Steinway

[Farrell]

Maybe the bottom line in my rant was that you take a Steinway that costs
between $35,000 and $90,000 today (model M through D). Take the same model
that is 70 or 80 years old, and it is worth $5,000 to $10,000. Take a Story
& Clark (or any other Brand X) that costs - how much - maybe priced like a
Kawai or so - $15,000 for a six-foot black (oops - ebony!) grand. What would
a 75 year old Sorry lil' Cluck be worth today - maybe $2,000 (I realize
zero, but you know as well as I that if the keys make some piano-related
noise, someone will buy it - A Diamond in the Rough!). So which piano holds
its value better, one that looses $80,000 in value, or one that looses
$13,000? Or let's stick with the six-foot example - one that looses $40,000
in value or one that looses $13,000? Don't get me wrong - I would rather
play a Steinway for 75 years rather than the cheaper piano - but we are
considering a money investment here, not how nice a piano plays or sounds
(or at least the ones that sneak out of NY with non-reverse-crown
soundboards).

I think the point is that no piano is a good long-term investment of money
with the intention to grow your money. So why advertise it as such? Unless
of course you are willing to make a profit at any cost. It may well be a
better investment than a porterhouse steak (in the long term), but
advertisement of it being a quality investment of money is BS. I have heard
the story many times, and I know well that many, many folks read that junk
and believe it. You can call them dumb, but just like Ed McMann, et. al.
selling sweepstakes tickets to old folks that use their life savings to
order $5,000 magazine subscriptions and then fly to Tampa to claim their
non-existent winnings, it is just plain unethical. Just because an
advertisement does not tell an outright lie, it is not necessarily truthful.
They are simply preying on folks that are not piano knowledgeable, and that
stinks.

Terry Farrell

----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Grattan" <lostchordclinic@ameritech.net>
To: <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 28, 2001 1:35 PM
Subject: Steinway


> Hi,  I looked up a new Steinway in the 1991 Ancott Directory and the B was
> $37,040.00 and the D was
> 56,040.00.  Both are ebony prices.
>
> Steve Grattan, Associate
> Lost Chord Clinic
> 1602 Griswold Street
> Port Huron, MI 48060
> lostchordclinic@ameritech.net
>
>