Mason & Hamlin model BB Semi-Concert Grand Piano

Mason & Hamlin 7′ Grand Piano – made in the USA

Hand-crafted in Haverhill, Massachusetts. This classic Mason & Hamlin grand piano is nearly new. It was built in 2000 and purchased locally in 2001 then lived in Albuquerque’s north valley the entire time since. It is finished in mahogany satin lacquer with a topcoat of polyester resins for durability. It includes the original adjustable Artist bench. Excellent technicians have cared for the piano regularly. The legendary model BB is designed for spacious homes, conservatories of music, professional recording studios, auditoriums and for serious pianists. It has a wonderful mellow and cultured tone quality and a long-lasting duration of tone comparable to full concert grand pianos. The timbre consists of a bell-like clarity in the treble, a warm harmonic resonance in the tenor and an exceptionally powerful bass response sometimes called “the growl”. This distinctive Mason & Hamlin tone is the result of a piano that is built using the original Boston model BB design with scrupulous attention to detail and accuracy. Downbeat Magazine reported, “The Mason & Hamlin model BB semi-concert grand piano plays with the consistency and response of the finest concert grand pianos.”

“The growling power of the Mason & Hamlin bass is most evident in the 7′ model BB.” Larry Fine, Author – The Piano Book

Rosewood sharp keys with ebony-wood caps.

Mason Hamlin grand top at 88 Keys Piano Warehouse

Warm satin mahogany lacquer finish.

Acclaimed and collected by generations of serious piano aficionados, Mason & Hamlin is the ultimate piano investment. The combination of Old-World craftsmanship with time-tested designs and materials makes Mason & Hamlin one of the few investment-grade pianos built today. As evidence of Mason & Hamlin’s unparalleled commitment to quality, fewer than 300 pianos are manufactured each year. Thus, each piano is truly a one-of-a-kind original – a limited edition – and no doubt will perform and increase in value for decades to come.

88 Keys Piano Warehouse & Showroom price – only $45,000.

Current MSRP on new Mason & Hamlin model BB – $127,031.

The current models are perfect reproductions of their very best 20th-century models, and they are still the costliest piano to produce. The original Mason & Hamlin scale designs were developed by Richard Gertz in the early 1900’s, including the Duplex Scale, Screw Stringer and the Tension Resonator, a remarkable device that was designed to maintain the crown of the soundboard for the life of the piano. The performance of a lifetime is assured by Mason & Hamlin’s patented Crown Retention System. It is unique among piano manufacturers, and it assures that your soundboard will retain its original contoured “crown” and continue to provide performance qualities like power, projection and sustain duration. Consequently, seventy-five-year-old Masons often sound as rich, and project and resonate tone as well as they did when new. They are usually excellent candidates for the expenses of restoration when it is eventually needed.

The Mason & Hamlin model BB semi-concert grand piano soundboard is constructed of the finest grade, air-cured, kiln-conditioned Canada eastern white spruce. It is treated and monitored in the factory to maintain the correct moisture content ensuring stability and longevity. It is precisely installed by hand and is pre-crowned and tapered for optimal tonal resonance. The pinblock is built using 7-ply quarter-sawn hard-rock maple. Each layer is carefully positioned at a 90-degree angle for maximum strength in gripping the tuning pins. The rim is remarkably thick with 18-ply laminations, the beams are overly sturdy, and the sand-cast grey iron plate has a full perimeter design for extra strength. The piano is built like a Sherman tank on steroids!

“Mason & Hamlin pianos are the Top-Rated American Made Piano in the Highest Quality Category for Performance and Confidence.” Larry Fine, “The Piano Book” (Fourth Edition)

Accuracy and consistency define Mason & Hamlin’s own Wessel, Nickel & Gross piano-action. WNG was a major supplier to American piano builders and a time-honored name in precision piano-part manufacturing and action-design. Their piano-action is regarded among the world’s very best, and it is a pleasure to play. This high-performance action enables the pianist a faster repetition for execution of difficult musical passages not possible on lesser ones. Its wide dynamic range allows an expressive and emotive experience for the listener. The action rail is a unique, original design and consists of a square brass tube for rigidity, enclosing a hard-rock maple dowel for the components to be accurately and permanently mounted to. This square brass tube is C&C drilled, glass beaded and finished in lacquer for lasting stability. The beautiful sharp keys are made from genuine rosewood with ebony-wood caps. Our 88 Keys restoration shop has performed a complete regulation on the piano-action, and it is ready for the performance.

mason hamlin grand piano at 88 Keys Piano Warehouse

Hand-made by American craftsmen in Boston.

Excellent condition – structurally and aesthetically.

Mason & Hamlin – Then and now…

In 1854, two brilliant idealists, Henry Mason and Emmons Hamlin, founded the Mason & Hamlin Piano Company in Boston, Massachusetts: the birthplace of American piano design and manufacturing. Although their backgrounds and interests were very different, the two men shared a common goal: to make the world’s finest musical instruments. In 1996 one of the most successful businesses in the industry was PianoDisc, a manufacturer of computerized player systems for acoustic pianos. Gary and Kirk Burgett, the owners, were longtime fans of Mason & Hamlin pianos. When they heard the company was for sale, they bought it. Just like the original founders, the Burgett brothers brought unique and diverse experience and interests to their partnership.

Steinway Upright Pinblock Replacement

One of the biggest challenges involved in restoring uprights is replacing the pinblock. To remove the plate without tearing out the keybed, etc., can be impossible. A 40″ Steinway console with loose tuning pins came to our shop this summer. With no other option than pinblock replacement we set about to just that. This particular Steinway was a 1953 100 year anniversary edition, so taking apart the cabinet wasn’t an option. Instead we used a drill press w/ 1.5″ Forster drill bit to remove the original pinblock. The block did not have a ‘notch’ , but was butted against the plate along a simple straight line. Drilling out the old block was a slow, painstaking process which required patience.

Piano Restoration Albuquerque: Soundboard decal for Mason & Hamlin

Applied the soundboard decal to the Mason A. It came in 2 parts that had to be done separately. The largest w/the eagle was an alcohol transfer; it was challenging to lay precisely over the shadow of the orig. The word Boston was simply a stick on. A good spray coat of lacquer sealer soft sanded w/ 180 grit served as the base for the decal(s). Just the right amount of denatured alcohol must be used for a perfect transfer to the soundboard. As a last step to seal a light coat of lacquer was shot over the area.

Piano tuning Albuquerque: Plate Re-gilding

Plate re-gilding can sometimes be a tricky project. In our shop we’re presently doing just that to one from a ’33 Mason A. After thorough cleaning a lacquer based primer was applied to a small section for test. There were problems; it seems that when the instrument had been re-pinned/ strung some 40+ years ago an automotive type metallic paint was used to spray the plate. This explained why a lacquer based coating would crinkle – a lot. Blasting w/ a very gentle abrasive quickly removed this problem layer of enamel. Now lots and lots of gentle sanding . . .
I have been working on a Steinway 1098 action which was attacked by mice. The nest was located, not under the keys, but right in the action itself. Nearly an octave’s worth of hammer butts, shanks, backchecks, etc were gnawed away to make room in addition to damage to keys and other stuff. Quite a clean-up project w/ the case. Replacing the hammer butts and so forth has been a challenge. Since orig. parts are not available it was necessary to use the best fitting butts, an asian style with flanges slightly larger than those in the action. These flanges were switched out. Now it remains to install and regulate, which will be the true test. In the meantime wire mesh was installed along the bottom of the piano as a preventative (this is where the nearly 100 year-old tilter comes in handy).

Expert Tuning

Alexander D’Von Boggs is a Steinway certified piano technician and Piano Technicians Guild member. Services include in home piano tunings, piano pitch raises to A440 hz and concert formats. He is a skilled prep technician specializing in action regulation and repair.