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<DIV>It is true that the Korean pianos have not been as durable or as well =
made
as the better brands. I have seen some that are "passable" when =
new,
but they don't seem to accumulate mileage very gracefully. However, =
some
of the better, top of the line Young Changs have seemed to be improved =
during
the last couple of years. The Pramberger line (Young Chang) reminds =
me of
Yamaha in its earlier days. Stay away from Sojin. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>If money is the problem, you may be better off looking for a used=
piano of good quality. Check out Larry Fine's book: The Piano Book.&=
nbsp;
It actually compares brands and will help your church to make a good
decision. It is in some libraries, or can be ordered. Have a
qualified, independent piano technician check out the piano before you make=
the
purchase. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>If you intend to use this instrument heavily, steer clear of "rebuilt"=
pianos unless they have really been completely gone over with new parts.&=
nbsp; A
refinishing job and a set of "new felts" isn't enough! </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Don't be in a hurry. You may be "stuck" with the instrument=
for
a long time!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Tom Armstrong</DIV>
<DIV>Registered Piano Technician</DIV>
<DIV>Salinas, CA, USA</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2>In a message dated 6/19/01=
1:53:09
PM Central Daylight Time, rafjr@cbcso.org <BR>writes: <BR><BR><BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-LEFT: 10px; MARGIN-LEFT: 10px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px =
solid">
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px =
solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"
TYPE="CITE">Hello, <BR><BR>My church is considering buying a Sojin =
piano.
We have received a lot of <BR>negative feedback about Sojin.
Could anyone give me some specific reasons <BR>(more specific =
than
"they are entry level", or "they aren't as good as <BR>Yamaha")? =
We
don't want to make a big mistake, but we need facts to make <BR>our
decision. <BR><BR>Thanks! <BR><BR>That Christ may be exalted, <BR><BR>=
Pastor
Robb Fowler <BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Rev. Fowler. <BR><BR>A low end =
piano like
a Sojin would be OK if the only thing it is used for is <BR>to play a =
couple
of hymns once or twice a month. But if the church is going <BR>to use it =
more
than that, it would be money well spent to purchase a little <BR>better
quality piano. <BR><BR>The problem with low end pianos is longevity. On =
the
surface, to the <BR>untrained ear and eye, a low end piano might sound =
and
look just as good as a <BR>more expensive one. But piano technicians see=
pianos that have been heavily <BR>used for 10 years that are ready to be=
replaced, or at best, ready to be <BR>rebuilt. Most churches don't =
understand
why a 10 year old piano needs to be <BR>replaced that soon, and so they =
either
put up with what they have, or try one <BR>tuner after another, looking =
for
someone who can miraculously fix the piano. <BR><BR>It would be much =
wiser for
the church to spend another $4000 to $6000 now, <BR>and have a piano that=
will
last 25 - 30 years, instead of saving the money <BR>and having it last =
only 10
years. It's like a pair of shoes. You can buy a <BR>pair of shoes for $25=
.00
that will only last 6 months, or you can buy a pair <BR>of shoes for $100=
which will last 4 years. Which, in the long run, is the <BR>less =
expensive
pair of shoes? <BR><BR>Good Luck, Pastor Fowler. <BR><BR>Willem Blees, =
RPT
<BR>St. Louis, MO <BR><BR>PS. You are a very wise man to ask for advice =
before
buying a piano. There <BR>are too many people who ask the questions after=
they
made the purchase. <BR>Congratulations. </FONT></FONT>
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