1969 Steinway L CBS?

[Farrell]

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----- Original Message -----=20
From: "John Musselwhite" <john@musselwhite.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2002 8:47 PM
Subject: Re: 1969 Steinway L CBS?


> At 08:07 AM 08/05/02 -0400, Terry wrote:
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> >Reasonable point. But what is one to conclude when 30-year-old brand =
X=20
> >pianos regularly have loose action part, poor alignment, rubbing this =
and=20
> >that, way out of regulation, many string noises, uneven tone, etc.
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> I'd conclude that either the owner or the technician wasn't looking =
after=20
> the piano very well, especially if it's a hand-made brand X =
instrument.

Yes, we are talking about brand X. I think your conclusion is correct - =
but that same conclusion applies to most pianos, regardless of =
manufacturer.

> >- and brand Y regularly have near new-looking and performing actions, =

> >great tuning characteristics, nice tone, etc.?
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> A neglected brand Y instrument won't fare very well either, although =
to=20
> some extent I think they're designed to tolerate a certain amount of =
neglect.
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> >No one 30 year-old piano tells the whole story of a manufacturer, but =

> >dozens and dozens from the same manufacturer with very similar=20
> >characteristics start to present a clear picture.
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> Two pictures come to my mind. One is a hand-painted canvas in oils =
with=20
> shading, brush strokes and indeed faults in each one that can be =
discovered=20
> and cherished over the years. Each one is different and while some are =

> better than others, they're all original paintings. They're also =
somewhat=20
> fragile, and in order to be preserved they have to be kept in a good=20
> environment and "serviced" now and then to keep them in good =
condition. A=20
> good craftsman can even correct some of the "faults" without taking =
away=20
> from the original painting.

Oh, paaalease! All pianos of decent and better quality are made to stand =
up to similar use. They are not fragile. They are meant to be played. =
Yes, they should be maintained.

I wonder if you would feel the same way if you just paid $14,000 for a =
new brand X vertical and the dealer told you that "you'll get used to =
that dinging noise, and that clicking" - or referring to the =
reverse-crowned (by 1/4") soundboard - "there's nothing wrong with that =
- it sounds OK" - and how about the pinblock separated from the =
backframe "oh, that's just cosmetic - we can put a shim in the crack!". =
I can pretty well guarantee you that words like "can be discovered and =
cherished over the years" will in fact NOT be on the tip of your tongue.

I wholeheartedly disagree with you that they are "original" paintings. =
Each piano of a given model is made to the exact same design. There may =
be more hand labor in brand X than Y, but they are far from each one =
being an original. Every deviation from spec falls into one of two =
categories: within tolerance, or error - not an artists whim.

> The other picture is a fairly inexpensive mass-produced print of a =
similar=20
> painting that is certainly enjoyable and all the mistakes in the =
original=20
> are nicely covered up or eliminated totally, but one is pretty-much =
the=20
> same as the next one. You don't need to do much to preserve them, and =
when=20
> the inks finally fade you just buy another that looks very much like =
the=20
> last one did when it was new.
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> A third picture (actually, genre of them) just came into my mind. This =

> includes those of  Velvet Elvis and dogs dressed like humans playing =
poker=20
> or pool. In piano terms those are the "basement pianos"... the ones =
that=20
> can't be taken apart anymore because the parts have all been finished =
over=20
> with Roxotone or perhaps Varathaned in brilliant circus colors with =
all the=20
> ivories painted according to the note. We can ignore those for this =
discussion.
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> There is nothing wrong with any of these pictures because there will =
always=20
> be people who love, hate or are indifferent to all of them. The =
technicians=20
> who look after and restore the pictures often have a totally different =
view=20
> than the general public has since they are up on the more esoteric =
aspects=20
> of the works.
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> For some reason a few technicians crab about the oil paintings while =
being=20
> well-paid to make sure they continue to give enjoyment to their =
owners, who=20
> incidentally paid for the paintings whether you like them or not. They =

> present a particular challenge to the technician because they aren't=20
> perfect, but at least they are made of standard materials so =
correction is=20
> possible. It gives the technician the chance to show what they can do, =
not=20
> just relax and let the job almost do itself.

I have yet to run into a brand Y piano that regulates its own dampers! =
>From the standpoint of a technician, I am not crabbing about brand X. I =
am simply stating a general observation regarding how they hold up over =
the years compared to some other pianos, most notably brand Y. From the =
standpoint of the consumer, having purchased a new brand X vertical =
before getting into this field, I am indeed crabbing. And I got =
something to crab about!   ;-0

With good intent throughout,

Terry Farrell

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> It also gives them the chance to crab too, I suppose.
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>                  John
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> John Musselwhite, RPT    -     Calgary, Alberta Canada
> http://www.musselwhite.com  http://canadianpianopage.com/calgary
> Pianotech IRC chats Tuesday and Thursday nights and Sunday Mornings
> http://www.bigfoot.com/~kmvander/ircpiano.html
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> 
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