Pending approval by the Yamaha board in late December. Then probably a couple months of closing. I’m not going to say much, except that I believe that Yamaha is purchasing Bosendorfer with the best of intentions for preserving an important name in the piano industry and helping them prosper. I believe they will be good stewards of the company.

While in Boston I visited (finally) the famous North Bennet Street School and met the director of the Piano Department, David Betts and Debbie Cyr, one of the instructors. The school has somewhat mythical status in the US, being a very old, formal and well respected school of a variety of crafts, including book binding, jewelry making, furniture making and piano technology. Deep in Bostons Italian North End, it’s in a charming area and a funky, very large building, oozing skill and craftsmanship. I’m going back to give a class and am going to try to find a piano that I can place there for awhile…they should have a Bosendorfer for close up inspection of European craftsmanship…they certainly have enough exposure to Steinway and M&H. By the way, if you are at all familiar with Boston, what an amazing difference the Big Dig has made…the old Central Artery, which cut

I’m still a little conflicted about this blog…on one hand the power of a blog is when the writer is completely honest about a topic people care about. The problem is that being completely honest may not be in my best business interest. No, no scandals about Bosendorfer using laminated soundboards. But other observations, experiences that may not look so good in print. On the other hand, nobody seems to be reading this.. I did a PTG presentation in Dayton OH that went, I thought, extremely well.  Not exactly a dynamic group with detailed questions, but they all stayed and stayed awake, which is the first measure of success. I think I do a good job with these tech presentations (“look…that’s a lot of CHALK!!”) and techs are influential, but what I need right now is short term business. The fall selling season still has not started in earnest. Dealers