Quality pianos

[David Porritt]

I think I've opened up a can of worms too big for fishing.  Let me clarify
what I meant in my last post about poor pianos.

My biggest concern in the poor piano area is sales people who sell truly
BAD pianos with the implication that they are just slightly inferior to
the best.  The introduction of pianos from the Eastern countries gives the
opportunity for lines like "These people are getting their ecconomy going
and are producing wonderful instruments for very little money."  Since the
customer knows nothing about pianos (and often the sales people know
little more) deception results.

The Russion piano I worked on 2 weeks ago was sold to a family who lives
in a very prestigious neighborhood.  They could have bought better but
were lead to believe that this piano was at least "good enough."

Yes, the companies can make them, the stores can sell them and the
customers can buy whatever they want.  It's just that there are very few
areas where product ignorance runs as deep as in pianos.  I drive a
Plymouth and not a Mercedes but I know the difference.  With pianos, people
don't know that difference.  That imposes a responsibility on vendors not
to take advantage of that ignorance simply to turn a quick profit.

Dave Porritt, RPT
SMU