[CAUT] New

[Nancy Salmon]

On 5/20/07, Nancy Salmon <nmsalmon at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi all;
>       We have a 1994 Steinway D at Frostburg State which is a gem, even
> among D's, it's a gem. Good sound, ring time, volume, lovely action, a joy
> to maintain. We have another D, vintage late 70's which we had rebuilt after
> storm damage on an outdoor stage. Nobody likes it. I've done a lot of work
> on it and improved tone quality and touchweight, but it lacks volume. Board
> looks good, has bearing, but so far I've been unable to increase ring time
> and volume. Another tuner I respect suggests it needs a new board. I think
> we'll sell it rather than risk a large investment for iffy results.
>      Tangentially, I've been monitoring these discussions and discovered
> that many of your schools have older performance pianos. Manufacturers
> suggest that 5 years is a viable lifespan for D's. I find this impossible
> for FSU and the 2 other small schools I care for. I've learned by rule of
> thumb to expect 25 years out of an institutional piano. I'm trying to
> develop a replacement policy at our school in order to avoid a huge
> expenditure all at once.
>      I would be interested in an informal survey of what and how old
> your performance pianos are and what your replacement programs are. It would
> probably also be helpful to know the size of your music dept &/or schools.
> FSU has only 4000 students, 70 music majors.
>      Thanks for your time. Nancy Salmon
>
>
>
> On 5/20/07, David M. Porritt <dporritt at smu.edu> wrote:
> >
> >  A few days ago I wrote about our killer half-octave and asked for
> > suggestions.  Again I want to thank all who responded with many good
> > suggestions some of which I'm going to try to implement soon.
> >
> >
> >
> > There are some (many?) who think the only solution is purchasing a new D
> > so I'm asking you all for your experience.  Have any of your schools bought
> > a new D recently that was really great?  I have to say that the new Ds I've
> > seen lately – including one we bought in 1993 – have been somewhat less than
> > wonderful.  I'm hoping that my experience is atypical and that many of you
> > have seen and worked on some wonderful ones.  I really need honest answers
> > from you.  As much as I would prefer to have a remanufactured/redesigned
> > piano, the We-Need-A-New-D people might have a louder and more credible
> > voice than mine.  If this be the case I'd love to think that we have a
> > chance to have a really good piano.
> >
> >
> >
> > Thanx!
> >
> >
> >
> > dave
> >
> >
> >
> > __________________________
> >
> > David M. Porritt, RPT
> >
> > Meadows School of the Arts
> >
> > Southern Methodist University
> >
> > Dallas, TX 75275
> >
> > dporritt at smu.edu
> >
> >
> >
>
>
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