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<DIV>In a factory visit in January, we were told by John Patton that the =
new
square tail, 6'2" Model A is targeted to institutions, to be something
affordable (@ $57,000) between the old L and the B. It uses the =
same
action stack as the B, as well as 16lb. felt hammers. The ribs are =
made
from sugar pine as opposed to Hamburg's which are made from =
spruce.
Dealers at NAMM responded well to the new A and have already bought the =
entire
first year's production.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>My guess is that, with the success of the new A (which would =
cannibalize L
sales) the <EM>retr</EM>O seemed a logical next step. JAG,
though.</DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>