What would Steinway do

[Andrew and Rebeca Anderson]

Ric,
How about court-filings to force S&S NY to honor its warranty against 
defect in workmanship?  We are approaching that here in Texas.  There 
is an S&S D here where the plate/string height is well above 
Steinway's 1/4" wide acceptable range.  The dealer tech. broke a 
number of drop screw heads off trying to get the hammers a little 
closer to the strings on drop.  They are claiming that this is not a 
warranty issue in any way and apparently trying to drag things out 
until the short warranty runs out.

They build a piano with a lot of potential, it is painful though, to 
encounter one where it is still-born from the factory and the factory 
categorically refuses to accept any responsibility to find and 
accomplish a solution beyond sending free action shims.  While action 
shimming may debate-ably be an acceptable solution installing them 
and regulating is part of the solution that they will have to accept too.

Andrew Anderson

At 04:55 AM 3/5/2007, you wrote:
>    The negativity you European guys pick up from us in the States is
>    experience-based and documented; it's not some 
> sour-grapes,    personality-deficit-driven
>    or ego-driven thing.
>
>
>    David Andersen
>
>
>
>Hi David.
>
>I have no direct experience (recent) basis on which to pass judgment 
>on either claims like this, or those making the claims. So I dont. I 
>do keep my eyes open tho and tho its perhaps not a popular thing to 
>say here, it is a fact that this particular forum is the only one in 
>which I hear this kind of thing very often.  And there are even 
>obvious groupings here.  Not a criticism, just an observation from 
>one who keeps an open mind.  I do hear indications elsewhere that 
>something is amiss with Steinway NY... but then I hear lots of 
>things that go in the opposite direction here.
>
>My point is that hem-hawing here gets so TMMOT low guttural that it 
>rivals the British house of Commons at its worst, and least 
>effective I might add.  And, like I said earlier not only does it 
>ofte times come off rather badly from a public eye perspective... 
>but it strikes me that its poor tactics as well... that is if one 
>wants to get something done about it.
>
>Documentation ?  I have not seen any thing here, or very little that 
>adds up to legal documentation.  Sorry to say so... but just 
>so.  THAT however... WOULD be a better tactics line to take 
>IMHO.  If these things are true to the degree some of you say... 
>then ... well... pictures... real documentation...  are in 
>order.  Otherwise all this by definition ends up being classified as 
>hearsay, which many readers will intuitively pick up on. Bang... 
>there went ones own foot.
>
>Another point... I just noticed tacked on to this thread a complaint 
>about the tubular action rails.  Clearly, and I mean dead on clearly 
>this is a matter of opinion about what design ideas one likes best.
>This has nothing to do with the poor quality claims.  When that part 
>of the market you are actually trying to reach sees all this put 
>together... and they do...in their way.... well.. you get my drift.
>
>In anycase.... another point strikes me as true.  IF what you folks 
>are saying is true to the extent it seems claimed here on 
>Pianotech.  Then you all neednt worry a bit. No matter that Steinway 
>has achieved a greater market share then any branch of any industry 
>in history.... such  quality will sooner or later spell 
>"demise".  That of course can mean either a turnaround.... or a dissapearance.
>
>With respect
>Richard Brekne
>