<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2180" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; = FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottomMargin=7 bgColor=#ffffff leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 = rightMargin=7> <DIV>Dave,</DIV> <DIV>Very well put.</DIV> <DIV>Tom Servinsky</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 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=Piannaman@aol.com href="mailto:Piannaman@aol.com">Piannaman@aol.com</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, September 30, = 2005 1:52 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Chinese = Pianos</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 = size=2> <DIV> <DIV> <DIV>While I'm not a big fan of Chinese pianos in general, they are = FAR better than most of the low end pianos produced in the US in the 70s, 80s and = 90s.  Let's see, would I rather work on a Pearl River or an = Andrew Kohler spinet.? Or an American made Kohler and Campbell piano of that = era?  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>We used to have a few good mid-range pianos built in the = US.  Sohmers and Everetts were around and were decent little = pianos when I first started in this business, and not dreadfully expensive.  = As near as I can tell, Charles Walter is perhaps the only one that fills that = bill, and they are definitely at the high end of mid-range.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Many of these shiny pianos with disc players are purchased = by cheap people.  By that, I mean people who could afford a Steingraber, = but choose to buy little Jenny a "beginner's piano," because it is so = pretty and a real deal.  People who think nothing of spending 60 grand on an = SUV and all that money to fill it with gas, but who don't consider = music "serious" enough to spend real money on.  </DIV> <DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>For some people, though, even a low-end Chinese studio piano is stretching the budget to the hilt.  Will I refuse to work on that = piano?  No, because I see that the people are serious about = having their child learn music.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV></DIV> <DIV>Let's face it:  manufacturing has gone overseas, and as Ed = says, we have asked for it.  Who on this list has a computer that wasn't = made in China?  Who isn't astounded at how inexpensive all of these electronics goods are these days?  Everyone likes cheap = stuff.  But it has its cost in human terms, as Ed pointed out.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The trouble is, when jobs are hard to come buy, even cheap stuff = seems expensive.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>ON the griddle,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Dave Stahl</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>In a message dated 9/29/2005 9:11:26 AM Pacific = Standard Time, A440A@aol.com writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px = solid"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 = size=2>Greetings, <BR>       The American = public is the reason that China is selling so many goods <BR>over here. We are the = ones buying the goods produced over there.  This is a <BR>very clear = example of Americans helping themselves to the cheapest bargains at <BR>the = expense of their own industry. </FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></BODY></HTML>