<HTML>In a message dated 9/24/01 2:16:34 PM Central Daylight Time, pianobuilders@olynet.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">I guess my question are these: Since it appears that Young Chang is now building a line of cheap(er) S&S almost-clones, how do they compare with the original? What is the public's perception of them? How are Y-C dealers accepting them and, more importantly, how are they promoting and selling them? What is their performance like really--in the home or studio with real people playing them? And, the question I expect both S&S and Y-C are asking: If the public was confused by the S&S/Kawai deal, what's it going to be like with the S&S/Y-C deal with the Y-C looking and feeling increasingly like the S&S? Del</BLOCKQUOTE> "Real" piano players will play both pianos, and pick out the one they like the best. Most will continue to lean towards the S&S, because historically, (at least up until the early '70), these were the piano of choice for the vast majority of "real" piano players. What makes S&S still a better seller is the name. I don't have a figure on this, but I wouldn't be surprised that a majority of S&S's are sold as a status symbol. Most people who can afford to buy a grand piano, regardless of their playing ability, are going to pay the little extra to buy a Steinway for two reasons. One, it makes them look good in front of their peers. It makes them look better than the people next door. These people, regardless of what the instrument sounds and plays like, presume it is supposed to sound and play the way it does. After all, it's a Steinway. And aren't S&S's the best there is? The other reason these people buy a S&S is the sales pitch they are given about the "investment" value of S&S. I've written about this crock or doo doo before, so I won't go into it too deep. But basically, if the public is led to believe that 10 years from now their S&S is going to be worth twice as much as what they paid for it, in light of the way the stock market has been behaving, why not "invest" in a Steinway. Just my 2.5 cents worth. Wim </HTML>