the A had wonderful bass for a piano of its size.
For sure! Skilled technicians can do amazing work with restoring old pianos. Whether it is a full action swap or rebuild, many pianos can be restored to their former glory. The Mason & Hamlin A and AA models are both exceptional instruments. :)
Great vid! It sounds a lot beter in person I'm sure🎹🎶
We do our best to capture the nuances of these instruments, though it is certainly always the best experience in person! :)
It sounds vibrating Chopin
For sure! I certainly get that sentiment. :)
Sounds very similar to my 1919 restored Conover 88
That's awesome! High-quality restored instruments with character and nuance are incredibly rewarding to play. :)
Great video about a very beautiful piano.
Thank you! We're glad you enjoyed it. :)
Could imagine Horowitz playing Nun Komm Der Heiden Heiland on this beauty
Absolutely! That would be brilliant. :)
That sustain is almost weird in how it's so loud and prominent. Can there be too much sustain in a piano? I'm not sure, but I like the piano for its percussive character as much if not more than its ability to "sing".
If anyone wants to hear a modern M&H, I suggest searching for Jarrod Radnich who is a M&H artist with access to a model CC (9 foot 4 concert grand). The midrange is almost identical to the "Steinway sound", while the bass is deeper and less growly and the treble a bit brighter but also rounder than most Steinways, bell-like some would call it. It's an amazing sounding piano, and Radnich is one amazing pianist as well.
Tonal preferences are very subjective and personal of course. So, to that point, it is a totally fair view to feel like a piano has too much sustain. Thankfully, there are many piano manufacturers and models on the market to choose from. This ensures that virtually every player can find a piano that they resonate with musically. :)
Does the carbon fiber hurt the value or playing experience of the piano at all?
Not at all! It is an amazing and responsive action. In fact, it is one of the most expensive actions on the market!
As the playing is Jazz and not classical its difficult for me to fully assess how much of the golden era sound has been retained, however to me it seems completely modernised and does not retain the romantic era charm unfortunately.
Everything music-related, right down to tonal preference, is a very subjective matter of course. With that said, there are elements of this piano that certainly have a more modern edge given the nature of the work that has been completed on it.
I don’t like it sorry
What do you not like about it?
I mean they could at least refine the tuning, but other than that I found nothing rong with it🎹🎶
@@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12 maybe its just the tuning but i prefer linear sustain.
@@jeanhasdenteufel3818 I kinda like the longer sustain🎹🎶
That is certainly fair! Tonal preferences are very personal and subjective. :)