<< My simple question is, if the tone of a "Mid -priced" (not least expensive) vertical piano is less desirable, but cost affordable, would that be a reasonable compromise for the non-pianist practice rooms? Given these instruments seam to have a history of tuning stability, wouldn't this be the logical place to compromise? >> Greetings, The number one priority I have found in the practise room pianos is durability. Pianos that require a lot of care are expensive to use. What I have found is that usually price and dependability go hand in hand. Over a twenty year period, the cost savings of buying cheaper pianos is lost to their earlier demise or higher maintenance costs, not to mention the lesser performance, musically, of the instruments over their life time. When someone comes out with a more dependable, more durable, more sensitive, more stable piano for a cheaper price, I will be real interested. So far, it seems the inverse is true. The restorable Steinways are the cheapest investment when purchase price is plotted against years of use and the cost of service. They get even cheaper with each restoration, since one can effectively have a piano that lasts forever on one purchase price. Just put a new board and action in every 50 years, and pretty soon, the original cost is a neglible part of the equation. Regards, Ed Foote RPT http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html <BR><BR><BR>**************<BR>Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars.<BR> (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)</HTML>
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