Quality pianos

[Mark Story]

>        I disagree with my good friend Mark Story, author of the above second
>post (Hey, man, how ya been? See you in BC next month?) I *do* agree with Mark
>Stivers' recent post: a low-quality piano is better than no piano at all.

Mitch, I'm crushed ("oui" on the BC)! ;^)

>        Furthermore, I also agree with other sentiments expressed that it's
>elitist and anti-free market to "come down" on a store or manufacturer (or
>piano owner!) for not putting an expensive high-quality grand in everyone's
>home. (And of course I'd never suggest that academia allows - or fosters -
>that viewpoint :)

I'm more interested in the technicians part in this.  Bad dealers will hang
themselves eventually.  Shrinking market or no, a craftsman has to maintain
his or her reputation and selfrespect.  I hate it when I see a salesman call
over a store technician during a pitch and have them support their deceptive
claims.  Salesmen can ruin their own reputations (candid used car dealers
admit they earned their collective bad name on their own), but it's up to us
(individually) to see that they don't drag us down with them.  Is this elitist?

>        The author of the original msg that started this thread has since
>suggested that we refine our discussion to a criticism of "underhanded"
>salesmen who "over-zealously" describe the capabilities of bottom-end pianos.
>While some salesmen may stretch the "Truth" (be honest - they're in the
>minority and they rarely last long), I defend their right to do so in a free
>market. (Free market does *not* mean unregulated - there are laws against
>fraud, etc.)

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I believe in a society based on trust and
responsibility.  Fraud laws are notoriously uninforcable in our field.

Mark
Mark Story, RPT

Eastern Washington University        |  mstory@ewu.edu
Cheney, Washington, USA                |  mark.story@phunnet.org