Hi Ron What an excellent post. I couldnt agree more if I tried a thousand years with what you outline below. And I believe I have mentioned several times that I think highly of your practice of clearly marking and taking credit for your redesigning work. For the reasons you site below and because I think folks like yourself have every reason to be damned proud of what you do, and every reason for wanting your name right out there in clear view for folks to notice. I thought your particular solution on the plate was very nicely done, appropriate and tasteful. Once again I voice my encouragement for others engaging in this kind of work, which fwiw I admire, do the same. As for your comments in response to Baolis... I also agree. There are a number of re-builders who are quite capable of doing a first class job. Some of these have spent time in the Steinway rebuilding shop themselves... Ed McMorrow comes to mind... I believe he was there for some time. The choice here is not so much who does the work first and formost... but what kind of a rebuild one wants. If you want to go as authentic in the eye of the market, and perhaps stay as close to tradition as possible.. then perhaps the Steinway rebuild shop is the place to go. If you want a first class Steinway clone rebuild... there are several competent folks.... and if you want a total redesign... well there are folks out there like yourself who have shown quite clearly they are capable of putting out a top notch product with a beautiful voice, tone and performance all your own. All these choices are valid ones in my mind. Your closing statement shows class, and nothing but class. Cheers and best regards RicB >>Changing the soundboard and pinblock is a factory job when it comes >>to Steinway. In this case it is of great importance to use original >>parts to save the quality. Don't agree at all. Its a job for anyone who has the capability of doing it properly, whether modified or original in design. >>Mr Fenner in Germany once changed the soundboard and pinblock in a >>B grand to make it "better" and S&S put him to court for calling it >>a Steinway after the repair, so he had to change the name on the >>fallboard and hide the name on the frame. >>Now these B grands are sold under the name Fenner. >> >>baoli liu <baoli_liu at yahoo.com> skrev: He could have called them Fenner - Steinway which would be more to the truth than calling them straight Fenner. It seems as if Klaus might have done better, had he sought legal opinion. Rebuilding an instrument with modifications is illegal if all the original trademark and identity items remains the same. It is called "Passing off", and rightly so. I've been on the receiving end of letters from a certain manufacturer accusing me of Passing Off. But I replied inviting them to inspect the said piano, and to confirm that I had placed a transfer on the plate stating that the piano was modified. The claims of Passing Off evaporated. Here's a link to an image of the acknowledgment we placed on the circ 1962 Steinway D we rebuilt for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1992. http://members.optusnet.com.au/ronovers/abc.steinwayd.jpg For those who may be interested in the outside finish, it is the two pack automotive lacquer called 2K (jet black with 50% flatting base). We do our refinishing in house. Provided you explain what you propose to do to an instrument with the owner, and you have their permission, and provided that you place a transfer or sticker on the piano, placed in a conspicuous place on the instrument (doesn't have to be on the fallboard - on the plate will do), stating the changes you have made to the instrument, you will have nothing to fear. No one can sue you for telling the truth about an instrument which you have rebuilt. Furthermore, why on earth would you want to rebuild an instrument with modifications without including information about the work you performed? The results should be known to be your own work, for better or for worse. I wouldn't mind if someone modified one of my pianos, and long as they acknowledge what they did for all to see. We should all be prepared to stand by what we have done. Ron O. -- OVERS PIANOS - SYDNEY Grand Piano Manufacturers _______________________
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