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Now, ain't that the truth, and there's more Chinese being added to this forum every day

Then why do you go out of your way to fuel it?

jf

[fugettaboutit...]

But we forgive him.

Just so. The thread was titled "The Ultimate Piano" I think. And as Larry said in that post, on that day, the "ultimate piano" was a 4'7" Pearl River.

Tom

Don't be a forum Nazi.

Your friend,
Dan

P.S. by the way, since you're back, I thought I'd let you know I saw your original Happy Birthday message to me way back when. And every subsequent version until it was edited down to a forum-appropriate level. You did a lot of editing in a very short amount of time.

Ain't no complaining here.

And if you think this is a worship ritual, you're nuckin futs. I don't worship any human. I do, however, have great respect for the past and the good people who populate it. I didn't start this thread, a relatively new member here did that. Even you must admit that a lot of Larry's old stuff, and I mean quite a bit, is well worth digging up.

Drop by his board sometimes at Piano Facts...I'm not saying you'll agree with what you read - pianos are somewhat subjective, you know - but there ain't a sales weazel on the site.

BTW, when was the last time you posted in the PF?

Hey, Nunatax, I looked at when you were here last.

Behold, the power of Larry:

Nunatax - 1/21/06 (that's the only time within the last year)
Jack Frost - no posts within the last 18 months
TomK - no posts within the last 18 months
D. Lee - 4/10/05
KathyK - 8/11/06 (but she posted more in this thread than her previous 6 months in the PF)
Cindysphinx - 8/2/06 (but to be fair, Cindy is quite active in other sections)

Bite me Michigan Boy... I was a Michigander when you were in diapers...

If you can't take the heat...but hey, I was born and raised a Hoosier. In my heart, though, I am from the South. And the good Lord willin', one day I'll move back to the land of my ancestors, er, ah, kin folk.

they call the grapevine at my church the 'calling tree'

This is more fun than I've had on here in.. oh, say a year and a half.....

Gosh, what a surprise! Certain people are blamed for getting good old Larry banned, and you're all shocked that they come on here to defend themselves. Even going to the trouble to find out how much they post! Great detective work there. Oh and I'll save you the trouble, I hardly ever post on this forum, so bash away.

Cindy, I didn't know you had such power. I'm going to have to be nicer to you!

As a matter of fact, it is rather a festival atmosphere... oh, my.. it couldn't be.. it is, though.... it's


LARRYFEST '06!


Everybody dance!

A yankee is a person who is born in the Northern United States, and resides therein.

A damnyankee is a person who is born in the Northern United States, and resides in God'S Country, sometimes referred to as "The South"or "Dixie".

Jolly - American by birth, Southern by the Grace of God...

What are you guys doing over at WTF, crying in a massive kumbayah slumber party?

Since you don't ever come here - this by your own admission - it must mean y'all are wailing the night away, pounding away at your keyboards, PM'ing (or is that PMS'ing),eating chocolate and watching your tush get bigger. :p

This is most certainly a hoot! Would you like a link to the TNCR, so you can read Larry's reaction?

Or would that depress you more so than usual?

Need a piano prepped? Maybe not. Larry-2004

I've stayed out of this thread because the last thing I want to do is cause any of the dealers here to think I'm questioning them, or saying anything bad about them. But the simple fact is, most true premium pianos do not require the kind of work being described here.

I'll use Bechstein as an example. Bechstein puts every single one of their pianos through many, many tunings, regulations, voicings, etc. at the factory. But then they do something else. Before the grands are crated, they go to Bechstein hall where their best prep men work with the pianos for several months. Some of the finest concert pianists in Europe come through, play them, make recommendations, the technicians make the changes, they are played again, more changes and adjustments, until the pianos are completely broken in, and regulated and voiced to perfection. The pianos may spend 6 months being played and adjusted before they pass inspection to be shipped out. I have *never* uncrated a Bechstein that needed much more than a slight brushup on the tuning. And no offense to the fine technicians here, but I don't think anyone here is any better qualified than Bechstein's veteran finish technicians.

Walter pianos are thoroughly prepped at the factory, even to the point of having it all done again just before it leaves the factory. I've never seen a Walter that arrived with uneven voicing, though the entire piano may be voiced differently than some want it. I do not recommend spending the massive amount of time and money on a piano like this that is being talked about given the fact that there is only one way to break in a piano, and that is time, and use. You can fiddle and fuss all day long for a week, but until the action is "played in" it is all for nothing. You can take the action apart and spit polish ever pin in it, but until that action has broken in, you're wasting your time.

My biggest problem with the discussion is the impression being left that *every single piano* gets this kind of attention. No offense, but there is a little "sales spin" being added to the mix here by some, and it's causing the wrong impression to be left. On the pianos where one *can* justify spending this kind of money, this kind of work is hardly necessary right out of the box, and much of it should be left until after the piano has some breakin time. On the pianos where this level of expense *can't* be justified, I am not buying into the idea that anyone is going to those lengths. Not only will the marketplace not support it, the typical customer for these products don't need it, and can't really tell the difference. Besides, the lower the quality of the piano, the more affected it is going to be by breaking it in.

I'm not trying to question anyone as to their level of truthfulness in their descriptions of what they claim to be doing to every single piano they sell. I *am* questioning however, the necessity of it all. This level of detail should happen after the piano has had a good bit of breakin time on it, and I'm not saying that because I'm someone who is too cheap to do it, or don't have high enough standards. My standards are just as high as anyone's here. I'm saying it because in my opinion most of it, particularly when talking about a true premium piano, is more self serving than it is beneficial to the piano, or to the customer buying the piano.

I stick to my previous statement - I can prep any piano to a perfectly acceptable level in less than 4 hours, and I'm talking about the cheap stuff. Would a picky fussy tech be able to find a few things that need improvement? Sure. But the last 16 hours worth of work is only yielding about a 5% improvement over where I'll have it, if that. To me, that is simply not justified, and spending that kind of money for that little improvement on a piano that hasn't even had time to break in yet is wasting the customer's money. High end pianos need very little when new. Spending 20+ hours on a premium piano without doing that to the preferences of the final owner is again, in my opinion, a waste of the customer's money. It sounds good when talked about, it leaves nice warm fuzzies with the public, but it just isn't called for.

Now - don't accuse me of attacking anyone, I'm not. And don't come back at me with your *own* attack trying to portray me as someone who doesn't understand or care about quality prepwork. Those who know me know better than that. I just think a little reality is missing in the whole picture being presented here, and I don't know how to correct the picture without making someone mad.

Would YOU let him in?

Should post Larry members comment? Is this the headwaters of a movement or just a ritual of, by and for the elders?