[pianotech] who pays?

[Ron Nossaman]

On 10/19/2012 11:54 AM, Dale Erwin wrote:

>    Dennis E., Ron N and I looked at an A-2 in Rochester 2005 that had
> been just restored in the Stwy Restoration center and was on display
> there.

And Ron O, whom I'd dragged up there earlier to get a look at it. 
Interestingly, it wasn't really on display anywhere at any time during 
the week, but was set up in the staging area where the unpacking, 
unloading, and interim storage was done. When I noticed it up there (I 
thought it was an O, but what do I know), I played around and listened 
to it a bit, then crawled underneath to find out why it sounded like 
that. I have no idea what the story behind it was, but speculated that 
it might have been brought along to show us in the rebuilders showcase 
how it was done, but then everything exhibited was miles better than 
this was, so it's a good thing it wasn't set up in public. If it was 
just on the way from the rebuilding facility to a customer, why was it 
unpacked and set up there? Don't really know, and no one else seemed to 
know either.


>We ran a crown string across the bottom and no residual crown. We
> discovered it had a freshly oil canned Genuine Steinway built soundboard
> and it sounded very unmusical. It had all genuine Steinway parts. Enough
> said.

Demonstrably concave crown, installed just a few weeks before. Dead 
right out of the box.


> How about encouraging techs to use their parts instead of
> being so pedantic, heavy handed and isolationist.

But then these shops produce much better pianos, even rebuilding by 
Steinway methods and specs, than does Steinway. Never mind design 
improvements.


>   Look at race cars. All the american autos;... Ford,GM, Chrysler are
> raced highly modified and covered with endorsement logos.  I have never
> ever heard one of those manufacturers say if it doesn't have 5 thousand
> Ford parts it not a Ford. Heck they're happy for the exposure.
>     So the truth is, that if someone buys a product from anyone, it
> belongs to them.....and if they wish to rebuild, modify,codify, or
> hot rod it to higher levels of performance, doesn't that speak well of
> the basic version, the basic platform, that it has _that _kind of
> potential.

Not unless the manufacturer itself can realize that potential to the 
same degree in it's own rebuild facility. That's the hard part. Their 
pianos don't even meet their own criteria.

While the Steinway folks were giving me a hard time about my B during my 
class, I kept wanting to suggest we bring that A down for a plink-off.
Ron N