---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Dear colleagues, Usually, original piano parts - and especially coming from the high end=20= market - are not just expensive, but often outrageously expensive,=20 caused by power, false pride, arrogance and calculated greed, only=20 because the name is "RR or Bentley" etc. At the same time these parts can only be obtained through the 'official=20= channels', meaning that the distributors are the only ones to have full=20= access to these parts. Very often, ordered parts are not immediately available so the dealer,=20= the tech, and the customer have to wait a very long time and by the=20 time the ordered parts finally come into the hands of the technician,=20 they are worth almost gold and thus the prices for repairs have to go=20 sky high as well. A bottle neck in the availability of parts is most often the fact that=20= those same parts are not made in the piano factories but by a=20 independent parts manufacturers, who, also usually, are not at liberty=20= to sell RR and Bentley parts straight to the dealers or independent=20 technicians. Very often those supply houses (but not all mind you) do=20= not have the full knowledge and expertise about the products they sell=20= because they are not technicians themselves. That means that less=20 demanding technicians may be fairly content with what they get, but=20 more demanding technicians are quite often not satisfied with the=20 quality the stuff they ordered because their customers are usual more=20 critical, aside from the long waiting time and the high price they have=20= to pay, a price often ridiculously overrated if we think about what it=20= actually is we hold in our hands : a few small pieces of wood, felt,=20 cloth and metal. Don't get me wrong... a well manufactured wippen, or=20= a high quality piano hammer for instance is a product of decades of=20 development, accurately treated wood and the investment of lots of=20 capital to design, make, and maintain precision machines. However, once=20= the machines do well, they spew out millions of pieces and the products=20= can be sold to the manufacturers of piano's for a decent price,=20 agreeable to both. Once the piano factories start selling their parts=20= to wholesalers, piano parts houses, the price has doubled and by the=20 time we get them in our paws, prices may have doubled again. This is a=20= normal commercial procedure and there is nothing against it, except=20 that in some cases prices get out of hand so much that it becomes=20 ridiculous, and a pain to both the dealer/technician and especially the=20= customer. That is the moment where, when those factories have lost=20 their reasonableness by asking too much, they start to dig their own=20 graves. I personally have come to the conclusion that in the case where both=20 price and availability of piano parts become hilarious, it is high time=20= to do something about it by finding alternatives, and good ones i.e.=20 far less expensive, and with much better service. In certain cases it=20= is possible to find channels outside the main stream of suppliers, in=20 other cases we can try to use our ingenuity and brain power, and find=20 new small places where some parts can be copied, always cheaper, not=20 always the same or better. In the latter case we must be patient and invest a lot of time with the=20= new manufacturer(s) in order to both come to a point where the level=20 and quality of the parts becomes agreeable and satisfactory. I have tried this and I know it is possible and in finding these parts=20= our colleagues can profit from the new and less expensive findings. In=20= some cases it is - not yet - possible to get satisfying alternatives=20 but that is the more a reason to grin and be smarter. In the case of Yamaha, I don't find their prices too high and the=20 quality of their products is always tip top. In some parts of the=20 World there has been developed a policy where it is hard to get their=20 (Yamaha) parts, but in other parts it is no problem at all. In my=20 opinion that has to do with the suppliers, who often have a say in what=20= they sell. Talking about it almost always helps and patience and=20 diplomacy are usually the way to progress. If it is clear that talking, patience and diplomacy will not help, we=20 are forced to dig in and use our ingenuity. That in itself can be very very inspiring! I know........ (: >))) friendly greetings from Andr=E9 Oorebeek Vita Dura Est ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 4414 bytes Desc: not available Url : https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/50/6b/be/03/attachment.bin ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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