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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=Wimblees@AOL.COM =
href="mailto:Wimblees@AOL.COM">Wimblees@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> December 15, 2001 7:00 =
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Bridging the =
cap</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2>In a =
message dated
12/15/01 1:49:51 PM !!!First Boot!!!, <A
href="mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com">mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com</A> =
writes:
<BR><BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px =
solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"
TYPE="CITE">I have done refurbishings on a couple family heirloom =
spinets
for $2,000+ - refinish, refurbish action, etc. - make 'em look like =
new and
play as good as they can - VERY happy customers. </BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR><BR>From my point of view, and perhaps there are others who =
have 20
plus years experience, when I find a piano such as an "heirloom" =
spinet, or
Phil's Howard grand, I can't, in good conscious, recommend the =
customer spend
the money I would need to charge to refurbish the piano. $2000 to =
refinish,
restore the action, tune, regulate, etc., is just not enough. Maybe =
Terry can
afford to do it for that price, but I can't. By the same token, =
to do
what Phil wants to do to that Howard will be in the $12,000 - $15,000 =
range.
Maybe he can do it for much less, but I'm sorry, I personally can't =
justify
charging that kind of money on that kind of instrument.
<HR>
</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 size=3>On the other =
hand, Wim, I was
involved in the redesign and remanufacture of a 4' 8" or so Howard grand =
a
couple of years back. I did the redesign work for the rebuilder in =
Portland,
Oregon. I don't know what the final tab on the job was, but I'm sure it =
was
upwards of $18,000 to $20,000. The piano performs very nicely, its size
notwithstanding. I used it as the prop piano for my Oregon Day =
presentation. The
consensus was that the piano was a satisfactory musical instrument, even =
through
most of the bass. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 size=3>By your =
standard the piano
wasn't worth that much but the customer is delighted with the piano and =
in their
view the money was well spent. So who is 'right?' I certainly wasn't =
embarrassed
in providing my services. The rebuilder was open and honest with the =
owners of
the piano about cost and 'value.' But their concept of value differed =
from our.
Does that make them wrong? Did the rebuilder somehow swindle the =
customer?
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 size=3>It is not the =
rebuilder who
has to justify charging X amount of money on any particular job. It is =
the
customer who has to justify spending it. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3>Del</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3></FONT> </DIV>
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