<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Jurgen,<DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>What I was contemplating was more along the lines of what specific parts you might keep if it were possible to pick and choose between the two instruments (rather than getting into issues of manufacturing techniques or quality control - maybe that involve an different sort of "fantasy merger").</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>For example, some on the list have mentioned their strong preference for the NY-type pedal setup. I myself kind of like the action- mounted sostenuto, because it allows such easy access to dampers - so I might choose that version (although I know I'd be in the minority). Another NY thing I like is damper underlevers that are screwed (rather than glued) on the rail; I spent some annoying time the other day popping off damper underlevers (they're glued on the rail in the Hamburg, like in the old NY pianos - at least in this 70's-era Hamburg B I'm working on) in order to simply travel underlevers (and by the way, speaking of quality control, quite a few of these were quite badly traveled at the Hamburg factory; I'll be interested to as I spend more time with Hamburgs to see how generally well-crafted these instruments are). On the other hand, I love the way the damper felts are actually cut at an angle to match the actual angle of the block in the Hamburg...well, you get the idea. If one could pick and choose...as I say, it's only a thought experiment.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>One could even imagine taking parts from Steinways of different eras. So, you get the idea. Sort of in the spirit of "if I were the king of the world".</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Oh, I should add - choosing parts from other manufacturers would not be allowed! : )</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Allen Wright</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><DIV><DIV>On 5 Mar 2007, at 00:28, Jurgen Goering wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Given what David Anderson recently documented about the large variability in action ration in NY instruments, it seems that they can't even produce consistently to their own specs.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>If this is the case, how can they hope to consolidate construction details with another piano factory?</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">The specter of the lower common denominator is a pretty scary thought.</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face="Helvetica" size="2" style="font: 10.0px Helvetica">Jurgen Goering</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face="Helvetica" size="2" style="font: 10.0px Helvetica">Piano Forte Supply</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face="Helvetica" size="2" style="font: 10.0px Helvetica">(250) 754-2440</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face="Helvetica" size="2" style="font: 10.0px Helvetica"><A href="mailto:info@pianofortesupply.com">info@pianofortesupply.com</A></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face="Helvetica" size="2" style="font: 10.0px Helvetica"><A href="http://www.pianofortesupply.com">http://www.pianofortesupply.com</A></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 12px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">On Mar 4, 2007, at 14:40, Allen Wright wrote:</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">...snip...I'm hearing talk (I have NO idea whether it's true or not) that Steinway might consider merging the NY and Hamburg pianos in certain ways, eliminating some of the differences between the two. It makes for a pretty interesting thought experiment, to consider how a committee might be formed to make decisions on which parts would be chosen to be kept and which eliminated. <SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>...snip...</FONT></DIV> </BLOCKQUOTE><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; 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; "><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></SPAN><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; 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; "><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN> </DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>