I was helping a friend move a few weeks ago, and tucked away in the corner of her new basement was a dusty howard piano upright that looked like it hadn't been touched since the Nixon administration. It's a scene a lot of us are familiar with. You see these pianos everywhere—estate sales, Facebook Marketplace for "free if you move it," or just sitting in a grandparent's living room covered in framed photos. But if you're actually a player, or someone looking to start, you have to wonder if these instruments are hidden gems or just heavy pieces of furniture.
The short answer is that Howard pianos have a lot more pedigree than people give them credit for. They weren't just some off-brand knockoff; they were actually a major part of the Baldwin family. If you know anything about American piano history, you know Baldwin used to be one of the "big two" alongside Steinway. Howard was their entry-level or mid-range line, designed to get a solid instrument into the hands of families who couldn't quite swing the price of a flagship Baldwin.
The Story Behind the Name
Back in the day, the piano industry was a bit like the car industry. You had your luxury brands, and then you had the brands meant for the "everyman." Baldwin started the Howard line way back in the late 1800s. They named it after one of the company's founders, and for decades, it served as their reliable, affordable workhorse.
If you find a howard piano upright today, it's likely from one of two very different eras. You've got the vintage American-made models from the mid-20th century, which are built like tanks. Then, later on, Baldwin actually partnered with Kawai in Japan to produce Howard pianos. Those "Howard by Kawai" models are actually highly sought after because you're basically getting a vintage Kawai (which is a world-class instrument) for a fraction of the price because of the name on the fallboard.
It's funny how branding works. A lot of people see "Howard" and think "budget," but the construction on these things, especially the ones made in the 50s and 60s, is often better than the brand-new digital keyboards people pay thousands for today. They used real wood, heavy cast-iron plates, and parts that were meant to be repaired, not replaced.
What It's Like to Actually Play One
I've spent some time sitting at a few different Howard uprights, and the experience is usually pretty consistent. They tend to have a "bright" sound. If you're looking for a dark, moody, classical European tone, a Howard might feel a bit too punchy for you. But if you're playing pop, jazz, or just banging out some old-school rock and roll, that brightness is actually a huge plus. It cuts through the room.
The action—the way the keys feel when you press them—is usually medium-weight. It's not as feather-light as some modern Yamahas, but it's also not as heavy as a crusty old church piano. For a student, a howard piano upright is actually a pretty perfect training tool. It's responsive enough to teach you dynamics (playing loud vs. soft), which is something you just can't fully learn on a cheap electronic keyboard.
One thing to keep in mind is that Howards come in different sizes. You'll see "spinets," which are the short ones where the top is barely waist-high, and "consoles," which are a bit taller. If you have the choice, go for the console. The taller the piano, the longer the strings, and the better the bass is going to sound. Spinets can sound a bit "tinny" in the low end because the strings just aren't long enough to vibrate deeply.
Are They Actually Worth Anything Today?
This is where things get a little tricky. If you're looking to get rich by flipping a howard piano upright, I've got some bad news. The market for used upright pianos is currently flooded. Since so many people are moving toward digital options or just downsizing their homes, you can find Howards for anywhere from $200 to $800. Sometimes you can even find them for free.
But don't mistake low market value for low functional value. To a piano technician or a teacher, a well-maintained Howard is worth its weight in gold as a practice instrument. It's a "real" piano. It has soul. It has a mechanical heart that reacts to your touch in a way that software just can't quite replicate yet.
If you find one of the Howard models made by Kawai in the 60s or 70s, those actually hold their value a bit better. Piano nerds (and I say that with love) know that those specific instruments were built with incredible precision. They are essentially a "sleeper" hit in the piano world.
Things to Check Before You Bring One Home
If you're scrolling through Craigslist and see a howard piano upright that looks promising, don't just grab a truck and three strong friends yet. Old pianos can have "hidden" problems that cost more to fix than the piano is worth.
First, look at the keys. Are any of them chipped or yellowed? That's mostly cosmetic, but it tells you how the piano was treated. More importantly, play every single key. Do any of them stick? Does the sound keep ringing after you let go? If the keys feel "mushy," the internal felt hammers might be worn out.
Second, take a look inside. Pop the top lid open and look at the strings and the "pin block" (the wooden part that holds the tuning pins). If you see a lot of rust on the strings, that's a red flag. Rust makes strings brittle, and they'll snap the moment a tuner tries to tighten them.
Third, and this is the big one: ask when it was last tuned. If a howard piano upright hasn't been tuned in twenty years, it might need a "pitch raise." This is basically a double-tuning that puts a lot of stress on the instrument. A solid Howard can usually handle it, but it's an extra expense you'll need to budget for.
Keeping Your Howard in Good Shape
Let's say you've got one. Maybe you inherited it or you found a great deal. How do you keep it from turning into a giant paperweight?
The biggest enemy of an old upright is humidity. Wood expands and contracts, and since your piano is mostly wood, those changes will pull it out of tune faster than anything else. Try to keep it away from radiators, drafty windows, or air conditioning vents. If you live in a place with crazy weather swings, a small humidifier in the room can make a world of difference.
You should also try to get it tuned at least once a year. Even if you don't play it that often, the tension on those strings is massive (we're talking several tons of pressure), and they naturally want to slacken over time.
At the end of the day, a howard piano upright isn't a museum piece, and it's not a concert grand. It's a humble, sturdy, American-designed instrument that was built for the joy of making music at home. It's got character, it's got history, and if you treat it right, it'll probably outlast most of the gadgets in your house. There's something really cool about playing a piece of music on an instrument that has been around for fifty or sixty years—it makes you feel like you're part of a long line of people who just wanted to sit down and play a few chords after a long day.