<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16414" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><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> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><BR>I think we should be grateful to Steinway and all manufacturers that<BR>gave us all these instruments we can improve in the rebuilding process.<BR>And I think we should open a communication line with all of them to air<BR>our complaints and worries, not to bitch, but for them to stay on their<BR>guards and build the best pianos they can within the present market.<BR><BR>Marcel Carey, RPT<BR>Sherbrooke, QC<BR><BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at <A title="http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/1615326657x4311227241x4298082137/aol?redir=http://www.aol.com" href="http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/1615326657x4311227241x4298082137/aol?redir=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eaol%2Ecom" target="_blank"><B>AOL.com</B></A>. </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>