<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" xmlns:v = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m = "http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16735" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE>  </STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY lang=EN-US vLink=purple link=blue bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Will,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I think people are misunderstanding my intentions here.  I have never had any intentions of going into piano retail, I'm 99 percent technician.  I am just looking at carrying between 1 and 3 pianos at a time.  Yes the Hardman Peck is Chinese.  We are talking about uprights that start at $1300 wholesale.  So I don't know that it would be a major business risk for me.  After all, I have sold used pianos that I have had as much money in.  The 2 things that makes it easier for me to move product is I can play it and I can work on it.  People seem to trust and respect you more when you can do one or the other or both.  The dealers here can't do either vary well.  I think you guys are correct in your thinking, but I don't think you got a clear perception on what I was trying to ask.  Sorry for my lack of clarity.  So, that's the bottom line, I'm just looking to shove a few pianos into the back of my shop and get rid of them as I can.  Gosh!  I would never want to get a retail space...  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Best,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Shawn Brock, RPT</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>513-316-0563</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="http://www.shawnbrock.com">www.shawnbrock.com</A></FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr 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=surfdog@metrocast.net href="mailto:surfdog@metrocast.net">Will Truitt</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">'Pianotech List'</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, October 24, 2008 6:37 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: Hardman Peck</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV class=Section1> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Shawn:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">In general, I agree with Wim.  I was a Baldwin and Young Chang dealer for 7 years  until 2002.  I never worked so hard for so little money and so much risk.  And that was when the market was still good, a low volume, high margin business, whereas  now it is an even lower volume, low margin business.  <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">I would ask you this:  If these well positioned and experienced dealers can’t make it work in this economy, what do you bring to the table that would lead you to believe that you will have a different result?  If you want to go ahead anyway, buy  one or a very few with cash and be able to let that money sit in those pianos for as long as it takes to sell them.  That may be longer than you think.  I don’t know the Hardman Peck (probably Chinese?), but I would say only that it has no name recognition and the name won’t be meaningful to your potential buyers.  What is your business plan to market these pianos?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">I don’t mean to rain on your parade.  I can tell you that in this market, I have no desire to be a piano dealer again.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Best wishes,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Will Truitt<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <DIV style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #b5c4df 1pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-TOP: 3pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none"> <P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">From:</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'"> pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B>wimblees@aol.com<BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, October 24, 2008 2:28 PM<BR><B>To:</B> pianotech@ptg.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: Hardman Peck<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt">Shawn<BR><BR>Unless you have the capital to buy them outright, I would not recommend you get in the new piano market, even on a limited basis. It looks glorious, but in the long run, it will drive you out of business.  For what you have to pay for the new pianos, and make a profit, you'll be money ahead if you bought used pianos with that money. And I would definitely stay out of the new piano business if you have to finance them. The interest will kill you. Stay with the used market for now.<BR><BR>Take it from someone who's been there, done that, and lost his shirt. <o:p></o:p></P> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal>Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT<BR>Piano Tuner/Technician<BR>Mililani, Oahu, HI<BR>808-349-2943<BR>Author of: <BR>The Business of Piano Tuning<BR>available from Potter Press<BR>www.pianotuning.com<o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><BR><BR>-----Original Message-----<BR>From: Shawn Brock <shawnbrock@fuse.net><BR>To: Pianotech List <pianotech@ptg.org><BR>Sent: Fri, 24 Oct 2008 9:04 am<BR>Subject: Hardman Peck<o:p></o:p></P> <DIV id=AOLMsgPart_2_d3454ac2-48b9-464e-920b-9f8701d1db9f> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">List:</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">in this sputtering economy and with every piano dealer in Cincinnati crying about not making the capital to stay afloat I'm looking for something new to add to my arsenal.  That something is new piano sales.  For a while I have been picking up used pianos to push out the door as rentals or in the case of the nicer instruments good old cash on the barrel head.  I would like to pick up new pianos that are decent but not priced unrealistically, or are not junk!  Anyone have thoughts on the Hardman Peck?  You can email me privately if you like.  Most of the economical piano lines are taken for a while, but these guys have an opening and I need to decide something fairly soon.  I know I have worked on a few of these, but its just that, a few and I would like to get the thoughts of some of you who might be more experienced with this product.  How do they compare with Hallet Davis or other similar lines? ! ; Thanks as always!</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Shawn Brock, RPT</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">513-316-0563</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><A href="http://www.shawnbrock.com/" target=_blank>www.shawnbrock.com</A></SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV></DIV> <DIV id=MAILCIADA036-8869490221d4c4> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-TOP: 7.5pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> <HR align=center width="100%" SIZE=2> </SPAN></DIV> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-TOP: 7.5pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">McCain or Obama? 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