[CAUT] New

[Nancy Salmon]

Hi all;
      We have a 1994 Steinway D at Frostburg State which is a gem, even
among D's, it's a gem. Good sound, ring time, volume, lovely action, a joy
to maintain. We have another D, vintage late 70's which we had rebuilt after
storm damage on an outdoor stage. Nobody likes it. I've done a lot of work
on it and improved tone quality and touchweight, but it lacks volume. Board
looks good, has bearing, but so far I've been unable to increase ring time
and volume. Another tuner I respect suggests it needs a new board. I think
we'll sell it rather than risk a large investment for iffy results.
     Tangentially, I've been monitoring these discussions and discovered
that many of your schools have older performance pianos. Manufacturers
suggest that 5 years is a viable lifespan for D's. I find this impossible
for FSU and the 2 other small schools I care for. I've learned by rule of
thumb to expect 25 years out of an institutional piano. I'm trying to
develop a replacement policy at our school in order to avoid a huge
expenditure all at once.
     I would be interested in an informal survey of what and how old
your performance pianos are and what your replacement programs are. It would
probably also be helpful to know the size of your music dept &/or schools.
FSU has only 4000 students, 70 music majors.
     Thanks for your time. Nancy Salmon



On 5/20/07, David M. Porritt <dporritt at smu.edu> wrote:
>
>  A few days ago I wrote about our killer half-octave and asked for
> suggestions.  Again I want to thank all who responded with many good
> suggestions some of which I'm going to try to implement soon.
>
>
>
> There are some (many?) who think the only solution is purchasing a new D
> so I'm asking you all for your experience.  Have any of your schools bought
> a new D recently that was really great?  I have to say that the new Ds I've
> seen lately – including one we bought in 1993 – have been somewhat less than
> wonderful.  I'm hoping that my experience is atypical and that many of you
> have seen and worked on some wonderful ones.  I really need honest answers
> from you.  As much as I would prefer to have a remanufactured/redesigned
> piano, the We-Need-A-New-D people might have a louder and more credible
> voice than mine.  If this be the case I'd love to think that we have a
> chance to have a really good piano.
>
>
>
> Thanx!
>
>
>
> dave
>
>
>
> __________________________
>
> David M. Porritt, RPT
>
> Meadows School of the Arts
>
> Southern Methodist University
>
> Dallas, TX 75275
>
> dporritt at smu.edu
>
>
>
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