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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Stan,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Just wondering if you know who tunes =
the pianos at
the Jasper San Filippo mansion there in Barrington?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Jim</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>James Grebe<BR>Piano-Forte Tuning & Repair<BR>Creator of =
Handsome
Hardwood Caster Cups<BR>(314) 608-4137<BR><A
href="http://www.JamesGrebe.com">WWW.JamesGrebe.com</A><BR>1526 =
Raspberry
Lane<BR>Arnold, MO 63010<BR>BECOME WHAT YOU BELIEVE!<BR><A
href="mailto:pianoman@accessus.net">pianoman@accessus.net</A></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=jstan40@sbcglobal.net =
href="mailto:jstan40@sbcglobal.net">J. Stanley
Ryberg</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> Saturday, December 25, =
2004 7:35
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Year End</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Alan Forsyth wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite=mid000001c4ead7$6e738830$9bf7193e@Aspire =
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<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3>There is good news and there is bad news =
from this
end. I am Down from last year on appointments by 25% but only down =
by 7.5%
financially, which means that profitability is actually
UP.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3>The one challenge we are going to have =
to address
is the onslaught of the digital piano. Traditional piano dealers are =
selling
more of these now than the real thing. I always try and put my
customers off buying them by saying that they lose their value very =
quickly,
just like computers because they become outdated (obsolete) within a =
few
years. I also tell them that they will soon become tired of the =
sound of a
digital piano (at least I do) "listener fatigue" and all that. I can =
only
play a digital piano for about half an hour and have to switch it =
off.
</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3>Have any of you ever analysed the =
tuning on a
digital piano: it's terrible. The temperament is not very smooth at =
all and
even the unisons aren't all that great. However I do suspect that if =
they
were tuned the way we tuners would like them to be tuned, they =
probably
wouldn't sound like pianos at all!</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3>Any other ammunition with which to =
bombard the
onslaught is welcome.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3>Looking forward to another
year.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3>Burp!</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="comic sans ms" color=#c00000
size=3><STRONG>Alan,</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#c00000
size=3></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#c00000 =
size=3>Another point
that has not been addressed as of this writing are the twin =
issues of
reliability and parts availability. Having retired recently =
from an
institution with a state-of-the-art electronic keyboard lab used to =
teach
class piano, I can tell you what high usage does to even the best of =
electronic keyboards. Parts fail, plastic breaks, springs =
break, even
circuit boards crack, which leads to some pretty difficult =
diagnostic
problems. Since the life span of the first REALLY high-end lab =
was
about 8 years (with problems of the sort described above beginning =
after
less than 5 years), the start-up cost was not an initial cost, but a =
repeated cost 8 years later, and will be again at about the same
interval. Useful? Yes. The lab allows for group
instruction in a very sophisticated manner...this could not be done
(headphones, ability to communicate together or separately, et! c.) =
with
real pianos. But once the class piano sequence is finished, =
any
student continuing will be taught privately on at minimum a studio =
grand
piano...and even in class piano they are urged to practice in the =
practice
rooms on real pianos, not in the lab.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#c00000
size=3></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#c00000 =
size=3>Merry
Christmas....Happy New Year! Chicago-land is warming up slowly =
from
low temperatures well below zero...and that's Fahrenheit,
Alan!!!!</FONT></STRONG></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><BR>
<DIV>Stan Ryberg <BR>Barrington IL
<BR><U>jstan40@sbcglobal.net</U></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>