Quality pianos - was Killer Octave

[Delwin D Fandrich]

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  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Donald Mannino=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: September 11, 2001 1:05 PM
  Subject: Re: Quality pianos - was Killer Octave


  Well, I thought maybe I would chime in a little and expand a little on =
Del's comments here:

      ....In design, even "cheap" pianos are engineered to have proper =
down=20
      bearing, bridges etc. The problem between the cheap and the =
expensive ones=20
      are that in the manufacturing process,=20


    Fundamentally this is true. More specifically, it lies in the amount =
of money spent on production machinery to remove hand labor.

  The cheapest pianos, though, are those made by inexperienced labor at =
very low wages, often using very inefficient production methods.  Even =
the most mechanized factory spends most of its money on labor, so the =
only way to lower the costs further is to move the factory where the =
labor is cheaper.  When this is done by an experienced piano company the =
results can be reasonable instruments.  When it is done by an upstart =
company, the results can be pretty questionable.
It is true that in so-called 'developing' economies there is a period =
during which many truly horrendous pianos will be built using =
inexperienced and relatively untrained workers. This is especially true =
in companies that have purchased some designs and equipment from some =
out-of-business U.S., Canadian or European manufacturer and then tries =
to build it without really understanding what they are doing. The =
survivors will end up investing in machinery and worker training.



    One would certainly think this would be consistently true, but it =
often seems that the manufacturer of the low-cost piano is more =
concerned with backing up its products than are the manufacturers of =
more expensive pianos. Perhaps this is because the low-end manufacturer =
might be more willing to accept that their pianos may, indeed, have =
problems.

  I think it is more a matter of the lower cost piano maker must try =
harder to build a reputation.  The distribution arms usually handle all =
the warranty coverage, and they can't control what the factory makes, so =
they have to do everything they can to fix problems in the best way =
possible.=20
Whatever the reason, they often do a better job.



    It should be possible to mass-produce pianos giving excellent =
performance. Good piano design, hence good piano performance, is not--at =
least is not inherently--expensive. Rims and soundboards can now be made =
efficiently by machine, why shouldn't they be made in such a way that =
they perform well.

  There is no avoiding, though, that the skill and experience of the =
piano builder is what raises a piano to the level that musicians really =
respect and enjoy.  Here are a few examples;
  - It is more expensive for a company to thin soundboards than to leave =
them even thickness.  Even mechanized thinning is rather expensive if =
done well.
  - It is more expensive to use hammers made with low heat, both in =
terms of hammer factory efficiency and voicing time.
  - It is much more expensive to level strings and fit hammers and voice =
carefully.  The technicians who do final regulation, tuning and voicing =
are among the most expensive workers any company employs.

  There are other examples, but these are 3 that have a strong impact on =
the tone and touch response of the instrument.  While one can make =
dramatic improvements in well built "cookie cutter" pianos by doing =
thorough voicing and prepping in the dealer or home, when the piano =
company knows how to do these detailed and labor intensive steps well, =
the final product is on a higher plane than the one which is 'merely' =
well engineered.
In order:

-- There are ways around the problem of thinning soundboards. Even if =
not, it can be done reasonably well on an assembly-line basis. I don't =
know how well it is being done yet but consider the latest Young Chang =
pianos with their S&S inspired diaphramatic soundboards. You can be =
assured that is not being done by hand.

-- Granted, low-heat hammers are probably somewhat more expensive to =
manufacture, though I think there are probably some way to do this =
efficiently as well. But, how much does the factory cost of a set of =
hammers add to the piano? Certainly not enough to justify a cost =
variation of thousands.

-- This is the one area that should be separating the real thing from =
the pretenders. So why is it still necessary to do these things at the =
dealer level even with some very expensive pianos?

There are other examples you could give, but my point is just that =
low-cost pianos of reasonably good performance are doable and we should =
have them.



  I have long complained that tuners like to recommend pianos that tune =
easily and look nicely made. =20
Well, keep on complaining. Your voice also has influence.



    It is my opinion that, finally, the marketplace is speaking. As the =
piano has become nothing more than a perfect piece of furniture they are =
going off to buy something else. Perhaps it's time to bring back the =
music.

  Easier said than done.  There is way too much momentum keeping the =
current process going - as you said, the market speaks.  The brave =
dealers and technicians who really try to make quality music work to =
sell pianos are forced to go along with their competitors.  The buyers =
come in the store needing to hear a better story that the previous =
dealer gave them - and getting that customer to agree to the sale is =
what pays the dealer's bills.
It's pretty obvious the market is speaking. The only question is just =
what is it saying?

Del





Don Mannino RPT=20

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