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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Okay, let's give you guys some more =
information (no
don't have 88 SWs yet, just a little history).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>First, I am actually the customer, not =
a
technician. If I knew then what I know now would I buy this piano =
--
probably not. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So problem #1 is simply </FONT><FONT =
face=Arial
size=2>ignorance. Probably true for most customers. I, =
probably like
most people (piano techs excluded), </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>do not expect to have significant =
</FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2>issues with such an instrument.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Keep in mind that Steinway pianos are =
not bought
from the factory, they are bought from dealers. Some dealers are =
better
than others. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I had a choice of three L's locally, =
none of which
were prepped (we're talking ZERO prep aside from tuning). One =
could not be
played because it</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>still had the packing material in the =
keyboard
(they took it out while I was in the store). Shocked? Welcome to
reality.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The piano was chosen mainly on the =
basis of sound,
not touch. This again is probably true for many customers, =
particularly
musicians</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>(a Steinway with lousy touch still =
sounds
better than most of the other stuff out there, unless you want to shell =
out even
more money). </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I do not have any beefs with the
sound.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The main reason for wanting to lighten =
the action
is that my wife is 90 lbs and has some arthritis. I can play it =
without
problems, she is in</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>pain. To generalize, it is =
probably more
difficult to make a piano right for multiple people.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>A while after we bought the piano, the =
dealer hired
a good technician. On a trip to the store, it was obvious that =
every
single Steinway in</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>the store was significantly nicer to =
play touchwise
than ours. So we paid him to come out and do a day's work on =
ours.
Big improvement,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>but still doesn't change the basic =
weight/leverage
setup issues.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>We also took a piano window shopping =
trip to New
York which was a real eye opener. It revealed a few things, the =
most
important of which are</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>1) don't buy it if it's not right IN =
THE
STORE. It is possible, and there's really no excuse.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>2) there's other good stuff out there =
(e.g. Faust
and Harrison rebuilds, used Bosendorfers etc).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>BTW, I don't buy the argument that =
because I bought
it I have to leave it alone.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Well, that should give you guys some =
things to talk
about :)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>-Mark</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><FONT
face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2 =
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR>As
Ed and Ric said, action making is an art, and all pianos should be =
prepped.
But more important, and this is what I asked about before, is given =
that each
action is different, the player needs to pick out the piano he/she =
likes. If,
after a couple of years, the player complains about the action, we =
need to
ask, "Is it any different from when you first got the piano?" Actions =
are kind
of like a pair of shoes. If they don't fit and feel good when you =
first put
them on, you can't "wear them in." With an action, there is not going =
to be
much difference in the way it feels in the first couple of years, =
unless there
is something wrong. But I don't think we should try to do some =
wholesale
changes to an action that wasn't put there in the first place. Because =
when
you change one thing adjustment, it has an effect on the other =
adjustments.
<BR><BR>This is why artists try out all the pianos in Steinway Hall to =
pick
out the one they like the best. When we bought our B and D, the chair =
of our
department, who is also a concert pianist, went to NY to pick out the =
piano he
liked best. When I sold pianos, and when I advice people on buying =
pianos, I
tell them to lookt for three things in a piano, how does it look, how =
does it
sound and how does it feel. If any one of those three is not right, =
look for
another piano. <BR><BR>In other words, with regard to the customer who =
complained about the heavy action on a 3 or 4 year old Steinway, the =
first
thing we need to ask is, "Is this what you bought?" If it is, there =
isn't much
we can do to change it. <BR><BR>Wim
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