Stacks of Lumber undergoing "Astoria Seasoning"

[Andrew and Rebeca Anderson]

That add from Pearl River highlights a problem we face as 
dealers.  Chinese manufacturers have way overproduced.  The Chinese 
government saw the writing on the wall and sold their share in 
Dongbei (the largest volume grand piano builder in the world) and 
Gibson scooped it up to build Baldwins.  There is a lot of excess 
inventory in China right now and they are looking for ways to move it 
fast.  I'm afraid to buy anything wholesale because in a few months 
it may retail for what I paid.  The shake-up in China, hopefully will 
reward quality, but will most likely shake out the smaller more 
committed builders.  Don't be surprised to encounter unprepped PSOs 
that customers brag about getting for very cheap this fall.

Andrew Anderson, Artisan Piano

At 05:46 PM 3/29/2007, you wrote:
>I did a tour of the Hamburg lumberyard two years ago as part of the 
>first round at the Hamburg Academy.  They showed me pictures of what 
>once was... and pointed to areas that once had been chock full of 
>lumber and now were either sold, built over... or otherwise 
>occupied.  I think they had something like a 10th of the amount of 
>wood there compared to their heyday.  More writing on the wall.
>
>Saw an add in this months Journal for Pearl River... said something 
>about there being 10000 Pearl River instruments being under 
>construction at the moment I was reading the add....  I guess I was 
>supposed to be impressed.  Why don't shear numbers like this impress 
>me ?  More writing on the wall.
>
>I feel like there has been a great and terrible tremor in the force.....
>er...
>Cheers
>RicB