---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Greetings, Thank you for your response. You are not alone in loving this work. Me too. I guess I have to get over my past resentment when my mother (with every good intention) purchased a spinet to replace our old upright (which I would have liked repaired). That spinet really discouraged me. It just didnt play well or sound right to me. Now that I have studied and played classical, I still feel that way. However everything you said makes good sense. I know that a piano is a personal preference and that different pianos, yes even spinets, satisfy some folks. It all depends on one's needs. As you mentioned the VW; 60 mph I refurbish "orphan" pianos and have a playing backround. When folks come to me, I make it a point to find out what type of music a person plays and I can see where they are in their studies and where they are most likley going. (I used to teach) I feel as a pianist, that I have a responsibility to make a judgement call on what a player's needs are and try to project what playing they may come into. I am a proponent of piano playing. I want them to be encouraged and to play and enjoy their instrument. If a kid is studying classical for a couple of years, This may be seroius!! I am honest with them and the parents. I tell them that they may not be satisfied with the touch and tone of a spinet when they get into the thundering Beethoven. They usually don't gravitate to the spinets anyway.(just as I didnt as a kid) However, for example, I had a lady whose raised a family, all the kids gone, and had moved to a small house and wanted something small to play for hobby and for when the grandkids visit. She loved this spinet I had. And that's fine. I try to make sure they like it before they take it. (Although I dont understand why folks think spinets take up less room)(the length and for the most part the depth of a spinet is almost the same as a larger upright) I think its sort of an optical/spacial illusion that a spinet takes less room. really only by height is that true)(the grandkids may not like it either) but she was an adult who knew what she wanted. I often wonder: *If my grandparents would have had a spinet, would I have wanted to play???* I dont like to take in many orphan spinets. I feel it inconscionable to sell them. It just feels sinful to take money for a piano that isnt up to my playing standards, especially when I love to repair them, even if they are spinets. I didnt mean to offend you or make us look bad. I do find some of the marketing comical such as; Acrosonic (dont get me wrong Acro's are decent spinets), but it sounds like its related to the newly discovered supersonic boom barrier which was broken around the 50's-60's, and that anything you play on it becomes airborne in a sub-nuclear way or somthting. Again. dont get me wrong an Acrosonic is a decent spinet, but some of those names/claims stenciled on the harp plate! You have to admit some of those marketing terms...are...pseudo scientific, and meant to have a specific appeal, even if they do redesign a da capo bar or something and give it a name. I do understand what you are conveying about bashing, but from a player's point of view it is tempting to jest about. Every piano is some sort of playing opprotunity. Even the spinets, although its not what I would prefer to play. I will gratefully keep in mind your suggestion that it doesn't look professional to bash them. This, I believe. Long e-mails are fine. I am grateful for all they teach, heaven knows I need the knowledge, and I didn't know that in professional circles some frown on spinet bashing! Respectfully, Julia Gottchall. Reading, PA In a message dated 12/5/2004 3:36:51 PM Eastern Standard Time, JWyatt1492@aol.com writes: > Hello Julia, > > YES ! They made good pianos IF you compare > apples to apples. > > They made thousands upon thousands of Sp. pianos > starting in the mid 40,s. THAT was what was WANTED > and NEEDED AT THAT TIME. > > There were several different BETSY-ROSS Sp.s > The first was Scale 19 BUILT IN 1935-36 The bass > section had about 36 notes and it was bad. Then there > was the scale 21 it was better then the 21-A even > better, then the 22- then 22A- 23 - 23A 24 - 24-A finally > the scale 25. To my knowledge the last scale built. > > You could compare the Betsy,s to the $ 895.00 1950s > V.W. car. it would NOT run 95 miles per hour. However > it may very well run 60 miles per hour for two hundred > thousand miles for peanuts. > > Their action is the only thing that developed a "pattern" > fault and Lester did not build it. It had one connector > that was made of plastic and had a propensity to break. > In the late 40,s we tried repairing (glue, inserts ect. ) > them but soon found that to replace was the only way > to go. > Thank God for these plastic elbows as I have been > replacing them for over 54 years. They bought several > pairs of shoes for my kids. > > Grands!!! > > Their small Grand was scale "75" it was and is > one of the BEST 4ft. 6in. grand's built. The scale > 80 a 5ft 3in. was just fair. Their 6ft.1in. was a great > piano. It used a W.N.G. 850-S action and frame. > Many including me thought it was a knock-off of > Steinway's round-tail "A". Their 9ft. Piano was an > outstanding Concert Piano. Many including me > thought it to be a knock-off of a Field-Lipman > that was built by A.M.Hume. > > Julia, years ago I out grew my ego- > stroking. I would roll my eyes, I would belch > and I would burp. I now chringe when I hear my > fellow professionals participate in BASHING any > piano. > > As a profession I often hear complaints about the > lack of respect we receive from within our industry. > With this sort of bashing, belching, burping > and raw ego stroking is there any wonder why? > If we act like amateurs we will surely be regarded > as such. I personal find this saddening. I love this > profession as it has been very good to me and my > family. Am I alone in feeling this way? > > Please forgive this being so long. > Respectfully, > Jack Wyatt > ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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