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They are not decals. They are inlaid metal.

In Indiana, where I live, many folks would like a piano better if it had a "John Deere" or "Harley Davidson" emblem on the side! LOL I'm not kidding much, If you sell a jar of honey, and it has the Harley logo, it brings twice as much.

Shhhhh, Don't tell anyone.

http://www.decalsunlimited.com/products/7103-bosendorfer

I had no idea I would get such a response.

In the old days the BBC would never carry any name of anything. Names were blacked out on products used- even down to taking a label off a can of something that was used as a prop in a TV sit com. If a piano were to be featured there would not even be a fallboard decal on it. My father would always try to guess what the pianist was playing.

The British were known for their modesty in such things, as can be seen here.

It's not on the side, but Steinway tried slapping John Lennon's name on pianos to get more money:

http://www.steinway.com/imagine

Harley Davidson on a piano makes just as much sense, as Lennon isn't known as a pianist.

Just wondering, which one of the above pianos do you think looks nicest?

Of course musical quality is key but it's in your living (or piano) room anyway so it's a bonus if it looks nice isn't it?

Probably have to pay too much for the licensing, although if Henry J thought Baldwin could sell it, you could most likely buy a grand finished in John Deere green. Which is a mite muted compared against some of the styles they put out just a few years ago.

Inletted brass reminds me of the skills needed to do marquetry...I think marquetry, tastefully done on a nice wood-finish rebuild could be an added selling point. Problem is, I don't think the public would pay for it, even for a small amount, such as an inlaid rose or a small accent line of wood.

This must be the only place in the world where Steck, Kimball, and Everett are the same price as Steinway and Bösendorfer.

"...many folks would like a piano better if it had a "John Deere" or "Harley Davidson" emblem on the side..."

Or International Harvester...

I suppose next to the scrapyard, yes

Got one for you ...


Larry.

Too Cool !!

But, it does need studs on the black leather bench.

That's a piano that should have a side logo.

Who is the builder?

http://pianosxxi.com/piano/custompiano/harley/
Look at the plate.. funny..

http://harleydavidsonpiano.blogspot.com

I saw this piano a few years ago when I was in LA. I make it a habit to see members when I can and Gene is a member here so I met him at his shop.

I just read about a study, in the L.A. Times I think, where they gave people identical coffee, from the same arabica beans but told the participants that one of the coffees was fair trade, sustainably grown and more expensive. Seventy four percent preferred the TASTE of the eco-coffee and would be willing to spend 25 percent more for it. This is not to say that fair trade or eco-practices are not good but rather it shows how we develop perception biases and project our self-image onto our buying decisions. It goes a long way to explain my indifference to the marketing tactics of companies like Harley, Coke, BMW and yes, Steinway.

Here's the actual study

Kurt

While I love my Piano, I hate the ugly lettering. This isn't a decal. It's 1/4" high big ugly letters. I've thought about removing them, but didn't want to make it worse. Such a shame, 'cause the rest of it is so beautiful.

[img]http://bubbla.smugmug.com/Music/Petrof/12801768_GsZHTZ#!i=922911526&k=swZfFkh[/img]

I think we can be conditioned into thinking anything is better/nicer when we are told something is in some way better/special. Especially if we feel somehow related to the subject.

I did hope it didn't apply to me however when seeing the three images Rich posted I could only think: "That Schimmel looks insanely pretty"..

Now it sounds much better.

Excellent, Philm!

Have you considered joining the Piano of the Month Club?