Baldwin 6000 in jail

[Mark Story]

I had the contract for a state mental hospital in our area for several
years.  After hearing the proper orientation lecture (about confidentiality
mostly) I was given a key for most of the wards.  The two I didn't get were
the "sexual offender" and "legal offender" wards.  The latter for the
"criminally insane."  These wards I had to pass through one locked door to a
second locked door with a passage between.  I never had any problem with
these wards - I mostly had to be on the alert for manipulation by
patient/inmates.  The only time I was anywhere near being assaulted was in
the "hockey helmet" ward.  This was the ward that looked the most like the
movie stereotype of a mental hospital.  All that happened this time was that
a disturbed patient snatched my 6" tweezers and twisted them into a knot so
fast I didn't have time to react.  However, the tech. that took my place was
assaulted (not seriously) by a homicidal patient the day he was supposed to
be released.  Needless to say the staff was relieved that the assault was
reported in time for them to reappraise the release.

Mark Story
EWU Music Department
509-359-7017
mstory@ewu.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: Clyde Hollinger <cedel@redrose.net>
To: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
Date: Thursday, November 12, 1998 4:41 PM
Subject: Baldwin 6000 in jail


>Friends:
>
>The first Baldwin 6000 I ever tuned was just last week in a Pennsylvania
>federal prison chapel.  Anyone else have "tuning in prison" stories they
>would like to tell?
>
>I get in this prison monthly as a volunteer, so it wasn't as unnerving
>as the first time I heard those gates clang shut behind me.  But I had
>to list every single tool I had with me.  Fortunately, since I knew of
>this requirement beforehand, I took only what I felt would be absolutely
>necessary.  In spite of the likelihood that something would go wrong and
>prevent me from working on the piano, I had no problems to speak of.
>
>According to the Pierce Atlas, this 6000 was made in 1990.  I was
>surprised to find an instrument of this quality in a prison, but it had
>been sadly neglected -- 60-160 cents flat, all the casters gone and two
>broken bass strings (one was missing).  I didn't feel threatened being
>there but was glad nevertheless to be constantly under the watchful eye
>of a guard (a very nice guy, really) except when I sent him off for a
>tool or some glue!
>
>If your life is getting too boring, you might want to try something like
>this, or maybe a tuning in a mental hospital (I did that, too, quite a
>number of years ago).
>
>Clyde Hollinger
>
>Christopher D. Purdy wrote:
>>
>> >Most of the ones I have worked on so far are fairly new Baldwin "Concert
>> >Vertical" pianos. They seem to have been designed with the piano tuner
in
>> >mind - plate is molded nicely for a felt strip mute. Kent, did you have
a
>> >few words to say in the design of that one?
>>
>> wallace,
>>
>> welcome back.  the indentation in the plate behind the strings you are
>> refering to is called "krefting's valley" after jack krefting who was the
>> head of tech service at baldwin back when that piano was designed.  i
>> belive the model number is 6000.  i love them.  great bass, nice
action...
>> pity about the price.  i don't see many of them since my days at baldwin,
>> cincinnati, though.  i am trying to talk a local church into buying one
>> instead of some cheapo grand.
>>
>> chris
>>
>> -Christopher D. Purdy R.P.T.
>