Knabe grand reputation

[Farrell]

I hate when a trade name such as Knabe is used to cover all pianos made with
that name on it. We all know they are not the same. We had the "real" Knabe.
We had the Aeolian "Knabe". Now we have the Korean "Knabe". Oooooh, a
"Knabe" built about 1975? Could this be like one of the first Korean
"Knabe"s built (or rather thrown together)? Yeeeeeooooow! that must have
been horrid.

What about using explanatory terms such as: Aeolian-Knabe, Korean-Knabe,
Samick-Knabe, Bejing-Knabe, Sumatra-Knabe, Guadalahara-Knabe? I think such
terminology would clarify just what kind of piano (or poor excuse thereof)
one is talking about!

Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ray T. Bentley" <Ray@Bentley.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2000 8:48 AM
Subject: Re: Knabe grand reputation


> THE piano that has caused me the most grief in my 23 years as a piano
> technician is a Knabe built about 1975.  At every tuning there are hammers
> out of alignment rubbing on each other, among other maladies.  Often extra
> calls were made in between tunings, too.  I think the hammer shanks were
> installed randomly with no attention paid to the direction of the grain!
> Almost anything you can think of has been wrong with this piano from the
> beginning.  Poor workmanship throughout!  To make it worse, it is owned by
> an elderly lady who bought it as her "dream" piano as she neared
retirement!
> She finally gave it to her daughter after her sister died and left her a
> Steinway "O" built about 1914!  At last she has a fine instrument.
>
> Ray T. Bentley, RPT
> Alton, IL
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Ron Nossaman <RNossaman@KSCABLE.com>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Monday, June 26, 2000 9:09 PM
> Subject: Re: Knabe grand reputation
>
>
> > >I was not aware Knabe had such a good reputation.  Every one I have
ever
> seen
> > >from this era ends up to be a very average-sounding  piano.  All other
> > >features are also very average.  I have never seen one that excited me
> beyond
> > >a ho-hum.
> > >
> > >Bob Bergantino, RPT
> >
> >
> > The wippens are pretty weird, and bridge cap grain direction is
definitely
> > aberrant, but they're first rate foundations for rebuilding if you don't
> > try to reproduce what was there.
> >
> > Ron N
>
>