This 'n that

[Clyde Hollinger]

Friends:

In response to Ed Tomlinson's post...
Our chapter toured the Steinway factory about five weeks ago.  I got the
impression that Steinway does not intend to make a consistent piano,
where each one is like all the rest.  Our guide made a point of
mentioning they do not try to keep the outer rims all cookie-cutter
identical.  Rather, they will shape the soundboards and plates to fit
the rims; each piano has its own identity, so to speak.

Which raises another question.  Are the pianos that are manufactured in
a more labor-intensive way necessarily better than those done with a
great deal more automation?  We tend to think so; is it true?  It
certainly makes them more pricey.

I tuned my first Steinway 1098 vertical two days ago for a recital
today.  It wasn't much fun, but it didn't drive me crazy, either.  My
greatest concern is whether or not my tuning remained stable, since I
remember the posts here several months ago referring to the tuning
difficulties associated with this particular model.

At our chapter meeting last Tuesday a member mentioned an article about
buying a piano in the November "Money" magazine, so I went out the next
day and bought one (not a piano; the magazine!).  Of course we know
myriads of wealthy (?!) piano technicians regularly subscribe to this
magazine; so all _they_ have to do is find their current copy and turn
to page 206.  ;-)  I felt the article's information was generally
accurate.  If everyone followed its advice we would have fewer PSOs to
deal with.

Clyde Hollinger