low quality, and high quality

[Antares]

Dear colleagues,

In my last email I mentioned the fact that the Pianotech list is a free and
open forum, open to opinions and discussions.
This thread about "low quality, and high quality" brought about a fine
discussion, I for one enjoyed that thoroughly.

However, I have noticed that there a number of you, who question my attitude
towards "lower priced instruments", and I think it would be good to explain
once more something I have actually already mentioned before.
I feel that it is not necessary to apologize when I say that I prefer to
work on beautiful and expensive concert instruments, and I have said before
that I most certainly did >>MY<< share of junk in the past. 
I think we hardly know each other well, so maybe I should tell you about
myself that I have tuned over 30 000 piano's, of which most were at least of
questionable value and quality. 
Then, at a certain moment my professional life changed miraculously : I was
enabled to learn "the real stuff" in three different factories (Bösendorfer,
Yamaha - three times -, Steinway) after which my attitude towards our
profession in general changed entirely. 
>From then on, I knew what a good instrument sounds like and, I also knew how
to work with them in a more proper and  more professional way, and I felt
ashamed of the countless erors and catastrophies I had caused before, due to
lack of professional education.

Now, to those who might have gotten the impression that I am maybe
insensitive and arrogant ( I mean everything is possible you know) I ask :
If, after 30 years of driving a fiat 500 (the well known tiny Italian cinque
cento, which is a darling little car anyway) you are offered to, from now
on,  drive a caddillac, would you refuse such an offer?

I think not.....
I think that most of us would look back with a smile, and jump aboard the
caddillac immediately.
I hereby want to make, at the same time, extremely clear that I have no
contempt nor pity for/with colleagues who are (not yet) able to get the
better kind of work, on the contrary! As stated above, I am one of you..and
I am still "digging"...
Actually, and believe me please, my life has gotten more serious and
difficult, with more responsibility and risks, but also, with higher
rewards, greater joy, and a huge hunger for the >>ultimate<< piano
knowledge.

Now if this answer and explaination of my sorrows from the past and present
in regard to my former statement about high versus low quality still is not
enough, than I will close my computer with a deep sigh, get into my tiny car
(a lucifer red peugeot 306 diesel) with some donald ducks and drive away to
Paris for a couple of days, hoping that dust clouds will have settled down
when I return (if ever I return).

In the mean time,
Most friendly greetings, huge profits, and a glorious and memorable weekend.

Antares

Laughing all the way to a certain end......









>At 11:13 PM 4/8/99 -0400, you wrote:
>
>>Do you really expect everyone to jump on your bandwagon and say " Hell yes!  
>>Let's stop working on these pianos that actually need fixing!"
>>>Bill Simon
>>Phoenix
>
>Hell Yes !
>
>I'm with André 100%  ! !
>
>Why should we work on clunkers when we are up our ears in
>pianos which are of a higher quality.
>
>Do you criticize the Mercedes garage for not persueing every
>repair out there?
>
>There is plenty of work to go around, the work I choose is the 
>work I perfer to do.  That is why I am not in another line of work,
>I perfer this one, and consequently have concentrated my
>workload to pianos I perfer to work on.
>
>It was not always that way. I took everything that came along for
>20 years, that's where experience is derived. Now that I have that
>experience, I can be more selective.
>
>If I do not want to spot replace broken plastic hammer flanges
>because the owner does not want to replace the entire set plus
>the damper flanges, I refer them to a tuner who likes to spend time
>running around and stockpiling little parts for this.
>
>I do not have to leave my house. My shop is here and I have all
>the work I need from referrals by these tuners for big repairs
>because they can't do them beacuse they are too busy running
>around putting out fires.  Tuning calls I get I refer to them and I tell
>the customer that the tuner can also fix that sticky key.
>
>I still do "mercy work" as Ron put it from time to time or a trade-in
>which requires more work than it's worth to make an affordable
>piano for someone.
>
>>If a technician feels a moral obligation to attend to all the pianos of 
>>the world, God bless them. I don't feel that need, just give me a steady 
>>diet of the good ones and I will suffer in silence. 
>>Regards to all,     Ed Foote 
>
>I am not  Mother Theresa, I have an obligation to my family to earn
>enough to keep us out of the poor house and then some.   
>
>Speaking of which ; . . 
>
>        off to work . . . 
>