<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=us-ascii"> <META content="MSHTML 5.50.4915.500" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <DIV><FONT color=#008080>Comments below:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080> <SPAN id=__#Ath#SignaturePos__></SPAN> </FONT></DIV> <DIV>----- Original Message ----- <DIV>From: "Richard Brekne" <<A href="mailto:Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no">Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no</= A>></DIV> <DIV>To: <<A = href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A>></DIV> <DIV>Sent: Saturday, May 11, 2002 6:13 AM</DIV> <DIV>Subject: Re: 1969 Steinway L CBS?</DIV></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>> Farrell wrote:<BR>> <BR>> > I have yet to run into a = brand Y piano that regulates its own dampers!<BR>> > From the standpoint = of a technician, I am not crabbing about brand X.<BR>> > I am simply = stating a general observation regarding how they hold up<BR>> > over the = years compared to some other pianos, most notably brand Y.<BR>> > From = the standpoint of the consumer, having purchased a new brand X<BR>> > = vertical before getting into this field, I am indeed crabbing. And I<BR>> > = got something to crab about!   ;-0 With good intent throughout, Terry<BR>> > Farrell<BR>> <BR>> Hmmm... so you owned a = Steinway upright that went bad.... for reasons<BR>> not completely understood = to us others</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080>Yes, I bought a new 1098 about five years = ago. I don't think "went bad" is correct. If it "went bad", it occurred before = Steinway sold it to me. IMHO, it was made bad (1/4" reverse crown with lots of downbearing?).</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>> ... you had some bad experience in<BR>> dealing with their = service department as well ?? (seem to remember you<BR>> saying something = about this a while back.. am I wrong ?)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080>IMHO, very bad, rude ("you'll get used to = that dinging noise"), unsatisfactory (to put it mildly). Yes, this has been addressed = in the past.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>> And from this<BR>> and from your experience base you = feel justified in condemning what the<BR>> vast majority of pianists = clearly recognize as the best sounding and<BR>> playing instrument available = for purchase these past 120 years or so.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080>This aspect of this thread started out = addressing vertical pianos from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. I am only speaking of = vertical pianos. MHO is based in part on my 1098 that had serious defects = and they were unwilling to fix properly, but mostly MHO is based on the group of = maybe 20 or 30 Steinway verticals that I have run across over the past few years = while servicing pianos. Almost every one (and I can't recall one that didn't) = had some portion (some, multiple items) of a combination of cracked bridges, = lots of excessive string noise, poor hammer alignment (and other action = components), way out of regulation, poor string terminations, poorly performing = dampers - the type of things that one sees while tuning and lead one to feel that = the piano is quite worn out for its age. Yamaha verticals that I see from = this era are mostly in very good condition, with few if any of the aforementioned = problems, or at least to a significantly less degree.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080>Again, I am strictly speaking to my own = observations. Who knows, maybe the brand Y are in such good condition because they are = miserable to play and sound bad so no one plays them, while brand X = sounds so nice and plays great so that everyone plays it day and night. I don't = know that to be the case though.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080>Except for the few specific and well documented problems some Steinway grand pianos exhibit (verdigris, = Teflon action centers, poor action geometry), I have much respect = for their grand pianos.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><BR>> I know people who CHOOSE not to buy a BMW..... not because = they dont<BR>> think of it as a good car... but because its tempermental = and needs lots<BR>> of looking after.  Then I also know people who think = BMW's are lousy<BR>> cars..... because they are tempermental....<BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080>Well, I guess if you want a piano that = is often not quite working well, and that has </FONT><FONT color=#000000>".....faults in each one that can be discovered and = cherished over the years"<FONT color=#008080>, then go for it!   :-)</FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080>Again, all this seems to be clear from = my observations based on a few tens of pianos. I'm not a statistician. = Perhaps that is not enough of a sampling.</FONT> <FONT color=#008080>If not, = ignore everything I've said. You may choose that route anyway!   ;-)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008080></FONT><BR>> --<BR>> Richard = Brekne<BR>> RPT, N.P.T.F.<BR>> Bergen, Norway<BR>> <A href="mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no">mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no</A><BR>&= gt; <A href="http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html">http://home.broad= park.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html</A><BR>> <BR>> </DIV></BODY></HTML>