Hand-made 50-inch Professional Upright piano.
The distinctive sound and tone of the Mason & Hamlin grand piano in a more compact upright cabinet, it will outperform the smaller grand pianos. The bass response is classic Mason & Hamlin, booming and robust with a growl like thunder off in the distance. The duration of tone is astonishingly lengthy which is suited to classical music or any piece that requires the melody be sustained above the background of an accompaniment. The harmonic content or timbre of the overall range is center-mellow stressing the fundamental tone, also ideal for classical music. The attack is slow and it seems some notes “crescendo in” upon playing the key. This contrasts with a percussive, short tone with a sharp attack that a jazz pianist may prefer. There is plenty of volume when you want it and the dynamic range is very wide, allowing a more expressive and emotive performance. This piano is an absolute joy to play.
The Mason & Hamlin model 50 Upright Piano is still built to this very day.
Mason & Hamlin’s ultimate vertical piano to conserve space.
Per our policy of sourcing our pianos locally, this instrument is a one-owner and has lived its entire life in a beautiful home in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Pianos don’t like being moved around a lot, especially to differing climates. It was purchased brand new at Paul Muench Music here in Albuquerque so it is happily acclimated and fully adjusted to our dry climate and should provide decades of musical gratification to the next owner. It has always received excellent service from skilled piano technicians. The condition is excellent – structurally and aesthetically. We have had to do barely anything in the 88 Keys Piano Restoration shop, just standard cleaning of the interior, tightening piano-action screws and a few adjustments, and a strong tuning. The piano is ready for the next performance.
Design element on the front of this handsome classic ebony instrument.
Mason & Hamlin model 50 Upright Piano, S# 70268, Mfg. 1966, Ebony Satin finish.
Current Mason & Hamlin model 50 Upright Piano MSRP – $36,564.
88 Keys Piano Warehouse & Showroom price – only $6950.
The uncontested top two American piano manufacturers have historically been Steinway & Sons and Mason & Hamlin. The rest of the top ten is open for debate. They are the two surviving piano companies from the Golden Age of the Piano, during which performance, composing and piano building skills reached notable heights. The finest pianists of the day would sometimes affiliate themselves with their favorite brand (like basketball player Michael Jordan and Nike shoes). Sergei Rachmaninoff and Maurice Ravel were notable pianists/composers who aligned themselves with Mason & Hamlin grand pianos. In 1853, Steinway & Sons was founded by Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg in New York. The following year in 1854, Mason & Hamlin was founded by Henry Mason and Emmons Hamlin in Boston. Including other fine piano manufacturers, the two cities were very prideful in promoting their own piano brands, and that continues to this very day.
Venerable, staid and revered. Since 1854.
The model 50 has been built for over sixty years. This is highly unusual for a model to have that staying power and it’s a testimony to its intrinsic design. Here is a description from an undated catalog:
This is the upright with the touch and tone all of its own. The Mason and Hamlin style 50 was created for professional use in schools, churches and institutions. However, serious musicians have found it so superior to other consoles, and even to many grand pianos, that they often now select it for their own use. The extra inches in this large professional upright add measurably to the quality of performance. A larger sounding board area permits more effective placement of the bridges, producing unparalleled evenness of tone throughout the entire scale. The additional space provides room for an action as precise as that of a grand, rapid repetition and the utmost in response. The Mason & Hamlin style 50 has extraordinary features found in every Mason & Hamlin piano, such as the Tension Resonator to preserve the stability of the sounding board and extra sturdy construction to withstand years of strenuous use. The Mason & Hamlin style 50… truly an outstanding achievement in the art of piano making. In walnut or ebonized.
Sturdy, heavy-duty music desk with sheet music lips for large books and long musical scores.
The vaunted Tension Resonator is mounted into both ends of the back to support the Soundboard’s crown.
The Boston-style fallboard protects the keyboard and little fingers.
The piano-action has very little wear and the piano was mainly a beautiful piece of furniture.