This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment A simple question, a simple answer... Does a stupid teenager who lowers his $20,000 pick up to the grown, buts = the wrong wheels on it, chops the roof down, and paints it to look like = a clown car require permission from Toyota? Nope. Will the warranty be = voided? Probably. Can he fight it? Yes. Will he win? Doubt it. = Does he deserve to loose that right? Yup. Does a home owner who removes a wall and adds 800 Sq. Ft. onto their = house require permission from the home builder? Nope. Will this void = the warranty? Probably not. Why? The modification requires approved = structural engineering plans in order to secure permits. A county = inspector also must sign off that the work was done correctly. If a technician installs Able hammers on a Steinway at the owner request = does this void the warranty? Probably not. Why? A qualified = technician did the installation and the modification doesn't effect the = function of the action. On the other hand if the customer buys a set of = hammers off of e-bay, installs them himself, uses the wrong glue, hasn't = a clue about tail tapering, shaping and bore angle, and damages the = hammer shank bushings in the process, does this void the warranty? For = the action it probably does. Without regard to this if the sound board = develops a crack six months later is Steinway still obligated to fix it? = Probably since the sound board is unrelated to the hammers. If the Steinway is 75 years old and is completely rebuilt with Able = hammers, Renner parts, Roslou strings, and a Bolduc sound board, is it = still a Steinway? Yup. Why? Well... 1. The pianos built by S&S today are made of different materials then = they were yesterday. Rebuilding a Steinway with new Steinway parts = would not make it any closer to the way it was originally then it would = be with Renner parts. It would be greatly improved either way. 2. German Steinways use Rennor actions already. 3. Because Andre Bolduc builds his sound boards in his shop and = Steinway builds their sound boards in their shop is a Bolduc board any = less then a Steinway board? Well... they are both made of wood, they = are both glued together, they both have ribs. If it is installed = correctly I'd have to say that the Bolduc board would work just as good = if not better then a Steinway board. Just because a different = technician installed it and used a different table saw to cut the ribs, = does this mean the piano is no longer a Steinway? If a dumb kid chooses to screw up his pick up it would probably void the = warranty. Why? Because the parts used were not remotely designed for = the vehicle. Is it still a Toyota? Well the vehicle was physically as = well as technically radically modified to intentionally be "different". = I'd have to say that it is now something else. If a rebuilder uses Able = hammers instead of Steinway hammers is it still a Steinway? Yes. Why? = Because they are still hammers, designed to be installed in a piano, a = piano just like a Steinway. They will sound and voice differently, but = NOT functioning differently. They are still within the specified = technical parameters of having the same fit and function. Do you think = Steinway likes the idea of being subtly thought of by a customer that = their hammers are inferior? Probably. Oh well. Rob Goodale, RPT Las Vegas, NV Several questions arise considering recent discussions about patent = infringements, though this takes a slightly different angle. At what = point do changes breach any tacit understandings/agreements about what = can be done to a piano and still call it that maker's piano? Does the = technician have any legal or other obligation to adhere to the designers = intention, or commit any breach by making such changes?=20 David Love ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/fd/04/59/9c/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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