What would Steinway do

[Allen Wright]

Jurgen,

What I was contemplating was more along the lines of what specific  
parts you might keep if it were possible to pick and choose between  
the two instruments (rather than getting into issues of manufacturing  
techniques or quality control - maybe that involve an different sort  
of "fantasy merger").

For example, some on the list have mentioned their strong preference  
for the NY-type pedal setup. I myself kind of like the action-  
mounted sostenuto, because it allows such easy access to dampers - so  
I might choose that version (although I  know I'd be in the  
minority). Another NY thing I like is damper underlevers that are  
screwed (rather than glued) on the rail; I spent some annoying time  
the other day popping off damper underlevers (they're glued on the  
rail in the Hamburg, like in the old NY pianos - at least in this  
70's-era Hamburg B I'm working on) in order to simply travel  
underlevers (and by the way, speaking of quality control, quite a few  
of these were quite badly traveled at the Hamburg factory; I'll be  
interested to as I spend more time with Hamburgs to see how generally  
well-crafted these instruments are). On the other hand, I love the  
way the damper felts are actually cut at an angle to match the actual  
angle of the block in the Hamburg...well, you get the idea. If one  
could pick and choose...as I say, it's only a thought experiment.

One could even imagine taking parts from  Steinways of different  
eras. So, you get the idea. Sort of in the spirit of "if I were the  
king of the world".

Oh, I should add - choosing parts from other manufacturers would not  
be allowed!  : )

Allen Wright


On 5 Mar 2007, at 00:28, Jurgen Goering wrote:

> Given what David Anderson recently documented about the large  
> variability in action ration in NY instruments, it seems that they  
> can't even produce consistently to their own specs.  If this is the  
> case, how can they hope to consolidate construction details with  
> another piano factory?
>
> The specter of the lower common denominator is a pretty scary thought.
>
> Jurgen Goering
> Piano Forte Supply
> (250) 754-2440
> info at pianofortesupply.com
> http://www.pianofortesupply.com
>
>
> On Mar 4, 2007, at 14:40, Allen Wright wrote:
>>
>> ...snip...I'm hearing talk (I have NO idea whether it's true or  
>> not) that Steinway might consider merging the NY and Hamburg  
>> pianos in certain ways, eliminating some of the differences  
>> between the two. It makes for a pretty interesting thought  
>> experiment, to consider how a  committee might be formed to make  
>> decisions on which parts would be chosen to be kept and which  
>> eliminated.   ...snip...
>





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