<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">  <style>  </style>  </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> Paul:<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> We all have to do whatever our leaders and our budget will allow but frankly I’d like it if we only bought new grand pianos if we needed additional instruments.  I’ve long been convinced that full remanufacturing will get you more instrument for less money than trading them.  We had one D redesigned 3 years ago and is in my view far better than the new ones.  We have another out right now that will be returned just before school starts that………..I’ll let you know how it does but my prediction is it will blow away any new ones.  AND we will have spent a small fraction of the cost of a new one.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Uprights on the other hand, I’m trying to get a plan in place that will replace 2 uprights a year in perpetuity.  Uprights are not as cost effective to remanufacture (at least in my experience) so replacement is the logical course of action.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> dave<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> David M. Porritt, RPT<o:p></o:p> <a href="mailto:dporritt@smu.edu">dporritt@smu.edu</a><o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'> From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Paul T Williams Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 5:04 PM To: College and University Technicians Subject: Re: [CAUT] University piano replacement program<o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> Hi Tony, Realistic plan replacement at UNL is a hard one to "sell".  We have many Steinway and Mason &  Hamilin grands in our practice rooms.  Most of them are 40-80 years old, but with new actions, key bushings, etc.  Replacing them vs. fixing them is the reality of the university setting. We have to actually see reality in that we can not just replace them with new pianos even though we would love to do so. Performance pianos, of course, get the most attention.  I am currently replacing an entire action on a 1956 Baldwin D which, still, will need a new soundboard, pinblock, and whole nine yards, but we have to spread out the budget the best we can and this piano is one of our 'concert' instruments.  We also have three Steinway D's much newer and in excellent condition.  Every school has it's own budget and by what Ive seen, we have a pretty good one, but still not what would be considered "great".  The really great schools like Oberlin, Julliard, etc probably have a great replacement program as they are recognized as world famous.  For the main-stream university programs, I would say that they only replace pianos when they just can't be worth the investment.  I  regularly tune repair etc these instruments as they are played 12-14 hours a day.  Now with summer here, I have a chance to get in an try to fix the ongoing problems with certain pianos, but still have no time to rebuild them. Does this help?? Paul <o:p></o:p> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%'> <tr> <td width="40%" valign=top style='width:40.0%;padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> "tony" <amastadonna@neo.rr.com> Sent by: caut-bounces@ptg.org <o:p></o:p> 07/01/2008 03:55 PM <o:p></o:p> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellpadding=0> <tr> <td valign=top style='background:white;padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> Please respond to College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org><o:p></o:p> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="59%" valign=top style='width:59.0%;padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%'> <tr> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> To<o:p></o:p> </td> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> <caut@ptg.org> <o:p></o:p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> cc<o:p></o:p> </td> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> Subject<o:p></o:p> </td> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> [CAUT] University piano replacement program<o:p></o:p> </td> </tr> </table> <o:p> </o:p> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellpadding=0> <tr> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'></td> <td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <o:p> </o:p> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%'> <tr> <td width="100%" style='width:100.0%;padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> I have a question........   In creating a "realistic" Piano replacement plan for approval by an university administration,   What would you recommend the basic specifications of the practice room pianos be?   How would you compare their importance to the school verses the studio and performance instruments.   If you would need to "cut" would this be the natural place?   And how many times a year do you get to these pianos for tuning?       <img border=0 width=162 height=80 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.gif@01C8DB9D.AAE40DC0">  Tony Mastadonna Institutional Sales Consultant   <img border=0 width=322 height=384 id="_x0000_i1026" src="cid:image002.jpg@01C8DB9D.AAE40DC0">     Cell-330-603-8843     <img border=0 width=75 height=75 id="_x0000_i1027" src="cid:image003.gif@01C8DB9D.AAE40DC0"><o:p></o:p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%'> <tr> <td width="50%" style='width:50.0%;padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'></td> <td width="50%" style='width:50.0%;padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <o:p> </o:p> </div> </body> </html>