once more an opinion about Petrof -- And, another

[Delwin D Fandrich]

----- Original Message -----
From: Antares <antares@EURONET.NL>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 12, 1999 3:37 AM
Subject: once more an opinion about Petrof


> >So.  Let's see if I have this right.  Petrof builds a piano that Richard
> >(along with a few others) point out could be built somewhat better than
is
> >being done.  At the same time more than a few folks say sounds pretty
good.
> >And, in spite of its various assembly and structural flaws, it sells
quite
> >well and the owners seem to like them.  What a unique concept.  Could it
be
> >the music....
> >
> >Del
>
>
> No Del, it could not be the music, and you know better.
> Last year I recall reacting to a similar discussion about Petrof. I wrote
a
> long account of my own experience with Petrofs here in Holland. However,
my
> writing was totally in(vain) so it seemed, nobody reacted.
> Now we have the same issue and all I wish to say here is that although
> Petrofs can have a nice sound (especially the bass and the middle
section),
> and although they really did improve the quality, it still is an
instrument
> we can not compare with, for instance, Schimmel, Yamaha, Seiler and more
> like those. The price too will reveal at least something about the
quality.
> Lastly, I have tuned Petrofs during almost 30 years (is that  enough then
to
> have an opinion?), and allow me to tell you..when I started as an
> apprentice, they were bad...., and it had to do with the East Bloc (s)low
> tech mentality (last year I made a comparison with older Lada's, Trabants,
> and Skoda's, if you know what I am talking about).
> So in a way, some people are right when they put the finger on some sore
> spots.
> Nevertheless, and this is my personal thought (for as far as anybody could
> be interested), Petrofs are not bad value at all, they have improved
> considerably and they can be surprisingly nice for that money.
>
> Exit me,
>
> Antares
>
---------------------------------------------------------

Antares,

No.  Your writing was not in vein.  I read it an filed it away.  I have no
personal experience at all with recent Petrof pianos.  None.  I've looked at
several of them in stores and at trade shows, but have never tuned one or
worked on one.  So, I read, and consider, all of the opinions those with
hands-on experience are willing to share.

It is just that this whole subject has been of interest to me for some time.
Why do people buy the pianos that they buy?  If the buyer is a serious
musician, he or she probably has a fairly good idea of what they want.  They
probably have access to more-or-less reliable information -- via the Piano
Book, their piano technician, their own experience, etc. -- to guide them in
their selection.  The inexperienced buyer, on the other hand, is less well
equipped to make the purchase.

They find themselves much more at the mercy of the piano dealer and the
piano salesman.  They know nothing of the insides of the piano.  They
couldn't tell a badly pinned bridge if it broke and dumped them into the
raging stream below.  A pinblock could be a chopping block, for all they
know.  They may not yet have -- or even know of -- a reliable piano
technician.  What they do have is a desire to bring home-made music into
their homes and their own senses.  Oh, yes, and usually, a tight budget.

So.  They venture into the piano store.  (In His great mercy, may God
protect me from the typical Piano Store!)  And there they see row after row
of Pianos.  First off, Mrs Buyer says I don't like the looks of that one,
but I really like that one over there.  That narrows the field somewhat.
So, looks sell, but it is not the only thing.  A brief glance at the price
tags narrows the field a bit further.  This still leaves several brands and
several models to choose from.  After waging the "features war" between the
various manufacturers for a while they become so confused they just about
decide to out and buy that new large-screen TV after all.  But someone in
the family does play a bit.  And that someone doesn't like the sound of
those pianos over there.  They sound rather tinny and hard -- if you can
imagine such a thing in a modern, low- to mid- priced "piano" -- in spite of
their German pinblocks, Sitka spruce soundboards, nickel-plated, cut-thread
tuning pins, etc.

By this time Mr Salesman has sized them up and knows that they know nothing
of the piano and spots some easy money.  Guides them to the Petrof, waxes
eloquent about the Olde-World Craftsmanship, plays a few tunes, and -- guess
what -- it sounds pretty good.  The tone is warm, nice.  Almost musical!
Especially compared to the harsh and tinny sound of some of its competitors.
Even better than some of those more expensive pianos over there, come to
that.  And, the sale is made.  Quite possibly at a higher profit margin that
the dealer would have gotten selling one of his really low-end pianos.

The buyer knows nothing of what is inside.  That remains for the technician
to explain to them.  Or not, if they are wise.  The time for that little
heart-to-heart chat is before the sale, if at all possible, not after.

My point is that piano buyers in this market don't look at, or even know to
look for, the same things that a technician looks at.  They consider price,
looks and sound.  In that order.  In this market they probably do not have
enough experience to do anything else.  They can not tell a badly regulated
action from one with a razor-sharp regulation.  They knew nothing of the
soundboard until the Mr Salesman showed them one.

Personally, I am surprised that more manufacturers don't take advantage of
this in this price range.  The only ones that do seem to have gotten the
picture have moved up-scale and build what are now fairly expensive pianos.
(Don't ask!)

Regards,

Del