Phil_Glenn@yca.CCMAIL.compuserve.com wrote: > > In reply to some recent posts concerning manufacturers and entry level > or starter pianos, I thought I'd add a few (or more) words from the > other side of the fence. It is true that in theory, it costs no more > to make a piano with a good scale as it does with a poor scale. > Ideally, the piano maker will produce a few prototypes with some > changes in each one. The MBA's will then choose the best one by > having technicians and musicians test the pianos and judge them on > their musicality and tunibility. This however, costs a lot of green. > In the real world, the piano maker won't even design their own scale. > They will try to find one that has been proven in the past and copy > it. They then put it into production and get on with it. They will go > through the process with the better models, but as for the starter > pianos, if they find a piano that sells, why change it. It costs > thousands of dollars to design and build a new plate mold and the > profit is not available in the small pianos. According to my math, > 10% margin on $10,000 unit is bit better than a 10% margin on a $1,000 > piano. > > I don't know about domestic pianos, but according to PMAI, Year-to > -date as of March 1998 about 7400 verticals were imported into the > U.S. and about 7200 grands. Not much difference in unit volume, but > the manufacturers will be making three times the profit from the > grands. This has changed over the years. There used to be a lot more > verticals sold than grands. Now days, many first time acoustic buyers > start with a grand. > > I believe that all of the dozen or so manufacturers around today have > (some) pride and really do want to make a good instrument. That's why > Young Chang hired Joe Pramberger to redesign and rescale their Korean > pianos. Upper management understands that in order to compete with > the big boys, you must make a respectable instrument. But... on the > other hand, that's why they spent million's of won building a new > factory in China. So they can still build entry level pianos at a > price which can compete. They use cheap labor and proven designs to > build a piano that will make money. Who can fault them for that???? > > Upper end pianos are sold by reputation and quality. Lower end pianos > are sold by price point, nothing else, because we have gotten to a > level where all of the starter pianos are at about the same "ok" > quality. > > There will always be a place for good instruments but what's killed > the development of a "class A" starter piano in this country is: 1. > non-empasis of music education in schools. 2. competition for the > available dollars, i.e.. computers, Nintendo 3. digital keyboards 4. > slow housing starts 5. Aeolean spinets. > > But that's just my opinion. > > Phil B. Glenn RPT > National Service Manager > Young Chang America > Phil@youngchang.com Yep, I think you hit it on the head. And you, a rep from young chang! This is an eye opener. What happens when we can no longer find cheap Chinese labor? I don't want to think about it. -- Frank Cahill Associate Member Northern Va
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC