Then there were one

[Delwin D. Fandrich]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Barrie Heaton" <piano@a440.co.uk>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2003 12:27 AM
Subject: Re: Then there were one


> In message
> <5.2.0.9.0.20030410160828.00aecd18@mailhost.cleveland.oh.ameritech.net>,
> Greg Newell <gnewell@ameritech.net> writes
> >Barrie,
> >   This IS sad news.....
> >... To what do you attribute this companies demise?
>
> Cheep overseas pianos,  it was OK when the quality was not so good....
> but the quality has improved and the price has come down in real terms
> on some of the overseas pianos
>
> Yet Kemble is doing very well,  but they have a very modern conveyor
> style production plant which keeps costs down and has increased quality
> as well
>
> Barrie,
>

It is very difficult for the small piano maker to survive these days. In
times past the small maker could rely on its name and its heritage to
position itself in the marketplace. Today, with so many wonderful old names
(and their accompanying heritage) are available for little or nothing,
instant name recognition and heritage is available cheap. In just the time
it takes for your lawyer to file the appropriate papers you can become a
piano maker with 150 years of quality and heritage behind you even if your
ancestors didn't know what pianos were back then. The ethics of this is a
whole other issue and is one still not being dealt with in our industry.

My point being that it takes more than just heritage and tradition for the
small maker to survive these days. More than just a good name. The small
maker in Europe or the U.S. will never again be price-competitive with the
machine-made pianos of Asia. Not even given a "modern, conveyor-style
production plant--just ask Baldwin. And, as the production machines
continuously improve, it will also become increasingly difficult for the
small maker to compete in production quality and performance. It is going to
take more than just good performance or traditional performance--it is going
to take state-of-the art performance and ever-improving performance. And
that has been and still is too often lacking.

The last time I looked at the pianos being offered by The British Piano
Manufacturing Company I was relatively unimpressed with the pianos they were
building. Which is not to say the pianos were not well-made. In terms of
construction quality and appearance they were certainly acceptable. But
their performance level was no better than many other similar pianos of
equal born-again "heritage" now flooding the market at much lower prices.

I didn't spend a lot of time examining any of these instruments--it was
clear that the various executives representing the company that they did not
want to hear anything I might have had to say about their pianos. Nor were
they interested in my visiting their factory (at my own expense in those
days) or in discussing anything related to the design of the pianos they
were building or any suggestions I might have for improving them. In most
cases a few relatively simple and inexpensive design changes would have
yielded substantial performance improvements. Enough to keep them at least
slightly ahead of their nearest competitors.

But such was not to be. Like many other, now defunct, piano makers they were
content to press on, cranking out the same old designs year after year,
competing only in the areas of price, aesthetics and heritage. And, in a day
when price is determined by huge factories cranking out "pianos" by the tens
of thousands, aesthetics are cookie-cutter monotonous and instant heritage
is available for a few dollars down, that's not enough.

Del
Delwin D Fandrich
Piano Designer & Builder
Hoquiam, Washington 98550 USA
360.532-2563
360.532-6688
pianobuilders@olynet.com