<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" = http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content="MSHTML 5.00.3105.105" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=2>Del,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Well put.  As a musician first, technician = second, I have become so frustrated with the modern "homogenized" sound, as you = call it. I find it extremely difficult to convince myself of the beauty that many = claim to enjoy of the newer pianos.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Tom Servinsky,RPT</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: = 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px"> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A href="mailto:mwissner@earthlink.net" = title=mwissner@earthlink.net>Mark Wisner</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" title=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></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>