I might add to all this that with the present money crunch going on, and the very worried whispers being passed around from the halls of even the seemingly most solid of piano manufacturers.... perhaps the smaller manufacturers like Overs, Stuart, Steingræber, Dain, Fandrich and the like get their chance to break through the Steinway dominance. Buisness is tough for all the big manufacturers now. Very tough. Even from Yamaha there have come hints of major changes in the works... most immediately their prices are expected to rise by about 30 % here in Scandinavia in the very near future. On the other hand... even if the big names finally fell, the long standing traditions crumble, and pianists forced to re-evaluate their perceptions of what it is to sit down to a quality piano.... figure out its artistic voice and start making music, they will have to have a steady supply of very high quality instruments to play on. What then ? What will be forced upon the Overs, Fandrichs, Stuarts and others of the world when they eventually need to start producing on very large scales... pumping out 500 + instruments a year ? One thing is for sure.... it would be a very interesting development to watch unfold. Cheers RicB
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