<html 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" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">  <style>  </style>  </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'>Shawn:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'>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:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'>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:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'>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:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'>Best wishes,<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'>Will Truitt<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;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:12.0pt'>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:12.0pt'><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:10.0pt;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:10.0pt;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:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Shawn Brock, RPT</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>513-316-0563</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;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:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-top:7.5pt;text-align:center'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center> </span></div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>McCain or Obama? 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