Quality of Pianos

[Delwin D Fandrich]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Brekne" <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: September 02, 2001 12:59 PM
Subject: Re: Quality of Pianos



> Petrofs do have a pretty nice basic sound. I dont think I know anyone who
will
> dispute that when it comes down to it. But after servicing several
hundreds of
> these through the years I have become familiar with some typical Petrof
problems
> and I have seen Petrofs in the US with these same.
>
> You may buy a Petrof and be very pleased with it, but it is my experience
that
> Petrofs are a more risky bet then say a Schimmel, a Sauter, a Yamaha, or
other
> such pianos I typically hear them compared too.
------------------------------------------------------

The problem, of course, is that piano buyers don't evaluate pianos the way
piano tuners and technicians do. Most piano buyers--at least those who play
well enough to form their own opinions about piano tone--really don't care
all that much about precision manufacturing, the specifics of the materials
used, tunability, etc. And, let's face it, Schimmel's, Sauter's and Yamaha's
don't sound like Petrof's--their precise construction, wonderful materials
and great tunability notwithstanding.

There is a point here I think many piano technicians and piano manufacturers
are missing. Pianos are supposed to be, first and foremost, musical
instruments. Not just monuments to some manufacturers ability to build
something with great materials and precision.

If increasingly larger numbers of piano buyers end up buying Petrofs instead
of some other, possibly better crafted pianos, because those Petrofs sound
better to them, surely that should be telling us something. Perhaps we
should all be spending more time listening to the end result and less time
evaluating the choices of materials and admiring the manufacturing precision
used in assembling those materials.

Gosh, wouldn't it be nice to have both...

Regards,

Del