Greetings, In a private email, which I will snip and quote, anonomously, I read; << The dealer's argument might seem to imply that the school district doesn't warrant (or deserve) an instrument of that calibre. OTOH, I can see where the "company line" is coming from. >> I think Steinway and Sons will tell any school that they warrant the best. And, if they want to become a "Steinway School" and can't afford Steinways, then here we have the "Boston" pianos..... There is some trading on the name, there, in my opinion. It might be semantics, but them Bostons seem like Kawais, to me. IMHO, it is somewhat disingenuous for S&S to look at a worn out instrument, and make a case that it is better for the customer, and more economical, to trade it in on a new one. This is possible only by slanting a lot of figures to go their way, and is specious, at best on two separate levels: It runs counter to what could be sold as long term asset to those that buy Steinways, i.e., their rebuildibility. They have sufficent quality and reputation to make restoration not only a feasible course of action from an investment standpoint, but also, a preferred course for the customer who wants to keep their family heirloom. If a family or school wants to continue using their piano, it doesn't have to go to New York to still be a Steinway. An aftermarket tech may actually get closer to what that piano was like when new than the factory. How so? Steinways rebuilding department will not return an instrument that is just like that 1906 model O! Heck, even their current production has large variations, and the makers have turned this bug into the "feature" of an almost human-like, individualism possessed by their pianos. And if it is almost human, it can almost "sing," (the highest compliment we normally hear given to any musical instrument). So, by logic, having it go back to the factory guarantees only that it will not be like any other Steinway. However, it will be a lot more like modern Steinways than pre-War Steinways. Is this good? If a school wants to keep a performance level piano for a long time, a Steinway is the most economical way to do it, and it needn't go back to the factory to continue producing as designed. I hate to see the public's ignorance furthered by the maker saying that only its parts will keep that Steinway playing and sounding like a Steinway. ( I am thinking of a set of Tokiwa parts with Renner hammers that I installed in the late 80's on a model B. That piano is regarded at the school as having the classic Steinway touch, go figure). Ed Foote RPT http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
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