Tuned a Sagenhatt vertical today. Never heard of this brand before. I wasn't thrilled with its tone, the sustain lacking on individual notes here and there, very uneven. Just got me to thinking... What might one _look_ for in judging the quality of the piano, other than its sound? One thing I look for is the orientation of the wood in the sound board. In a cheap vertical the grain will often go horizontal to the ground instead of on an angle. Two pedals instead of three might be a clue to a cheaper model. But what other tell-tale cost-cutting clues might there be? (I can envision some of the comic responses this question likely will garner...though the question is asked in earnest, I admit I look forward to a good laugh as much as anyone.) As I tuned this Sagenhatt my opinion of the instrument got lower and lower, but if I had been called to appraise it what tips might I gather from just eyeballing it? In a related question, I've read that cheaper grands have notches in the long bridge while in better pianos the plate struts will pass over the bridge. Why would it be any cheaper to do it one way versus the other? Tom Sivak
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