<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=windows-1252"> <META content="MSHTML 5.50.4134.600" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr 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=mwissner@earthlink.net = href="mailto:mwissner@earthlink.net">Mark Wisner</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> September 17, 2001 12:00 = AM</DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT><BR></DIV> <P> <DIV></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"> <DIV><FONT size=2>My snappy retort;</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Nah, Dale, you aren't the booming voice I was = referring to.  What I was trying to say in a light-hearted way  (and = what I may be mistaken about) is that since there is a wide range of = pianos to choose from, new, used, mellow, bright, and everything in = between, I assume that folks are buying what they want.  And what most = people are buying are pianos with lotsa volume and a bright sound. So I = conclude that's what most people want.  Capitalism in action.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>As to the numbers of "S" series = pianos Yamaha sells, I already told you, one is sold for every gazillion of = everything else.....  'Nother words, I don't know...not enough, though. <HR> </FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080>Actually, Mark, the range isn't = nearly as wide as you suggest. True, there are a gazillion pianos available with slight = variations on the hard, 'bright' sound. But there are very few new = pianos on the market with anything resembling a 'mellow' sound. Not even if you = include those that are simply 'less-hard' than the aforementioned gazillion. Besides, = just 'mellow' isn't really the same as the wonderfully dynamic piano sound of = a time now gone, is it?</FONT></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080>Over the past thirty-plus years--I = can't personally speak for new pianos any further back than that (yet)--I have = seen a steady homogenizing of piano sound toward today's hard, bright sound as = an unanticipated, undesirable and unnecessary side effect of mass = production. Along with this, even as worldwide piano manufacturing capacity has grown by = amounts undreamed of just thirty years ago and with the exception of a few peaks = here and there, there has been a steady decline in both the number of = manufacturers and in piano sales. </FONT></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080>As I listen to the tales told by = the owners of old pianos who, after shopping the new piano market with great = anticipation turned to frustration, are now getting their old pianos remanufactured I = have to wonder if there is not a connection.... Yes, I do think the market is = speaking and I don't think it's ready to shut up just yet. </FONT></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080>Del</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>