Since my recent return to the fold, I have not seen him popping up in threads. Last I heard of him he was very cross indeed with me ;-) as we had a bit of a spat about something (I have forgotten what) and then before it fizzled out I went on an extensive travel jaunt.

Adrian

I don’t know Ori from Adam, but from what I have read of his posts here, he’s an intelligent and articulate fellow; plus, he seems to know high-end pianos well.

He’s probably a little tired of some of the shenanigans that go on here on these forums.

Best regards,

Rickster

If I had to guess, I would say he is busy both selling pianos and getting his brand new store ready to open soon.

I think it's fair to say that his activity on this forum for most part could have been qualified as "educational charity", but some people chose to respond to his post with unwarranted aggression, sometimes borderline with personal insults. Hence the result. Who's better off now?...

Let's not get carried away with the pro bono aspects of retailer presence here. Ori can dish it out with the best of 'em while simultaneously providing great information.

Active membership here for retailers is probably a bit like riding a public bus SRO at rush hour...standing and absorbing the blows while holding on to the overhead handgrips...and eventually getting to your destination.

Retailers who make their case well unquestionably get something from Pianoworld. It's not all public charity. All of the testimonials on Ori's website save the last come from PW members.

http://www.allegropianos.com/piano-testimonials.asp

That's not the point. The point is that the pure nastiness of some of the posts directed at him surpassed anything I've seen on this forum (not that I can claim being here for too long) which resulted in his prolonged silence, which in turn resulted in the quiet death of few meaningful discussions around here...

Well, I guess I need to say that I'm speculating about the reasons of his absence here.

Hi D_P,

I must say that I tend to agree with you in regards to how harsh (nasty) things can get around here. Of course, I’m fortunate in that my posts and comments are generally ignored. So, I don’t have to worry about nasty comments unless I really make somebody mad (which does happen on occasion ).

On the other hand, PW can be as entertaining as it is informative and educational.

Unfortunately, the nasty arguments that go on here can be good entertainment at times. Plus, we can learn more about the fine art of debate .

Best regards,

Rickster

Rickster,

I can remember one particular post of yours that was certainly not ignored. I think I'll dig it out and re-post it. Just kidding!

D-P,

I hope that Ori is not that thin-skinned to have become gun-shy here. I really doubt that. Like I said, he can dish it out pretty good himself. I share your enthusiasm for his knowledge and enjoy reading whatever he has to say.

Y'all are spoiled. This place is a kindergarten these days.

Yeah, don't we all enjoy when a piano discussion resembles a NFL forum ?

This place is populated by a bunch of meanies.

Most of the problems people had with Ori was his unabashed promotion of Estonia pianos. If anyone 'dared' to say anything remotely negative about them he went on long long essays promoting them.

I don't know for certain but I think he is related to Estonia pianos in some way so he was hardly an impartial source.

Between him and Norbert they actually had people (including me) unfairly feeling negative toward Estonia just because were tired of the promotions.

I don't miss his tirades at all no matter how knowledgeable he was. I just ignored his posts after a while. They were too long to be readable anyway.

WTF? You'd better come up with something fast, Roger.

you missed out.

Ori's not around.
He's never been a round.

Ori's a square.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

I had the sense that Ori had a lot of things going on. I don't see him fleeing anything here though he may feel his efforts are better served elsewhere. I suspect we'll hear from him when he has something to share.

d-p,

Why don't you send a PM to Ori telling him that he is missed and encouraging him to post what he is up to these days.

This thread is turning into a referendum on Ori and IMO that's in poor taste (although it certainly would not be if it were a referendum on the really nasty members like Rickster or Lilylady. )

My guess is you are closest to the truth.

Although Ori has taken his share of lumps from our members (as have most retailers), he's pretty thick-skinned.

He honestly doesn't understand why people attack him, because he really feels he is trying to contribute something positive to the forums (and often does, although he can sure be wordy).

Anyway, I suspect he is deep into preparing to open his new store. I believe it was supposed to open in September.

And he's already promised us a nice big piano forums party in the spring

Michael,

I'm so tired of hearing about the good old nasty days at PW.

It would seem that to log on you had to walk uphill, in both directions, and all of them nasty pianists chased you with baseball bats or maybe whipped you with piano bass strings.

I prefer discussions, rather that being beaten with a renner action.

I did not know that Ori is opening a new store, and I wish him well with it. It may be a brave move in the current economic climate.

Adrian

I think that Ori's business, including rebuilding, is oriented toward an upscale clientele. That segment of our economy is doing well.

Marty,
Good to hear from you again, too. I missed your posts for a while.

I thought of you the other evening as hubby and I opened a new Hines VSOP. It's even better than the Hennessey I tell you!

Anybody who is successful in this business becomes a thorn in the eyes of others - especially dealers or dealer connected individuals.

Who are in many cases most likely less so themselves....

Norbert

Thanks for all who showed concerns as to my whereabouts.

Indeed, I have been posting less during the past months, and especially this August, but I’m still here, thick skinned as ever , and still posting although at a lower rate.

In addition to this thread, I did receive a few PM’s over the course of the past 9 months, asking for the reasons I post less nowadays.
It’s nice to know that at least some found my posts educational and would rather see me post more often.
I can assure you all that I’ll keep on posting in the future, and I’m looking forward to keep on contributing as much as I can.

At this point I’m extremely busy, and simply have less time to post, especially when the issues require greater time commitment as the subject is not yet common knowledge, and is contrary to a common misconception.

As mentioned here before, my business is expanding, and we’ll be opening a new showroom soon.
It is actually a bit more complicated and time consuming than opening a new store, as I’m in the midst of constructing a whole new building from the ground up.
This building will not only serve as Allegro Pianos main showroom, but will also house a new division of our business... a music school with a capacity of teaching more than 700 students.

So, between the needs of our customers, regular business operation, the new construction, the preparation for our new showroom opening, the preparation for the new music school, etc...I'm a bit busier these days.
Add to the mix two young daughters, and my desire to spend as much time as possible with them...along with the nice summer weather we had this year and its call for outdoor activities... and one may understand my reasons for posting less.

The good news is that at a certain point the building will be finished, the new showroom will be opened, the music school will be operating, and the kids will grow…so I’ll have more time to post again.

I have a lot more information to share, and as the industry changes I’m sure to raise, once again, new information that may be considered controversial at first, but as occurred before, will become common knowledge sometimes thereafter…

Wow. It sure is good to hear of a piano dealer actually EXPANDING!! And the music school, I love that, too! You, sir, are a fine 'musical ambassador'!

Ori:

Good luck with your new venture - it's a tremendous undertaking!

Count me in your fan club and let us know when you are starting to sell
T-shirts....

best wishes,

Norbert

Ori -- Will your new school be an "All Steinway School"? Sorry. . .

On a *more* serious note, congrats!

I was initially attracted to Piano World from the Yamaha buyout of Bosendorfer. It was my ultimate source of news from BoseEric who kept the forums in suspense about the coming changes. When I learned that Bosendorfer New York would no longer be the Bosendorfer representative for New York, I wondered what would take its place. This is how I became aware of Ori, who became the new Bosendorfer representative for New York City.

Ori, is this the showroom in Manhattan?