reverse engineering Baldwins Wurlitzers back

[pianoman]

Hello,
So again, did they disassemble and measure all the parts or did they take
the exact numbers for the design from Baldwin and go that way. 
	 I don't think you caught the gist of my first post.  It is something
like, Is a digital copy and EXACT duplicate of the original or not as exact
as another widget made from the exact dimensions from the design.
Don't take me as crabby, I had a hard day and feel like arguing.  I'll be
better tomorrow.
My CC's are the same but I have  changed their names for this list, but not
my clients who read my brochures.

James Grebe
R.P.T. of the P.T.G.
 Since 1962 in St. Louis, MO
Home of Handsome Hardwood Caster Cups
pianoman@inlink.com        

----------
> From: Roger Jolly <baldyam@sk.sympatico.ca>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: reverse engineering Baldwins Wurlitzers
> Date: Wednesday, August 19, 1998 8:56 PM
> 
> Hi James, 
>           I see you have re-engineered your caster cups to make them
handsome.
> There is nothing wrong with going with a proven scale design that has
cost
> a company thousands to develop, why try to reinvent the wheel. Things
like
> plate patterns, and the associated stress analysis all takes valuable
time
> and money before production can get under way. Now comes the big
question,
> how do we make a piano that is less costly, and will not compete with
with
> the American built unit. A mahogany rim vs maple, a cheaper action, no
> acujust hitch pins, and so the list goes on. I have never heard techs
> complain about the scaling of these units, on the contary all complains
> have been action and hammer related.
>   The point that I have made in previous post, is that if a great deal of
> care is taken in regulating the action, timing the dampers, and voicing
the
> hammers, you will end up with a better than satisfactory piano. I have
sold
> many C173's over the years to small town arts groups with limited budgets
> that have been delighted with the performance. However I'm more than a
> little anal in how they leave my stores.
>   Reverse engineering is a common practice in many fields, for instance
GM
> develops a 3.8 motor for a spacific car to begin with and will readapt to
> fit a whole line of other models. This helps with the economy of scale.
>   Another way to look at this is to realise that you have a proven scale
> design at half the cost, my view has been to focus on the areas that can
be
> improved to bring the product closer to the original.
> Hope this sheds some light.
> Roger
> 
> At 07:19 PM 19/08/98 -0500, you wrote:
> >Hello, 	I have always been under the impression that disassembling an
> >object to measure the parts carefully does not get you the original
design.
> > It only gets you one copy of that design which may or may not be a good
> >example of the original object.  Agree- dis-agree?
> >James Grebe
> >R.P.T. of the P.T.G.
> > Since 1962 in St. Louis, MO
> >Home of Handsome Hardwood Caster Cups
> >pianoman@inlink.com        
> >
> Roger Jolly
> Baldwin Yamaha Piano Centre
> Saskatoon and Regina
> Saskatchewan, Canada.
> 306-665-0213
> Fax 652-0505