<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><BR><DIV><DIV>On 6-mrt-2007, at 16:03, <A href="mailto:Erwinspiano@aol.com">Erwinspiano@aol.com</A> wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"> <FONT id="role_document" face="Arial" color="#000000" size="2"> <DIV> <DIV> <STRONG><EM> Marcel</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM> Your experience with pianist echo's many. As far as dialogue with the makers go I don't find that the big corporations listen to anything outside their own walls. I just sat with Kent Webb from Steinway & we had a very congenial discussion about my unhappiness with the hammers & the way they are coming from the factory. That is being heavily pre juiced. He stated that the parts dept was a secondary function to manufacturing & that the hammers weren't going to change. </EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM> Marcel ,They're not looking or listening to us they're looking at the bottom line & how to make there job of getting pianos out the door & make a profit with the least amount of cost & fuss within the factory. </EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM> It's a nice idea but in reality it's just a nice idea. </EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM> As far as grateful. Yeah baby....vertigree.... collapsed boards..... & teflon bushings will keep me an Dennis in business till we retire & beyond.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM> By the way every one bashes the CBS years at Steinway but they had some really good belly makers then & into the 1980.s. It was the actions that were primarily the factor that has given them bad PR....but hey, folks still buy them...Let's here it for Marketing & Tone branding.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM> I still get my best raw materials from the mother ship albeit used</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM> Cheers</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM> Dale</EM></STRONG></DIV></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></DIV><DIV>I think in the end it is only a matter of power and money.</DIV><DIV>There are not very many piano makers anymore and there are not very many piano buyers either.</DIV><DIV>So the interaction between buyers and makers is insignificant anyway.</DIV><DIV>Technicians who dare to stand in between and speak up risk getting punished for their professional honesty, so many piano technicians just back off and remain silent.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Now, in the world of cars for instance, it is totally different.</DIV><DIV>Cars are being tested every day everywhere, and they are being criticized by professionals in many many car magazines.</DIV><DIV>Both the public and the manufacturers are highly sensitive to what is written and said about their cars.</DIV><DIV>The amount of cars being fabricated every year is staggering so... factories had better listen carefully and adjust and adapt to their customers because the amount of money involved there is staggering compared to the piano industry.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span">It is my experience that only in <I>some</I> occasions do <I>some</I> technicians in <I>some</I> piano factories listen to colleagues 'in the field', resulting in <I>some</I> minor changes, and only every now and then.</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana; 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; "><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; "><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 style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">friendly greetings</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">from</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">André Oorebeek</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">Antoni van leeuwenhoekweg 15</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">1401 VW Bussum</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">the Netherlands</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">tel : 0031 35 6975840</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">tel : 0031 652388 008</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; "><A href="mailto:concertpianoservice@planet.nl">concertpianoservice@planet.nl</A></SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">www.concertpianoservice.nl</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">where music is, </SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">no harm can be</SPAN></DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>