"Baldwin is sort of getting to be a bit funny. I don't know what happened, but a few years ago they suddenly went bankrupt and Gibson bought the whole outfit. Since then they haven't seemed to be doing an awfully good job of providing pianos"

Marian McPartland is referring to the Baldwin Piano Company, which was established in 1862 and was among the most successful piano manufacturers in the United States. Nevertheless, in 2001, the company unexpectedly declared bankruptcy and was purchased out by Gibson Guitar Corporation. Since then, it appears that Baldwin has actually not been doing an excellent job of providing pianos, as McPartland recommends. This might be due to the fact that Gibson is mainly a guitar company and might not have the same competence in producing pianos as Baldwin did. It could likewise be because of the truth that Gibson might not have actually invested sufficient resources into the Baldwin brand name, causing a decline in quality. Whatever the reason, it appears that Baldwin is refraining from doing as well as it used to, which is why McPartland discovers it "amusing".