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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This is hilarious! I just wish it =
wasn't so
painfully possible in our future world based economy. And Gibson, =
what are
they thinking? Just because they have built and sold guitars, they =
imagined that manufacturing and marketing Pianos would be a snap, a =
future gold
mine?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Bob Sutton</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>League City, TX</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
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=tune4u@earthlink.net =
href="mailto:tune4u@earthlink.net">Alan</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> Saturday, January 08, =
2005 12:14
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> That's Business! Was =
Baldwin,
Yamaha, etc.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT face=Arial>Gibson took =
over with two
results:</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT face=Arial>Good: Gibson =
believes in
shipping quality products, so Baldwin got a shake-up wake-up in that
regard.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT face=Arial>Bad: Gibson =
likes
SuperStores selling their whole line with big inventories. They =
don't
like Mom & Pop shops. You don't get to tell them what inventory =
level you
want--they tell you. Many, many long-time good and loyal Baldwin =
dealers were
forced out by Gibson's goonish tactics.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT face=Arial>Take a =
hurting company,
spend borrowed bucks to improve quality & image (good idea, I =
guess), then
make the product less accessible and less visible to Mr. & Mrs. =
America
(dumb idea, methinks).</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT face=Arial>Yamaha? Well, =
what a
great opportunity for after-market parts makers. Even patents will not =
protect
them if they will not supply what the consumer needs to maintain =
products
Yamaha made (who cares when and where it was bought and sold).
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT face=Arial>A parallel =
model: UPS,
FedEx, and all the rest would never have gotten the tiniest toe-hold =
in the
package business if the USPS hadn't had its bureaucratic head up its
quasi-governmental backside back in its total-monopoly
days.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT face=Arial>No point in =
whining or
complaining about business practices because you can't fix stupid. =
Better
to opt optimistically for options and opportunities. (Ain't =
that
awsomely alliterative?)</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT face=Arial>Maybe =
Wal-Mart will buy
the Baldwin name and have Pearl River build pianos to sell in their
Communist-Chinese, Slave-Market Outlet SuperStores--I can see the =
fallboard
decal now ...</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT
face=Arial>LESTER-BALDWIN</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV align=center><SPAN class=421433417-08012005></SPAN><SPAN
class=421433417-08012005><FONT face=Arial>Built by the lowest =
bidder -- Made
in China -- Stored for 3 years in an open shed in =
Haiti</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV align=center><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT =
face=Arial>Grand
Exalted Winner of Every Conceivable Award, Paris
1884</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV align=center><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT
face=Arial>Elusive AtchooHarm Action</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV align=center><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT =
face=Arial>Patented
Tone Dud soundboard made from real wood by-products, mostly, and =
guaranteed
free of workmanship, quality, and tone for 25 =
years!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV align=center><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT =
face=Arial>Some
Assembly Required -- Warranty void if Opened or =
Played</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=421433417-08012005><FONT
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Alan R. =
Barnard</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Salem, =
MO</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV><BR>
<P><FONT size=2>--<BR>No virus found in this outgoing =
message.<BR>Checked by
AVG Anti-Virus.<BR>Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.6.9 - =
Release Date:
01/06/2005<BR></FONT></P>
<P>
<HR>
<P></P>No virus found in this incoming message.<BR>Checked by AVG
Anti-Virus.<BR>Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.6.9 - Release =
Date:
01/06/2005<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>