[Ron Nossaman]

> I don’t see that many Walters pianos around either.  I do have a customer
> who has the 6’4” that was presented at the NAMM show two years ago and it is
> a really nice piano with beautifully balanced and clear tone (nice voicing
> job too :-)).  The newer 185 that I had some experience with out in Indiana
> during production is also a very nice design but would have been better
> served by a softer hammer than the one they ended up using.  

I agree. As with the Mason & Hamlin, hard hammers bypass a lot 
of these pianos' potential.


> Some of the problems with defining which pianos we like are that there are
> different tonal goals with makes and models and some pianos just can't be
> compared. 

Again, I agree, and as long as LOUD is the first cut in the 
criteria, the Chinese produced stock is the place to start. 
The cheaper the better.


> Another problem is the regression to the mean.  There are too few risk
> takers.  I agree with whoever said that the best pianos are coming from the
> custom rebuilders or individual designers.  

No question.


>Sadly, it seems that those whose
> priorities become production costs (understandably) simply have to make too
> many compromises.
> 
> David Love

I'll have to take some exception to this. I admit to having no 
manufacturing experience, and am almost certainly missing 
something fundamental, but I see no non-political reason that, 
once set up, a very high function level instrument can be mass 
produced "finished" at a very competitive price.
Ron N