This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Donald Mannino=20 To: pianotech@ptg.org=20 Sent: September 11, 2001 1:05 PM Subject: Re: Quality pianos - was Killer Octave Well, I thought maybe I would chime in a little and expand a little on = Del's comments here: ....In design, even "cheap" pianos are engineered to have proper = down=20 bearing, bridges etc. The problem between the cheap and the = expensive ones=20 are that in the manufacturing process,=20 Fundamentally this is true. More specifically, it lies in the amount = of money spent on production machinery to remove hand labor. The cheapest pianos, though, are those made by inexperienced labor at = very low wages, often using very inefficient production methods. Even = the most mechanized factory spends most of its money on labor, so the = only way to lower the costs further is to move the factory where the = labor is cheaper. When this is done by an experienced piano company the = results can be reasonable instruments. When it is done by an upstart = company, the results can be pretty questionable. It is true that in so-called 'developing' economies there is a period = during which many truly horrendous pianos will be built using = inexperienced and relatively untrained workers. This is especially true = in companies that have purchased some designs and equipment from some = out-of-business U.S., Canadian or European manufacturer and then tries = to build it without really understanding what they are doing. The = survivors will end up investing in machinery and worker training. One would certainly think this would be consistently true, but it = often seems that the manufacturer of the low-cost piano is more = concerned with backing up its products than are the manufacturers of = more expensive pianos. Perhaps this is because the low-end manufacturer = might be more willing to accept that their pianos may, indeed, have = problems. I think it is more a matter of the lower cost piano maker must try = harder to build a reputation. The distribution arms usually handle all = the warranty coverage, and they can't control what the factory makes, so = they have to do everything they can to fix problems in the best way = possible.=20 Whatever the reason, they often do a better job. It should be possible to mass-produce pianos giving excellent = performance. Good piano design, hence good piano performance, is not--at = least is not inherently--expensive. Rims and soundboards can now be made = efficiently by machine, why shouldn't they be made in such a way that = they perform well. There is no avoiding, though, that the skill and experience of the = piano builder is what raises a piano to the level that musicians really = respect and enjoy. Here are a few examples; - It is more expensive for a company to thin soundboards than to leave = them even thickness. Even mechanized thinning is rather expensive if = done well. - It is more expensive to use hammers made with low heat, both in = terms of hammer factory efficiency and voicing time. - It is much more expensive to level strings and fit hammers and voice = carefully. The technicians who do final regulation, tuning and voicing = are among the most expensive workers any company employs. There are other examples, but these are 3 that have a strong impact on = the tone and touch response of the instrument. While one can make = dramatic improvements in well built "cookie cutter" pianos by doing = thorough voicing and prepping in the dealer or home, when the piano = company knows how to do these detailed and labor intensive steps well, = the final product is on a higher plane than the one which is 'merely' = well engineered. In order: -- There are ways around the problem of thinning soundboards. Even if = not, it can be done reasonably well on an assembly-line basis. I don't = know how well it is being done yet but consider the latest Young Chang = pianos with their S&S inspired diaphramatic soundboards. You can be = assured that is not being done by hand. -- Granted, low-heat hammers are probably somewhat more expensive to = manufacture, though I think there are probably some way to do this = efficiently as well. But, how much does the factory cost of a set of = hammers add to the piano? Certainly not enough to justify a cost = variation of thousands. -- This is the one area that should be separating the real thing from = the pretenders. So why is it still necessary to do these things at the = dealer level even with some very expensive pianos? There are other examples you could give, but my point is just that = low-cost pianos of reasonably good performance are doable and we should = have them. I have long complained that tuners like to recommend pianos that tune = easily and look nicely made. =20 Well, keep on complaining. Your voice also has influence. It is my opinion that, finally, the marketplace is speaking. As the = piano has become nothing more than a perfect piece of furniture they are = going off to buy something else. Perhaps it's time to bring back the = music. Easier said than done. There is way too much momentum keeping the = current process going - as you said, the market speaks. The brave = dealers and technicians who really try to make quality music work to = sell pianos are forced to go along with their competitors. The buyers = come in the store needing to hear a better story that the previous = dealer gave them - and getting that customer to agree to the sale is = what pays the dealer's bills. It's pretty obvious the market is speaking. The only question is just = what is it saying? Del Don Mannino RPT=20 ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20/c8/7e/d2/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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