<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1586" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottomMargin=7 bgColor=#ffffff leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7> <DIV>Dale,</DIV> <DIV>I'm thrilled to hear the wonderful completion of your D's journey through your hands, I plan to visit it. Something's wrong with your link to the theatre.</DIV> <DIV>Fenton</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=Erwinspiano@aol.com href="mailto:Erwinspiano@aol.com">Erwinspiano@aol.com</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, February 25, 2007 10:16 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Custom-built pianos</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV> <DIV>  <STRONG><EM><FONT size=3>Hi  David</FONT></EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3><STRONG><EM>  Of course ,I'm beating that drum with you.  I didn't see Dave Porritts post. Can some one e-mail it to me.</EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT size=3>  Black Beauty....My D, did sell ....finally...for the figures mentioned but it was worth more than that in reality & in time these custom built pianos from a variety of small shops will (hopefully)have the kind of reputation required to command higher prices than the mass produced one.</FONT></EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT size=3>  I as David A. stated I did deliver the D to it's location at the Arkely center for the performing arts in Eureka Calif just yesterday.  The Center is a 1920's theatre that has been meticulously restored & is a perfect acoustic location to enshrine this wonderful full voiced piano. </FONT></EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT size=3>  After setting it up, those of us there walked about the auditorium to hear how it spoke in the room.</FONT></EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3><STRONG><EM>  I was totally & completly gratified that, after the arduous restoration, sweat, tears & joy of experienced music in concerts & tedious /marketing that, IMHO, it's final acoustic destiny was worthy of the effort & will be a center piece of the musical performing community on the extreme Northern Calif coast for years to come. See</EM></STRONG> </FONT><FONT size=4><STRONG><EM><A href="http://www.ArkelyCenter.com/">www.</EM></STRONG><STRONG><EM>ArkelyCenter.com/</A></EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT size=3>  Thanks to all those, who upon hearing Black Beauty In Rochester,The Atelier & the 05 Sacramento Convention uttered  words of praise , encouragement & enthusiasm.</FONT></EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT size=3>  Kindest regards</FONT></EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT size=3>  Dale Erwin</FONT></EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>On Feb 23, 2007, at 4:42 AM, Porritt, David wrote:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"> <DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 16px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; apple-text-size-adjust: auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2"> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; 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="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 16px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; apple-text-size-adjust: auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2"> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; 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> <BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 16px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; apple-text-size-adjust: auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2"> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; 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="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 16px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; apple-text-size-adjust: auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2"> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; 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></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT lang=0 face="Book Antiqua" size=2 PTSIZE="10" FAMILY="SERIF"><B><I></I>Dale Erwin--Piano Restorations<BR>4721 Parker rd<BR>Modesto, Ca. 95357<BR>Shop 209-577-8397<BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 face="Abadi MT Condensed" color=#000000 size=2 PTSIZE="10" FAMILY="SANSSERIF"></FONT><FONT lang=0 face="Abadi MT Condensed" color=#000000 size=3 PTSIZE="12" FAMILY="SANSSERIF">Web site <A href="http://www.erwinspiano.com/">http://www.Erwinspiano.com</A></FONT><FONT lang=0 face="Abadi MT Condensed" color=#000000 size=2 PTSIZE="10" FAMILY="SANSSERIF"> </FONT><FONT lang=0 face="Book Antiqua" color=#000000 size=2 PTSIZE="10" FAMILY="SERIF"><I><BR>Restoration & Sales of<BR>Steinway & Sons & other fine pianos.<BR>" Soundboards by Design"</I><BR></B></FONT></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR> <HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px"> AOL now offers free email to everyone. 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