Pianos - Out of the Box (was: Petrof)

[Alan W Deverell]

Well said James - just think what would happen to the Automobile
Market if Cars were supplied to the customer in the semi-finished or
semi-tested condition that is typical of Pianos:

Accelerator pedals that stick, brakes that don't work properly,
exhaust manifolds that leak, tappets that rattle, doors that don't
close properly etc. etc.

The problem is ignorance, on the part of Piano-buyers, and complacency
both on the part of the Piano Manufacturing Industry.  Education, as
is all other things, is the best way to bring about higher standards
including informed buying decisions.

Perhaps one of the main disadvantages with pianos is that people don't
buy a new model every year or so and yet, when you consider the price
relativity and life expectancy, the purchase/selection criteria should
NOT be made in unqualified ignorance.

AlanD - (in favor of better Piano education and trying to do his bit)

>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org
>[mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf
>Of pianoman
>Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 1998 10:31 AM
>To: pianotech@ptg.org
>Subject: Petrof
>
>
>Hi All,
>
>I'm a little late jumping in on this, but in my humble opinion, if a
piano
>is going to be called a fine piano and the instrument maker wants his
>product to be known as a fine piano it should be a fine piano when it
gets
>through with the dealer prepping and certainly before delivery.
Jory's
>piano may have BECOME a fine piano when it was finished by his own
>technician but it was only a average piano before that.  It should
not be
>left up to the aftermarket technician to do what the manufacturer
didn't
>do.  If the reputation of the Petrof is going to rise it must be a
fine
>piano right out of the box, so to speak.
>
>Let me give you an analogy.  In the pipe organ field, Kilgen was one
of
>those manufacturers that turned them out like a cheese factory.  Many
were
>built and set up and Kilgen got a reputation for being a mediocre
organ.
>They went under in the 1950's and since then, organ techs have been
finding
>that with some tinkering of wind pressures and voicing the same
instrument
>that was thought of as mediocre is suddenly a fine organ, now since
someone
>took the trouble to finish what the factory started.  It should not
be our
>job to finish what the manufacturer started.  If the maker want to
get a
>fine reputation he should provide FINISHED pianos, not pianos almost
done.
>The Petrof may be cheaper than a Yamaha but how much after work do
you have
>to do on ANY Yamaha from the largest grand to the cheapest console.
The
>answer you all know already.
>
>James Grebe
>R.P.T. of the P.T.G.
>St. Louis, MO.
>Competent Service since 1962
>                    Caster Cup Center of the Universe
>                   Home of Handsome Hardwood Caster Cups
>pianoman@inlink.com
>