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<DIV><FONT color=#000080>"-- There are ways around the problem of =
thinning
soundboards. Even if not, it can be done reasonably well on an =
assembly-line
basis. I don't know how well it is being done yet but consider the =
latest Young
Chang pianos with their S&S inspired diaphramatic soundboards. You =
can be
assured that is not being done by hand."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>You got that right Del. Last April or so, Joe Pramberger gave our =
chapter
meeting a presentation on the new Young Chang Pramberger series pianos. =
Lots of
photos from the factory. He specifically described a bright young worker =
there
that built him a big computer-controlled (I think it was =
computer-controlled)
sander machine that you stick the soundboard in there and away it goes =
thinning
the board to your specifications. A couple photos of it. Looked pretty
impressive.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Thanks for the inside view on some of this stuff.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Terry Farrell</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
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=pianobuilders@olynet.com
href="mailto:pianobuilders@olynet.com">Delwin D Fandrich</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> Wednesday, September 12, =
2001 12:05
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Quality pianos - =
was Killer
Octave</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
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=DonMannino@mediaone.net
href="mailto:DonMannino@mediaone.net">Donald Mannino</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> September 11, 2001 1:05 =
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Quality pianos - =
was
Killer Octave</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=3>Well, I thought maybe I would chime in =
a little
and expand a little on Del's comments here:<BR></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite type="cite" cite>
<DL>
<DD>....In design, even "cheap" pianos are engineered to have =
proper
down
<DD>bearing, bridges etc. The problem between the cheap and the
expensive ones
<DD>are that in the manufacturing process, =
<BR><BR></DD></DL><FONT
face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 size=3>Fundamentally this =
is true. More
specifically, it lies in the amount of money spent on production =
machinery
to remove hand labor.</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR>The cheapest pianos, though, are those made by =
inexperienced labor
at very low wages, often using very inefficient production =
methods.
Even the most mechanized factory spends most of its money on labor, =
so the
only way to lower the costs further is to move the factory where the =
labor
is cheaper. When this is done by an experienced piano company =
the
results can be reasonable instruments. When it is done by an =
upstart
company, the results can be pretty questionable.</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>It is true that in so-called 'developing' =
economies
there is a period during which many truly horrendous pianos will be =
built
using inexperienced and relatively untrained workers. This is =
especially true
in companies that have purchased some designs and equipment from some
out-of-business U.S., Canadian or European manufacturer and then tries =
to
build it without really understanding what they are doing. The =
survivors will
end up investing in machinery and worker training.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT><FONT =
color=#000080></FONT><BR> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite type="cite" cite><FONT face="Lucida =
Sans"
color=#000080 size=3>One would certainly think this would be =
consistently
true, but it often seems that the manufacturer of the low-cost =
piano is
more concerned with backing up its products than are the =
manufacturers of
more expensive pianos. Perhaps this is because the low-end =
manufacturer
might be more willing to accept that their pianos may, indeed, =
have
problems.</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT><BR>I think it is more a matter of =
the lower
cost piano maker must try harder to build a reputation. The
distribution arms usually handle all the warranty coverage, and they =
can't
control what the factory makes, so they have to do everything they =
can to
fix problems in the best way possible. </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>Whatever the reason, they often do a better =
job.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite type="cite" cite><FONT face="Lucida =
Sans"
color=#000080 size=3>It should be possible to mass-produce =
pianos giving
excellent performance. Good piano design, hence good piano =
performance, is
not--at least is not inherently--expensive. Rims and soundboards =
can now
be made efficiently by machine, why shouldn't they be made in such =
a way
that they perform well.</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT><BR>There is no avoiding, though, =
that the
skill and experience of the piano builder is what raises a piano to =
the
level that musicians really respect and enjoy. Here are a few
examples;<BR>- It is more expensive for a company to thin =
soundboards than
to leave them even thickness. Even mechanized thinning is =
rather
expensive if done well.<BR>- It is more expensive to use hammers =
made with
low heat, both in terms of hammer factory efficiency and voicing =
time.<BR>-
It is much more expensive to level strings and fit hammers and voice =
carefully. The technicians who do final regulation, tuning and =
voicing
are among the most expensive workers any company =
employs.<BR><BR>There are
other examples, but these are 3 that have a strong impact on the =
tone and
touch response of the instrument. While one can make dramatic
improvements in well built "cookie cutter" pianos by doing thorough =
voicing
and prepping in the dealer or home, when the piano company knows how =
to do
these detailed and labor intensive steps well, the final product is =
on a
higher plane than the one which is 'merely' well
engineered.</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>In order:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>-- There are ways around the problem of =
thinning
soundboards. Even if not, it can be done reasonably well on an =
assembly-line
basis. I don't know how well it is being done yet but consider the =
latest
Young Chang pianos with their S&S inspired diaphramatic =
soundboards. You
can be assured that is not being done by hand.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>-- Granted, low-heat hammers are probably =
somewhat
more expensive to manufacture, though I think there are probably some =
way to
do this efficiently as well. But, how much does the factory cost of a =
set of
hammers add to the piano? Certainly not enough to justify a cost =
variation of
thousands.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>-- This is the one area that should be =
separating the
real thing from the pretenders. So why is it still necessary to do =
these
things at the dealer level even with some very expensive =
pianos?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>There are other examples you could give, =
but my point
is just that low-cost pianos of reasonably good performance are doable =
and we
should have them.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV>I have long complained that tuners like to recommend pianos =
that tune
easily and look nicely made. </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>Well, keep on complaining. Your voice also =
has
influence.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite type="cite" cite>
<DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 size=3>It is my =
opinion that,
finally, the marketplace is speaking. As the piano has become =
nothing more
than a perfect piece of furniture they are going off to buy =
something
else. Perhaps it's time to bring back the =
music.</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR>Easier said than done. There is way too much momentum =
keeping
the current process going - as you said, the market speaks. =
The brave
dealers and technicians who really try to make quality music work to =
sell
pianos are forced to go along with their competitors. The =
buyers come
in the store needing to hear a better story that the previous dealer =
gave
them - and getting that customer to agree to the sale is what pays =
the
dealer's bills.</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>It's pretty obvious the market is speaking. =
The only
question is just what is it saying?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>Del</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><BR>Don
Mannino RPT </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>