<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><div>Thanks Dale, thanks Andrew!<br /><br />Thumpe</div></td></tr></table> <div id="_origMsg_">
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<span style="font-weight:bold;">From:</span>
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Dale Erwin <erwinspiano@aol.com>; <br>
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<span style="font-weight:bold:">To:</span>
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<caut@ptg.org>; <br>
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<span style="font-weight:bold:">Subject:</span>
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Re: [CAUT] The demise of the American piano industry <br>
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<span style="font-weight:bold;">Sent:</span>
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Thu, Aug 2, 2012 2:57:46 AM <br>
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<td valign="top" style="font:inherit;"><font color='navy' size='2' face='Comic Sans MS, sans-serif'><font color="#000080" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif" size="2">I love when some really tells the truth about how it really is. In Modesto at the highly esteemed and beloved Gallo arts center there is a 6 or 8 year old B. Most in the know </font><font color="#000080" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif" size="2">has a strong disliking to it. </font><font color="#000080" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif">Teachers,</font><font color="#000080" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif" size="2"> pianist, piano technicians. Its not going to get better. But hey someone got to go pick out this dog at the mother ship. I will not go to hear any thing when it used.</font>
<div><font color="#000080" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif" size="2"> Wow am I sarcastic tonight. I'll go away now. </font></div>
<div><font color="#000080" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif" size="2">Long live the emperor new clothes! Aye!</font></div>
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<div style="color:navy;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><u>Thank you Andrew.</u><br>
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<div style="clear:both;"><font size="1" color="royalblue"><b><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, Serif"><font color="black"><font color="mediumblue" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif">Dale Erwin R.P.T.<br>
<font color="green">Erwin's Piano Restoration Inc.</font><br>
</font></font></font></b></font><font color="darkgreen"><span style="font-style:italic;"><b><font size="1"><font size="1" color="black"><font color="blueviolet"><font color="black"> <font color="black" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif">Mason & Hamlin</font><font face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif">/Steinway/</font><font color="black" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif">U.S. pianos</font><font face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif"><br>
</font></font></font></font><font size="1" color="cornflowerblue" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif">www.Erwinspiano.com</font><font size="1"><br>
</font><font size="1" color="crimson" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif">Phone: 209-577-8397</font><br>
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<div>If you are comparing quality and consistency of manufacture Steinway NY loses, hands down. If the German can't get past union senority issues in NY, Steinway will completely undermine its iconic reputation--self destruct. I, for one, hope it does get control of its QC issues. It would be a shame to lose another American manufacturer. </div>
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<div>That said, I don't like any of the Steinways I work with. They are getting better but they are all <b>compromised instruments</b> which will not be <b>stellar until re-bellied they way they should be</b>. Quality control was definitely out to lunch on these Ds an Bs. </div>
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<div>Sincerely,</div>
<div>Andrew Anderson</div>
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<div>On Aug 1, 2012, at 4:48 PM, Brent Fischer wrote:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">
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<div>Mr. Bousel,</div>
<div> With all due respect Aaron I don't consider my opinion a minority one.</div>
<div>Secondly, who made Mr. Fine's instrument acumen the " last word " or</div>
<div>his analysis the " bible " of the industry. As the last of the greatest</div>
<div>American made pianos fade into the sunset there will be even the </div>
<div>occasional Mason and Hamlin growing daises in your local dump. The</div>
<div>comparison that Fine makes with the Chinese industry would leave the</div>
<div>laymen believing that they are just as well made as the original specs</div>
<div>of pianos that were light years ahead of anything made in China.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div> It all starts with the carcass, just have to compare and contrast with</div>
<div>specs that have been historically superior.
There has never been a foreign </div>
<div>made piano anywhere that could hold it's own on stage with a Baldwin or</div>
<div>Mason much less a Steinway. I don't categorize the Hamburg as foreign.</div>
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<div> Final comment: The last time I drove over Fine's book with my truck</div>
<div>was when he made his biblical judgement that European instruments </div>
<div>are as good as our currently US made Steinways.</div>
<div>Like I said, he's not our spokesman.</div>
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<div dir="ltr"> <font size="2" face="Arial"> <hr size="1"> <b><span style="font-weight:bold;">From:</span></b> Aaron Bousel <<a rel="nofollow" ymailto="mailto:abousel@comcast.net" target="_blank" href="javascript:return">abousel@comcast.net</a>><br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold;">To:</span></b> <a rel="nofollow" ymailto="mailto:caut@ptg.org" target="_blank" href="javascript:return">caut@ptg.org</a> <br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold;">Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, August 1, 2012 3:24 PM<br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: [CAUT] The demise of the American piano industry<br>
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Here's a link to the whole article, including a video.<br>
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/30/arts/music/for-more-pianos-last-note-is-thud-in-the-dump.html?pagewanted=all">
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/30/arts/music/for-more-pianos-last-note-is-thud-in-the-dump.html?pagewanted=all</a>
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<br>
First: Larry is hardly responsible for the juxtaposition of his comment
and the photo of an old Knabe grand.<br>
Second: You don't know the context of his remarks, that is, what question
was asked by the reporter that elicited the quote that was used. In the
context of 80 to 100+ year old verticals it certainly fits and his
comment doesn't endorse the purchase of a digital piano, it just states
the reality of the marketplace.<br>
Third: You've "always said" that Larry Fine doesn't know what
he's talking about? OK, you're entitled to your opinion (albeit a
minority one within the industry), but don't base it on one out of
context quote from a newspaper article. <br>
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Aaron<br>
<br>
At 07:25 AM 8/1/2012, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite" class="yiv1527330202cite">NY Times 7-30-12.....Music
Article<br>
<br>
On the front page of the digital NY Times " For More
Pianos, Last Note <br>
is the Thud in the Dump"<br>
<br>
" Instead of spending hundreds or thousands to repair an old
piano, you<br>
can buy a new one made in China that's just as good, or you can buy a
digital<br>
one that doesn't need need tuning and has all kinds of bells and
whistles," said<br>
Larry Fine, the editor and publisher of Acoustic & Digital Buyer
" the industry bible.<br>
<br>
The picture seen around the world is of a vintage Knabe grand being
trashed.<br>
Confirms what I've always said, he doesn't know what he is talking
about.<br>
<br>
Brent Fischer<br>
30 yr. member of the PTG / Registered Craftsman / retired</blockquote>
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------------------------------------------<br>
Aaron Bousel<br>
Registered Piano Technician, Piano Technicians Guild<br>
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<a rel="nofollow" ymailto="mailto:info@bouselpiano.com" target="_blank" href="javascript:return">info@bouselpiano.com</a><br>
</font><font face="Eras Medium ITC">(413) 253-3846 (voice &
fax)</font> </div>
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