<html> <body> Dave, Very well said...especially the part about choosing "the least bad one".  Most of the selections in which I have ever been involved have involved this as, ultimately, the primary consideration...this is especially true if, as you note, part of the choice is between a "newer" and "older" instrument...in which case, it is most often the case that the "newer" instrument gets the nod.  (I know that is not exactly the context you had in mind for that comment, but I think this interpolation holds, as well.) Best. Horace At 10:29 AM 1/14/2005, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Wim:   It’s possible that when this piano was selected it was indeed the best one there.  I’ve had that happen.  A wonderful pianist picked out the best one there, but compared with real pianos it was a dog.  It stayed on our concert stage for 7 years before it got a retirement party.  It’s now in a studio.    This brings up one of the caveats that I mention to anyone going to select a piano.  Most of the time they are concert artists who make the selections.  I see two problems with this.  1]  Unless they are technically sophisticated or have excellent baloney detectors, they  don’t know what can be done with problems.  If they notice a dead killer octave, a salesman will say that “that’s just a minor voicing problem.  We’ll take care of that before it’s shipped out.”  NOT!  2]  Their routine in their professional life requires them to choose pianos all the time.  When they do a concert they frequently have their choice of 2 or 3 pianos.  The fact is, they have to choose the best one, or the least bad one, but they have to choose one to do the program.  There is the tendency to do that in selecting a new one also, where a better choice might be to wait for something better rather than choose the least-bad piano.    dave   <hr> <div align="center"></div> From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [<a href="mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org" eudora="autourl">mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org</a>] On Behalf Of Wimblees@aol.com Sent: Friday, January 14, 2005 11:58 AM To: caut@ptg.org Subject: Re: [CAUT] 2 D's revisited.   In a message dated 1/14/05 10:16:47 A.M. Central Standard Time, jtanner@mozart.sc.edu writes: <dl> <dd>On Thursday, January 13, 2005, at 12:44 PM, Wimblees@aol.com wrote: <dd>>  I don't have the thick skin Fred has, so this is becoming a personal <dd>> challenge. <dd>> <dd>Wim, <dd>Who picked out this piano? <dd>Jeff </dl>Our former chair, who is a concert pianist. One of the other piano faculty wanted to go, but the chair had the final say. The chair is gone, so now I'm left with trying to get this piano to sound better. Maybe it's sour grapes, considering the chair was not liked by the other piano faculty.   Wim </blockquote></body> </html>