rescaling

[Phillip L Ford]

Bob,
It's not about brand names it's about makers with integrity.  I probably should have known better than to use a Steinway as an example.  I'm not trying to say that Steinway pianos are 'best' or that they should be preserved as they are because they are some sort of religious icon.  I believe that the intent of any piano maker with integrity should be respected.  The best way I know of to pay that respect is to leave their designs alone, whether its Steinway, Bechstein, Boesendorfer, Chickering - pick your 'brand'.  If I designed and built a piano it would represent my idea of what a piano should be.  I wouldn't want someone 'improving' that after the fact no matter how good a rebuilder he thought himself.

Phil Ford
--

On Tue, 03 Jul 2001 15:18:21  
 Robert A. Anderson wrote:
>About Phil's comments: I personally would like to make the pianos I
>service sound and play as well as possible. I don't see why I would want
>to make sure that a piano remained a "Steinway" or any other brand name
>just for the sake of a supposed authenticity. If I were manufacturing
>pianos, I can see how I might be inclined in that direction for the sake
>of marketing. But I'm not, so the notion that changing anything about a
>piano is bad because it would no longer be what it started out as is not
>a useful notion to me.
>
>Beyond the original design of the piano, which may or may not call for
>improvement, the actual manufacture of the piano is another thing. It
>would be a mistake to confuse the plan for a piano with the execution of
>that plan. I have observed executions (no pun intended) of designs that
>are pretty grotesque(the executions, I mean). This includes Steinways.
>This doesn't single out Steinways, but their factory workers are human
>just like factory workers everywhere. Henry Steinway characterized his
>factory workers this way (during a strike threat): "Fire them and hire
>400 other swine."
>
>Anyway, as I see it, the bottom line in fine piano restoration shouldn't
>have anything to do with emotional attachments to "brand names." We all
>have our institutional prejudices, but they shouldn't interfere with the
>work we do.
>
>Bob Anderson
>Tucson, AZ
>
>


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