<HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-885= 9-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2180" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; BORDER-T= OP-STYLE: none; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LE= FT-STYLE: none; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none" bottomMargin=7 bgColor=#= ffffff leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7> <P><BR>Yep, good points...how is Charles Walter pianos doing in sales?&= nbsp;  I have only seen a few in the Bay Area...</P> <P>David I.<BR><BR></P> <DIV style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5p= x; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 3px solid; PADDING-TOP: 5px"> <HR> Original message<BR>From: "Tom Servinsky" <TOMPIANO@BELLSOUTH.NET><BR>T= o: Pianotech <PIANOTECH@PTG.ORG><BR>Received: 9/30/2005 3:51:30 AM<BR>S= ubject: Re: Chinese Pianos<BR><BR> <DIV align=left>Dave,</DIV> <DIV>Very well put.</DIV> <DIV>Tom Servinsky</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; M= ARGIN-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=Piannaman@aol.com href="mailto:Piannaman@aol= .com">Piannaman@aol.com</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org= href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, September 30, 2005= 1:52 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Chinese Pianos</DIV= > <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 si= ze=2> <DIV> <DIV> <DIV>While I'm not a big fan of Chinese pianos in general, they are FAR= better than most of the low end pianos produced in the US in the 70s, = 80s and 90s.  Let's see, would I rather work on a Pearl River or a= n Andrew Kohler spinet.? Or an American made Kohler and Campbell piano = of that era?  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>We used to have a few good mid-range pianos built in the US. = Sohmers and Everetts were around and were decent little pian= os when I first started in this business, and not dreadfully expensive.=   As near as I can tell, Charles Walter is perhaps the only one th= at fills that bill, and they are definitely at the high end of mid-rang= e.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Many of these shiny pianos with disc players are purchased by&nbsp= ;cheap people.  By that, I mean people who could afford a Steingra= ber, but choose to buy little Jenny a "beginner's piano," because it is= so pretty and a real deal.  People who think nothing of spending = 60 grand on an SUV and all that money to fill it with gas, but who=  don't consider music "serious" enough to spend real money on.&nbs= p; </DIV> <DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>For some people, though, even a low-end Chinese studio piano is st= retching the budget to the hilt.  Will I refuse to work on that pi= ano?  No, because I see that the people are serious about having t= heir child learn music.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV></DIV> <DIV>Let's face it:  manufacturing has gone overseas, and as Ed sa= ys, we have asked for it.  Who on this list has a computer that wa= sn't made in China?  Who isn't astounded at how inexpensive a= ll of these electronics goods are these days?  Everyone likes chea= p stuff.  But it has its cost in human terms, as Ed pointed out.</= DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The trouble is, when jobs are hard to come buy, even cheap stuff s= eems expensive.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>ON the griddle,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Dave Stahl</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>In a message dated 9/29/2005 9:11:26 AM Pacific Standa= rd Time, A440A@aol.com writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: = blue 2px solid"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Ar= ial color=#000000 size=2>Greetings, <BR>       = The American public is the reason that China is selling so many goods <= BR>over here. We are the ones buying the goods produced over there.&nbs= p; This is a <BR>very clear example of Americans helping themselves to = the cheapest bargains at <BR>the expense of their own industry. </FONT>= </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>