Tuning Steinway Verticals

[Jeff Tanner]

But look at the investment you've got after 30 years.  A Baldwin or Yamaha
is worn to a frazzle and might bring it's original purchase price, while
the 1098 will bring 3 to 5 times it's original purchase price.

I agree that they're hard to tune and hard to work on.  I've never argued
other wise.  It's the performance as an investment vehicle that keeps their
price up.

All pianos are getting too expensive.  IMO, piano prices industry wide are
outpacing the family's ability to afford them.  The cost of automobiles has
gone up 10 fold in 30 years, the cost of housing is at least 5 times what
it was then, while your average worker is bringing home only 3-4 times what
they could earn 30 years ago (doing the same job), and economists can't
explain why personal savings has practically disappeared.  I don't think
pianos can compete with that, especially when they are outpacing the CPI of
housing and transportation.  This is why the electronic instruments are
doing so well.  For half the cost of an inexpensive console, you can get a
keyboard that'll even do windows.

I looked up the numbers on the Bureau of Labor Statistics a few weeks back.
According to the purchase price we paid for some new Steinway B's back in
the early 70's, the new purchase price should be $21-25K today, according
to the CPI.

That's why I questioned how long their price increases can weather our economy.

Jeff

>But Jeff, they are hard to tune, hard to work on, and while they might
>outlast 2 Baldwin 243s or 2 Yamaha U1s, they cost 3 times as much!
>
>dave
>
>
>__________________________________________
>David M. Porritt, RPT
>Meadows School of the Arts
>Southern Methodist University
>Dallas, TX 75275