<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 5.50.4807.2300" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>I have a customer who is a excellent pianist with a 100 year old Knabe.  She has been talking about how she deserves a good piano and suggested she go out and look.  She went to the local Steinway/Yamaha fully expecting to find the piano of her dreams and spent 3 hours playing everything.  She was astounded when nothing called to her.  She couldn't believe the lack of singing quality in the Steinways especially...I suggested she try the Mason & Hamlin next...We are rethinking working on her old piano...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>David I.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********<BR><BR>On 9/17/01 at 10:52 AM Delwin D Fandrich wrote:</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid"> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000080 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=mwissner@earthlink.net href="mailto:mwissner@earthlink.net">Mark Wisner</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> September 17, 2001 12:00 AM</DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT><BR></DIV> <P> <DIV></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"> <DIV><FONT size=2>My snappy retort;</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Nah, Dale, you aren't the booming voice I was referring to.  What I was trying to say in a light-hearted way  (and what I may be mistaken about) is that since there is a wide range of pianos to choose from, new, used, mellow, bright, and everything in between, I assume that folks are buying what they want.  And what most people are buying are pianos with lotsa volume and a bright sound. So I conclude that's what most people want.  Capitalism in action.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>As to the numbers of "S" series pianos Yamaha sells, I already told you, one is sold for every gazillion of everything else.....  'Nother words, I don't know...not enough, though. <HR> </FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080>Actually, Mark, the range isn't nearly as wide as you suggest. True, there are a gazillion pianos available with slight variations on the hard, 'bright' sound. But there are very few new pianos on the market with anything resembling a 'mellow' sound. Not even if you include those that are simply 'less-hard' than the aforementioned gazillion. Besides, just 'mellow' isn't really the same as the wonderfully dynamic piano sound of a time now gone, is it?</FONT></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080>Over the past thirty-plus years--I can't personally speak for new pianos any further back than that (yet)--I have seen a steady homogenizing of piano sound toward today's hard, bright sound as an unanticipated, undesirable and unnecessary side effect of mass production. Along with this, even as worldwide piano manufacturing capacity has grown by amounts undreamed of just thirty years ago and with the exception of a few peaks here and there, there has been a steady decline in both the number of manufacturers and in piano sales. </FONT></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080>As I listen to the tales told by the owners of old pianos who, after shopping the new piano market with great anticipation turned to frustration, are now getting their old pianos remanufactured I have to wonder if there is not a connection.... Yes, I do think the market is speaking and I don't think it's ready to shut up just yet. </FONT></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080>Del</FONT></DIV><FONT size=2 Arial></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></BODY></HTML>