Quality in Pianos

[MsPiano4@AOL.COM]

Richard/List
It seems that in giving advise on grand selection often we are not comparing 
apples with apples.  I find it less confusing to separate pianos by 
construction type. I use two categories for this.  Hand made and Massed 
Produced.  Some companies fall into a gray area but in general it makes 
sense.  

Some attributes of hand made piano's are.
1.  Small production.
2.  Hardwood rims like maple or birch
3.  Sand cast plates.
4.  Heavy bracing.
5.  Much longer production time.

Massed produced:
1.  Large production
2.  Softer rim material like mahogany
3.  V pro plates 
4.  Bracing is usually spruce or some other soft wood.

In massed produced it must also be mentioned that their are least three 
different quality levels re: Yamaha C series, GH series, GA series.  Kawai 
and Young Chang also have three levels.  So recommending a piano by name 
alone is unwise.  

Finally to place a massed produced piano in the same category as a hand made 
Steinway, Baldwin, Charles Walters, Mason , Etc., seems to put them in a 
class where they don't belong.

Greg