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I stand by my comment - Kids would be better off learning on new pianos than struggling with the 100 year old uprights, 70 year old Lester spinets, 50 year old Winter spinets, and the lovely Aeolian stencil's. Toss them all out, and buy new acoustic. Piano stores should unite to make this happen, in my opinion.

While I agree with this premise, how can piano stores unite to make this happen for a family of 4 living on 30k / year just scraping by? They won't stay in business long giving pianos away.

I learned many years ago on a beat up (I probably participated in some of the beatings myself) old upright. I never remembered a tech coming by. I did learn to love and appreciate piano music and approx 15 years ago I was able to purchase my first grand. Then late last year I was able to upgrade my grand.

If I followed your "rules - (my word not yours)," I never would have learned since there is no way our family could have purchased a new piano. (The old one was passed down from my grand parents.)

Jonathan

If something doesn't work and isn't usable at some point its time to retire it but most of those cars were just fine. The government was just willing to pay more to get them off the street than their retail value was at the time. They weren't interested in truly getting rid of the unusable junk or they would not have put an age cut off in the program. The relative price of a new vehicle being more attractive doesn't matter if the customer can't come up with the money. As somebody who is only steps above being a bottom feeder in the car market cash for clunkers did me no favors. I don't see me ever buying a new piano. If the pianos in the video were truly past their usefulness then they needed to go but any suggestions of simply getting rid of the old stock to drive sales of new is probably not going to help the business with the economy as it is.

I agree, but piano stores can only do what the market is willing to (and able to) purchase. A piano store that relies on selling only Bosendorfer Imperials, and no one in their area happens to buy one, will go out of business. So, the store must cater to the market.

What may help most, and is within the control of most manufacturers, is if the manufacturers develop a way to make a more cost-effective instrument, particularly in today's economy.

Way too many 1% wantabes

Unfortunately, they already do this. It's called the digital piano.

I would be happy simply being farther up within the 99%.

I won't shed a tear for the 50- to 70-year-old spinets. The spinet action was a step backwards. I grew up practicing on a Kimball player spinet, the entry-level acoustic piano of the mid-1970s. Even as a beginner, I noticed that my piano teachers had better pianos (a 56" upright, a 9' concert grand). But my parents kept up that Kimball spinet, so it was still a serviceable instrument (and working player piano) after 25 years.

I can't agree about trashing ALL the 100-year-old uprights. The new market simply does not offer anything larger than a 52", and even those lack the kind of woodworking that was commonplace on early 20th century uprights. For the price of a new 52" upright, you can easily acquire a near-new grand piano. Except for Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, and Charles Walter, the American piano industry has closed up shop. The nicer of the American-made early 20th century uprights should be restored, not sent to a landfill.

I also have mixed feelings about trashing the "Aeolian stencils." They were low-end pianos, but if well-cared-for could still be decent to play on. The first grand piano I bought was a mid-1970s Aeolian 5' grand. The ones made in the 1970s are not falling-apart junk unless they were treated as such by their owners. Aeolian and Kimball baby grands, if kept up well, are the most bang for the buck on the used piano market right now. They just have low resale value due to the mediocre reputation of the brand names.

Haha I laughed when I read this. Good point, sir.

I think, however, my premise was supposing quality acoustical grands at affordable prices. But digitals are certainly getting better and better.

I think much of negative reaction about the video would not be there if the pianos hadn't been thrown from the truck. I'm not saying it would be practical to carefully roll them down a ramp, but I think the reactiom, at least mine, would be far less negative.

They really are. And a decent modern generation 88 semi-weighted keys digital is FAR superior to lousy worn-out acoustics, even those acoustics which are not quite yet landfill material.

The good news is that because the newer digitals are of decent playability, a lot of people are learning on them, and some are progressing as players to the degree that their interest is stoked for an acoustic, and not a junker either, or even a lower quality used one.

I have had several such students in recent years. One purchased a new mid-level Kawaii upright, another is saving for a good affordable new grand, such as a Hailun, and a few others are aware of the world of good acoustics, and time will tell. One is in college, and plans to get a good piano when graduating and settling down.

What is hopeful is that not one of these people want to upgrade to a better digital, even though what that have in most cases is not a top-of-the-line digital. Decent, but not the best. Instead, they all want an acoustic piano.

And perhaps because they are used to the digital always being in perfect tune, and in some cases running thru good monitor speakers, they probably will not settle for an out of tune acoustic, or one with a tubby bass or glaringly noticeable bridge breaks, or other ills. In other words, good news for good piano dealers.

The point I am making is that none of these people would be in the market for a better qualtiy acoustic as an upgrade if it were not for their entry into pianoland via an affordable digital. Because of their finances and/or living situations, none would have bought an acoustic as a starter.

Great blues tune, Rocket88!!

Wish I could play like that! (Maybe one day )

Rick

Thanks!

Digitals will be dumped far sooner than most acoustics.

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_hp3ZLf3y5Y[/video]

One reason is that unlike acoustics, digitals are much easier to move!

ps...before anyone gets the wrong idea, I am NOT against acoustics! I have a nice one at home.

DIGITAL PIANOS: easy to move, great beginner instruments, easy to keep in a smaller domicile, cheap (most of them) compared to acoustics, no real maintenance needed.

ACOUSTICS: sound awesome (if they have good sound)... nothing beats that pure power filling the room with REAL strings vibrating and resonating from the wood and bouncing off of everything. They are now prestige items, especially the grands. And they will work even when the power goes out and the world is circling the toilet.

There are pros and cons. An acoustic is becoming a musical yacht, particularly grand pianos above 6' long; they display money, space, refinement, and hopefully skill and understanding with a piano. Digitals will always display other qualities.

I'm sure digitals have and will dump by the myriad, since it is extremely easy to spill drinks in them, power surge blowout of electronic components, speakers go bad, connections inside grow frail, actions are useless after a few years of dedicated play, or any number of glitches afflict them and create press-wood n' plastic lumps sitting along the walls of unfortunate owners' homes.

PS- I completely agree with this sentiment, but I also hate this about pianos. I look at them for the music, not the prestige. But, I understand that most people (not necessarily you, Rusty ) do not think this way. I have never, ever, cared how "refined" someone looks owning a Bosendorfer Imperial. Sit down and play it.. then we'll talk.

The problem with digitals since they are electronic,after 5 yrs they are worthless(resale)
its treated like a PC..old technology..

I feel that way too. If you own a piano worth $100,000 and can't play more than chopsticks... it's embarrassing. Unless perhaps that person hosts piano-nite every month at their house and they have that thing being used fairly regularly.

I find this quite upsetting. I understand that there are some truly AWFUL old pianos which shouldn't get a second glance, but then there are the ones with a lot of potential! Watching this video reminded me of a novel which I read last year, 'The Piano Shop on the Left Bank' - I would highly recommend it to all! I would love to end up with an old workshop restoring nice old pianos to their former glory, much like one of the main characters in the aforementioned novel.
My own Erard 1840's concert grand is currently undergoing an £11000 restoration to make him as good as new! :-) I can't wait!