[pianotech] who pays?

[David Love]

Except that those folks have been rebuilding Steinways for decades with no
apparent reaction from the mother ship.  I think that the current designer
showcase stuff that's become the rage has prompted their more aggressive
stance.  

 

I will say, there is something in the ad that does bother me.  That's the
publication of prices of secondary market parts along with the argument that
they are cheaper therefore inferior.  Even putting aside the more expensive
therefore better argument for the moment, the Steinway parts list is
basically a retail price list as any schmo can call up Steinway and order
parts.  The prices listed for the other parts are actually supply house
prices and wholesale prices, at least technically.  You have to apply for
and get an account to purchase and get those prices.  Taking that into
consideration, the retail prices of the competitor parts are easily
comparable if not more than the Steinway parts.  In addition, publishing a
list of the names of various manufacturers and making an unsubstantiated
argument that their parts are inferior strikes me as libelous.  

 

David Love

www.davidlovepianos.com

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Dale Erwin
Sent: Friday, October 19, 2012 5:05 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] who pays?

 

David 

  As always a lot of truth to your words.  

 

 I personally think that their "Stein-was"strategy is largely driven by the
heavily vocal design change Steinway cando no right group. Steinway clearly
has a market share in rebuilding their pianos to protect--i.e., 

 

Maybe so but  I also think its also driven by the less scrupulous folks in
our industry just as much.

  The PT. Barnum philosophy group that beleives "there is a sucker born
every minute". Some folks when they get done with pianos will move on to the
next thing they can use to bilk folks with.

 I'm not done but more later

Dale

Dale Erwin R.P.T.
Erwin's Piano Restoration Inc.
Mason & Hamlin/Steinway/U.S. pianos
www.Erwinspiano.com
Phone: 209-577-8397

 
  

 

-----Original Message-----
From: David Love <davidlovepianos at comcast.net>
To: pianotech <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Fri, Oct 19, 2012 2:18 pm
Subject: Re: [pianotech] who pays?

It's a little out of context.  The question is the criticism of Steinway for
marketing themselves the best way they know how using a strategy that they
think will be most effective.  I personally think that their "Stein-was"
strategy is largely driven by the heavily vocal design change Steinway can
do no right group.  Steinway clearly has a market share in rebuilding their
pianos to protect--i.e., they make money there.  Their greatest (or you can
also argue weakest) asset is that the pianos that come out of their facility
will be faithful to the current Steinway designs.  I've seen several factory
rebuilds that were fine and some that weren't.  The same can be said of
independent rebuilders.  
 
We all pick and choose the kind of promotional angle we think will serve us
the best whether it's that we employ design changes seeking improvement or
that we remain faithful to the original concept.  That Steinway promotes
themselves as the best avenue to rebuild vintage Steinway pianos should come
as no surprise.  If they were Nossaman, Erwin or Love pianos, if we are not
being disingenuous, we would be making the same claim and probably by
somewhat bothered by people making design changes.     
 
David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org
<mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org?> ] On Behalf
Of Ron Nossaman
Sent: Friday, October 19, 2012 11:58 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] who pays?
 
On 10/19/2012 1:03 PM, David Love wrote:
>  Would
> you want someone stretching strings over every rebuild/redesign that 
> you've done and drawing conclusions about the rest of your work based 
> on that one piano?
 
That was exactly the situation with all of us who had a piano at that
showcase. The difference is that most of the people looking at our pianos
had only ever seen that one example of our work, where a lot more of us have
seen more than one example of the Steinway basement rebuild.
 
Ron N
 
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