Violin wood

[Delwin D Fandrich]

We once rebuilt (and redesigned) a Bush & Lane grand leaving off all references
to the original manufacturers name. For a long time I refused to tell anyone who
had originally built the piano. I was not surprised -- read "suspicions
confirmed" -- at how many technicians and musicians were unwilling to give an
opinion of the piano's performance without knowing the brand name. 

For a while I had fun telling folks it had started life as a Kimball. Many were
still unwilling to make a commitment -- they wanted to like it but it was, after
all, a Kimball. And we all know it's not permitted to actually "like" a Kimball
grand. Then for a while I fessed up and told folks it started life as a Bush &
Lane. Now, suddenly, everybody liked the piano. Same piano, of course, just a
different name  

It was ultimately sold to a piano teacher who didn't care what the brand name
was -- she was enchanted by the way the piano played, sounded and looked. My
kind of customer.

ddf

| -----Original Message-----
| From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org 
| [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ron Nossaman
| Sent: July 02, 2008 1:01 PM
| To: Pianotech List
| Subject: Re: Violin wood
| 
| 
| > Sometimes I wonder if beauty might be most vividly beheld 
| through the 
| > ear of the mythmaker.
| > 
| > ddf
| 
| Sometimes? But then it's always interesting to try to get an 
| impression of what's being heard (violin, piano, whatever) 
| before the author of the impression knows what it is.
| 
| Ron N
|