Dale I have read and enjoyed greatly so very very many of your postings through the years since you popped up here. But I gota say that this post, which I reprint below, is the absolute best to come off your keyboard yet IMHO. I know I have a tendancy to sound a bit more crass then I mean to be, and often find others expressing meanings I share in so much better fashion then I am capable of doing. This posting is about as perfect an example of this as I've ever seen. Thanks ever so muchly for taking the time to put this piece together. Ozzzes with positivism, optimism... looking forwardism with bright eyesims... :) I dare say, if ever any of these alternative methods towards approaching the task of fitting the piano with its heart will win the day over the domination of Steinways <<way>> as it were (embraced for whatever reasons by so many) It will be because of builders who push onwards with the attitude exressed below. I raise my glass, tip my hat, and bow respectfully. Sincerely RicB Horace & all Actually this is SO TRUE. Exposure is a problem. Access to any type redesigned boards, in any configuration any where, is hard to come by. The first rib & CC crowned board I ever heard was at Ken Hannahs shop in Stillwater Minnisota Many years ago. At the time This just wasn't being done on the west coast in any numbers by any one. I had to travel that far for mentoring & exposure to new boards. The first Lam panel & rib crowned design combination I had seen at convention was brought to Reno at great cost by Ron O. The "Overs" piano was a pure & clear sounding beauty & beautiful to look at as well. I still remember that plate in polished acrlic enamel The sound & the new Action. Quite impressive in all respects..Thanks Ron My point is I've been building boards for a while & I've seen precious few done by any one else in any form. So to see a new ,redesign or rib crowned board etc I've had to go to conventions primarily for this kind of thing. So, is it any wonder that the experience of most technicians Including me are with purely vintage type C.C. crowned boards let alone rib crowned or lam/rib crowned. We all as techs have relatively little to compare to. Even the recent discussion of rib crowned or rib crowned plus C.C. or complete redesign have even suffered a bit of derision here on the list amongst the brethren. And some skeptism was heard , & probably rightly so,as to whether these new designs possibly being as Magic as the predominantly made & purely Compression Crowned boards we all have seen all of our carreers. If one has nothing to compare too how can an opinion be formed? Our new age thinking on all these matters has a long way to travel even in our own technical community let alone marketing offices etc. IMO , & Possibly the most forward thinking R.D in the piano world today is being done by small shops not large Manufacturers. Will that ever translate to different choices in the Market place?? If so slowly. Until then I'll take every opportunity get some exposure to other folks piano designs & rebuilt pianos. So for now, I believe the best value added pianos available to your clients is quite possibly the ones being rebuilt well by small shops & small Manufactutreres & IMO is a truly value added product. Forgive my shameless biased opinion. By Rebuilt " The Valued Added Piano" Dale Erwin My Restored Stwy D will be at convention for purview & in Concert with Pianist Richard Glazier Sat At 4 pm At Calif convention Feb 10 thru 12 CSU Sac. Erwins Pianos Restorations 4721 Parker Rd. Modesto, Ca 95357 209-577-8397 Rebuilt Steinway , Mason &Hamlin Sales www.Erwinspiano.com ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
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