improvements

[John Musselwhite]

At 04:46 PM 06/05/02 -0400, David  wrote:

>Compared to most Steinways ever built.  Compared to what you and I and the 
>consumer has come to expect.  Compared to their ads and hype.  Compared to 
>their mystique. (Gee I like that word) Why compare with some of the worst 
>Steinways built and because the new ones are questionably better say thats OK?

I would question the "questionably better", but then as I said, I didn't go 
through the 30-odd brand new ones I've seen in the last few months at 
several dealers with a micrometer and didn't tune any of them.


> >>I hope taking on other lesser lines doesn't de-mystify the consumers
> >>confidence in the Steinway piano
> >
> >It hasn't hurt Gibson or Martin.
>
>
>Apples and oranges, a better fit might be Mercedes.

I disagree. Automobiles evolve (and dissolve) at a pace fast enough to make 
them obsolete as fast as the warranty runs out. I chose Gibson and Martin 
as examples because they are American high-end musical instrument makers 
who specialize in hand craftsmanship. Both companies make the same 
traditional acoustic instruments that have been in their catalogues for 
almost a century. Incidentally, the newsgroups are full of people bashing 
them for the same reasons as people bash Steinway.

>It seems to me that our opinions are not that far apart, you admit to good 
>and not so good Steinways.  So instead of fancy art cases and lesser line 
>pianos why not fix what they have got.

 From the last new ones I've seen I would have thought they'd done at least 
part of that.


>You and I and the consumer have come to expect "Steinway quality."

The quality you and I expect is based on what we've seen in the new pianos 
of the last 50 years rather than on marketing. In my opinion it's 
improving. Others say different.

>It seems odd to me that it takes a good technician just to make a brand 
>new Steinway presentable, and a good touch up man to fix the fit and finish.

Why? It's *always* been that way to some extent, or at least, it has for 
the last 70 years that I've heard personal anecdotes about.  Some eras it's 
been more work than others.

>There is one more point I would like to bring up, consistancy in my book 
>is one of the most important parameters for judging quality, new Steinways 
>are lacking in consistancy from one piano to the next.

A cry heard for at least half a century and maybe more.

>This is a problem any technician who is involved in one way or another 
>with purchases of new Steinways recognizes.

See above.

                 John