Hi Ed, I think this thread was on CAUT. Barbara Richmond ----- Original Message ----- From: <A440A at aol.com> To: <pianotech at ptg.org> Sent: Saturday, March 11, 2006 9:42 PM Subject: Rebuilding Value > Greetings, > In a private email, which I will snip and quote, anonomously, I read; > > << The dealer's argument might seem to imply that the school district > doesn't warrant (or deserve) an instrument of that calibre. > OTOH, I can see where the "company line" is coming from. >> > > I think Steinway and Sons will tell any school that they warrant the > best. And, if they want to become a "Steinway School" and can't afford > Steinways, then here we have the "Boston" pianos..... There is some > trading on the > name, there, in my opinion. It might be semantics, but them Bostons seem > like > Kawais, to me. > IMHO, it is somewhat disingenuous for S&S to look at a worn out > instrument, and make a case that it is better for the customer, and more > economical, > to trade it in on a new one. This is possible only by slanting a lot of > figures to go their way, and is specious, at best on two separate levels: > It runs counter to what could be sold as long term asset to those that > buy > Steinways, i.e., their rebuildibility. They have sufficent quality and > reputation to make restoration not only a feasible course of action from > an > investment standpoint, but also, a preferred course for the customer who > wants to > keep their family heirloom. > If a family or school wants to continue using their piano, it > doesn't > have to go to New York to still be a Steinway. An aftermarket tech may > actually get closer to what that piano was like when new than the factory. > How so? > Steinways rebuilding department will not return an instrument that is just > like that 1906 model O! Heck, even their current production has large > variations, and the makers have turned this bug into the "feature" of an > almost > human-like, individualism possessed by their pianos. And if it is almost > human, it > can almost "sing," (the highest compliment we normally hear given to any > musical > instrument). So, by logic, having it go back to the factory guarantees > only > that it will not be like any other Steinway. However, it will be a lot > more > like modern Steinways than pre-War Steinways. Is this good? > If a school wants to keep a performance level piano for a long time, a > Steinway is the most economical way to do it, and it needn't go back to > the > factory to continue producing as designed. I hate to see the public's > ignorance > furthered by the maker saying that only its parts will keep that Steinway > playing and sounding like a Steinway. ( I am thinking of a set of Tokiwa > parts > with Renner hammers that I installed in the late 80's on a model B. That > piano > is regarded at the school as having the classic Steinway touch, go > figure). > > Ed Foote RPT > http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html > www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html > > _______________________________________________ > Pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives >
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