resource management

[Richard Brekne]

Ron Nossaman wrote:

> So now there sits a truly lousy sounding and playing piano of vastly
> greater potential than was realized by the standard dealer rebuild I've
> come to know and expect in this part of the world. Less than one third of
> the work was done for what is typically three fourth's of the price of
> doing it right, or better. The customer thought she had bought a rebuilt
> piano. She didn't. The piano was raped, as was the customer, and it is now
> almost a certainty that it will ever be done right, or better, because of
> the money already spent. She'll probably call someone else next time who
> will lie to her, since I didn't. I suppose it's just as well.
>

You see, thats the kicker.... you may know what potential this has, I may even
have a growing idea of this potential, and perhaps there are some thousands of
people out there that see this and agree. On the other hand, what "sounds" good
is like this really huge variable. My experience with the Broadwood square
(which is up and playing by the way) and the little I've had with forte pianos
has underlined that big time. I've run into one renown rebuilder in my years
who stated right out, that a caved soundboard doenst really matter.... that the
piano still has a sound of its own and that someone is bound to like it. Ok...
so its philological :) and a poor excuse for not doing the job full out, but
there you have it. There are all kinds of contributing factors and you no doubt
know many of these. Money, mystic, marketing, and I suppose the general state
of music education (including music instrument making) has taken many serious
hits these past decades.  On top of all that we have human pride, differing
tastes and a host of such factors to further fog the picture.

A couple weeks back I wrote about Quality hotels and those 1/4 inch  plywood
grand cases they have to put cheep keyboards into for their piano bars. Fact is
for an alarming amount of the population.... if you push down the key and sound
comes out... then its cool. Pass the beer. And if its your piano, or you are
the tech who just did the job.... its more then just cool... its beautiful. No
matter what reality says :)

> I'm not sure just what it is, but something just doesn't seem right...

Perhaps not. Personally I kind of look at it this way. I am this dumbguy out
here who insists on arguing with just about anyone in order to get more clear
in my mind what its all about. I want in my innards to do the best I can, to
make the best sound, the best touch. But the "Best" seems more and more to be
this illusion that just isnt really so clear that you can actually get ahold of
it. Perhaps because it's so dependent on so many things, some seemingly totally
nonsensical yet there despite. Maybe the best we can do is to simply make the
customer happy.


> I don't intend to answer the phone tonight. Maybe not tomorrow either, so
> Don't call.

> Ron N

--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
UiB, Bergen, Norway
mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no
http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html