<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><BR><DIV><DIV>On Feb 23, 2007, at 4:42 AM, Porritt, David wrote:</DIV><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="3" face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times New Roman; ">This is the way of all the top instruments. <BR></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE>That's exactly right. Custom restoration, custom building. It's all in the quality and THEN THE MARKETING, which most artisans don't have a clue about, or are afraid to spend or don't have the money (they think) to spend on the crucial third leg of the stool---</DIV><DIV>1. excellent design & impeccable, stand-out capabilities to produce a super product </DIV><DIV>2. reliable means of production</DIV><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px; ">3. effective marketing/branding. </SPAN></DIV><DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px; ">Lack of this last one, along with cash flow issues, kills most artisan efforts, or keeps them in the perceptual "doghouse" vis-a-vis not being a "serious player at the high end." </SPAN><BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="3" face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times New Roman; ">The top French horns, flutes, violins etc. are all made in very small shops. The fact that we now have a few pianos being made this way is progress. <BR></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE>Yup. And I'm determined to build a brand and a desire for my and other artisans' truly hand-built custom pianos.</DIV><DIV>I think the scoreboard proves it's possible: I've sold, in the past 6 months, a Mason & Hamlin concert grand for $78,000, a Steinway "C" for $66,000, and I'm about to sell my Hamburg "B" for $55,000---and I could sell it to this guy for $10K more if I hadn't put the $55K figure on my website and handouts---he flat fell in love with the instrument, and has been looking at "B's" between $65-75K; Dale Erwin sold the "D" I had for a while to a venue in northern California for at least $75 or 80K---so I think I can say with certitude that there's a market for our best work, and that that market can be found</DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span">and served by artisan rebuilders. </SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span">When our marketing efforts have been more and more successful, and have built the brand of <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">David Andersen Pianos and the Atelier </SPAN> to a prominent place in the high-end piano world I'll be able to sell the instruments for more money---demand will outstrip supply. That's what I call a first-class problem.<BR><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="3" face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times New Roman; ">The best factory made instruments of any type will never approach the small shop output in quality. It’s just that in our history this phenomenon has excluded pianos. Now it doesn’t.</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE>Hooray.<BR><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="3" face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times New Roman; ">dp</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></SPAN></DIV><DIV>David Andersen</DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>