Craig Brougher mentioned that Aeolian destroyed their own industry.
Aeolian had class -- I was there!  I knew the work was quality, and it
was done by workers who had pride in their work.

However, when Aeolian sold out they made a mistake of selling the
Aeolian name and business to a the Winter piano company, already makers
of PSOs, who then -- under cover of the name Aeolian -- cut the
corners, fooled the public for some time and consequently did
themselves in, destroying the name of Aeolian along with everything
else.

Also, I think modern society is still more concerned with "look and
style" than what is inside of a piano case.  The manufacturers knew
this.  (The auto manufacturers knew this too, and it nearly did
themselves in, until they came to their senses.)  Why bother with doing
all that work, when our competitors are selling pieces of furniture
(PSO) out of chip board with varnished mahogany contact paper and
toy-like piano mechanisms inside ?

Ask most any piano buyer why they are buying a new piano and the
answer usually is, "Because it looks so nice."  Most dealers don't
know the difference, nor will they pay any attention to you, because
they have not had any experience selling quality made pianos (in their
life-time) unless they are top of the line dealers.  Even then, most
of the insides of a piano are a mystery to them.  (I have asked dealers
questions and they had no idea what I was talking about!)

We are lucky, that most of us at MMD, know the difference!  We will be
happy to buy the old Knabe grands and ugly uprights traded in on those
"darling new little spinets"!  Hey, a friend of mine just bought the
most beautiful Kurtzman upright I ever saw, for $25.00 !  It came from
a church, who just replaced all their "old" pianos with Brand Xxxxxxx
spinets!

Bruce Clark