[pianotech] NY Times article on pianos

[Joseph Garrett]

Wim,
That is YOUR opinion not MINE!
 I've just completed an 1860 ish German Upright. Straight Strung. It is
Circasian Walnut, with beautiful carvings and candleabras. It got it all,
EXCEPT to be refinished.  (The customer likes it with all it's "character
marks".<G>) The cost? I won't say.. However, that little cottage piano is
absolutely GEORGOUS! Tonally, Aesthetically and with a nice light touch,
(typical of those of that period). I'd put it up against anything out there
of comparable size and of twice what I did the total rebuild for. This
little piano would knock the doors off of the BEST Pleyel! AND, at about
1/3 the cost of that Pleyel! That is the only piano that would come close
to how this piano is. You tell me that "..in the "grand old day"...blah de
blah crap! This IS the grand olde days.. You live in a totally weird place
that is not suitable for any decent piano to reside and complain about the
crap you have to work on??? You don't have a clue about REAL rebuilding and
care and love that goes into it. All you care about is the BOTTOM LINE.
Horse pucky!
Joe


> [Original Message]
> From: <tnrwim at aol.com>
> To: joegarrett at earthlink.net <joegarrett at earthlink.net>;
pianotech at ptg.org <pianotech at ptg.org>
> Date: 7/30/2012 8:37:18 PM
> Subject: Re: [pianotech] NY Times article on pianos
>
> Joe
>
> Even in the "grand old days" of piano making, there were top of the line,
middle of the road and "entry" level pianos. Most technicians, much less
the general public, can't tell the difference. Unfortunately , most of
those technicians who think they can fix anything, will convince a customer
to spend thousands of dollars to "rebuild" one of those old clunkers only
to wind up with an expensive pile of junk that might last another 10 or 20
years.
>
> Only on rare occasions is it worth rebuilding an old piano. But for the
most part, money is better spent on a new, or slightly used, piano, even
some that are made in Asia. 
>
> Wim
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jul 30, 2012, at 9:28 AM, "Joseph Garrett" <joegarrett at earthlink.net>
wrote:
>
> > David Love said: 
> > "Buying a piano has never been a good "investment", not monetarily.
Well,
> > except maybe when the rate of inflation hits 20 percent. At least then
it
> > makes it seem like one. Once you drive them off the lot..."
> > 
> > Define "investment".<G> If you are looking at it, strickly, from a
> > financial standpoint, I'll give you that. However, you cannot put a $
sign
> > on sheer aesthetic beauty of the furniture designs, the musical beauty,
and
> > the longevity. Name one thing, other than a house, that continues to
last
> > as long, with minimum amount of $ for maintainence? There is none, imo.
> > (not even the $ invested in your kids!<G>) Not to mention the
establisment
> > of learning music, scholastic achievement, mental stability, (all of
which
> > have been written up in medical journals and such), and a sense of
value in
> > those things of years gone by. As for the dollar values that you put on
> > "rebuilding"? Everyone needs to realize that you are quoting California
> > prices, which are unlike any other part of the world.<G>
> > That's my take on that.
> > Joe
> > 
> > 
> > Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
> > Captain of the Tool Police
> > Squares R I
> >