I just hope that Toyo's "made in Vietnam" pianos are better that their "repaired in Vietnam".... I saw one of those last year at their booth in the Frankfurt MusikMesse. The pins had been taken out for cleaning, with about 20 of them replaced by nickel-plated ones (the rest were blue/black ones). A few strings were also replaced. Action had been cleaned and BADLY regulated... It was very very weird to see that (specially since they had it in a separate booth inside their booth) as TOYO does usually a good job on their repaired pianos. Patrick > I saw this today and found it interesting and would like to share > it with you all. > > Jack Houweling > First made-in-Vietnam piano released > > The first Apollo brand piano manufactured by Japan-invested Toyo-APT Piano > Vietnam Ltd. Co. in Ho Chi Minh City has been released. > > An Apollo piano made in Vietnam will be sold at US $3,400 as compared to > US $3,900 for a similar one imported from Japan, said Seiichi Anzai, > Deputy Director of the company. > > The Toyo-APT company, which is one of the leading piano manufacturers in > Japan, built its factory at the Tan Binh Industrial Zone of Ho Chi Minh > City in 2005, with a primary focus on repairing old pianos. > > This year, the company has focused on training technicians and making new > pianos. With three Japanese engineers and nearly 30 Vietnamese > technicians, it expects to make 100 pianos by the end of the year. > > Seiichi Anzai said Vietnam had a lot of skillful technicians for piano > maintenance but that the supply was not sufficient. He stressed the need > for a factory and facilities to produce standard pianos with the hallmarks > of craftsmanship, rather than mass-produced ones. > > He appreciated the demand for pianos and potentials of maintenance > services in Vietnam and in Ho Chi Minh City as the locals' living > conditions have improved. > > The building of such a factory and the training of skillful technicians > will pave the way for a new industry - the piano industry - in Vietnam, he > said. (VNA) > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Patrick Hinves Ballesta Afinador/Técnico 610442371 PIANISSIMO PIANOFORTE S.L.
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