Brad Smith wrote: > > I have found jack pins too tight, dampers 'leaking', ear piercing tone, > sluggish keys, > squeaking pedals, misaligned, leg bolts interferring with key frame, too > tight tuning pins, and actions that sound like .....(what's that old movie > where the guy keeps talking > about a new machine that goes..."..pocketa, pocketa, pocketa, pocketa...") Dear Brad & List: I know exactly what this tale is about. I formerly worked for a large dealer in the mid-west who, among the Steinways and Kawais, also carried the Kohler & Campbell line of the Samick pianos for their budget-minded customers. Generally I found the prep of the uprights pretty basic, though we did uncrate one once that had two major cracks in the soundboard. We promptly notified Samick and they agreed to take it back. I did have some pretty bad experiences with some of the new grands, however. Once we received a new micro-sized grand (I beleive it was model SKG-430), which was in the WORST state I have ever seen a new piano come from the factory. I concluded that it MUST have been built 4:55 PM on a Friday when all the Koreans where looking forward to their weekend. The first thing I noticed was that the keyboard was a complete wavey ocean. Upon playing it I then discovered that there wasn't a single note in the scale that was regulated properly; not even close. Then I observed that the whole piano sort of rocked a bit more than it should. This lead me to the discovery of a leg that was barely glued together at the top joint and was threatening to collapes. Further inspection reveild that the pin-block was so poorly fit that it never made contact with the plate flange anywhere in the piano, with a gap of about a 1/4" all the way across. The entire string tension was being held by the screws holding the block to the plate. Furthermore, the dampers were "screwed-up" to say the least, and there were multiple squeaks in the pedals. To make a long story short, this piano was "exceptionally" bad, but in all fairness I have to say that I had also uncrated some units which were pretty decent and even fairly well in tune. Likewise I have found every variation in between. I think the best way to summarize this is to say that the only thing consistant about these instruments is inconsistancy. They are what they are, and if a dealer agrees to carry the line they had better expect some occasional bad ones. It is of course very easy to criticize these things, and there are multiple technical problems that we can discuss. The fact of the mater is the instruments are being offered at a price far below most every other manufacturer, and you get what you pay for. Pesonally I am very hesitant to endorse them when clients ask my opinion. I am quick to suggest that they spend a just a little more money and get something better. As long as there is a market for them, however, they will continue to be produced. It seems that there are more and more of these "cheep" kind of pianos being built today, and with continuously expanding production in China, I fear we can expect to see more. Another perspective to consider, however: The more the market is flooded with these "peeanoz", the better the outlook for the rebuilding business of better quality old instuments. Just one guys opinon. Rob Goodale, RPT Staff tech, Northern Arizona U.
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