Some basic "insider" business facts that everyone should be aware of

Brian Capleton PhD is a Lecturer in Piano Technology 

at the Royal National College, UK.  

There are a number of "classic" notions and ideas that arise in the piano trade (and elsewhere in commerce) that in truth just serve to distract attention away from the real issues. In the past (and possibly now too?) these have been used in more dubious trading as a means of "misdirection". I would here like to draw attention to a few of them here.

The "make"

The "name", "make" or manufacturer of a piano can of course be a good indication of quality, but this can also be misleading. 

Historically, "names" on pianos were sometimes changed by unscrupulous piano traders to assist sales, as were serial numbers, in order to make a piano "appear" younger than its real age. Such practices are not unheard of, even in recent years.

Firstly, the make of a piano has to be balanced against its age. Pianos are not like violins or 'cellos with  respect to age. Aged violins and 'cellos can often be the best of their kind, but this is generally not true of pianos. The fact that a piano bears a recognised "good name" does not necessarily say very much about the relative quality of the instrument if it is an older example. It does not necessarily mean the instrument is "better" than a newer one with a lesser "name". There are many pianos with good "names" that would have been excellent when they were new, but now would be better replaced with a newer piano, even if with a lesser "name". Many instruments with very well known names can even be considered obsolete, today, in terms of the technology or design on which they are based.  

What I'm about to say may seem like "spelling out" the obvious, but it is amazing how many people one meets, who are still strongly swayed by influences whose spuriousness should be obvious.

The "make" or manufacturing name, is of course something that in the business world is called a "brand". An established and respected brand name is a business asset in its own right. Brand names of pianos have been, and still are, bought and sold between companies as business assets. Remember a name, in itself, is just a word. 

For example, in the early days of piano manufacturing Broadwood was one of the best known and most respected piano "names". As many people know, Beethoven had a Broadwood piano.

Fewer people are aware that in later years the brand name "Broadwood" was owned by Kemble, who continued to manufacture pianos in their own factory, but with the name Broadwood. Why would another manufacturer like Kemble pay to do this? Because people already knew and trusted the "brand" Broadwood. This type of strategy results in sales. It's not deception, as such. It's just advertising and marketing psychology, which is used throughout the business world. Today, Kemble itself is now part of the Yamaha "empire". None of this means that "Broadwood" pianos are anything other than "good". Nevertheless, things are not quite what they might otherwise seem. The Broadwood example is just one of many.

The point is that if you are buying a piano, and wish to do so astutely, then you should rise above, and see through, ever-present advertising and marketing psychology and techniques of any kind, and this includes not paying too much attention to "name" value. The general rule is that any business or businessman wholesaling or retailing  a piano is legitimately going to be "profit motivated", and "name values" are as much a part of straightforward business profit-motivation in the industry overall, as they are of piano quality. There is nothing wrong in this - it's how business works. However, you need to able to sift the husk from the grain. A good name is a good name, but there's much more to it than that. A piano is not good just because of its name. The sheer psychological force of persuasion of a "good name" is not always to be blindly followed, and is often to be actively avoided, especially if you are buying an older piano, and you want a good musical instrument to play. 

Association in marketing and selling

The power of a "brand name" is something that has been, and still is exploited in piano sales, and in many other businesses, and it is related to a wider marketing, advertising and selling technique, known as association.

Association is major marketing and selling technique, openly exploited right across the modern advertising industry. Sadly, whilst many people do see through it, many don't, not least when it comes to second-hand piano sales. Reputable dealers will seldom try to persuade you on the basis of association, but it is common practice in many other sales situations, and is often encountered in the upper parts of the private piano sales market. A classic example of association in the piano world is "this piano was played (or owned) by xyz....", where xyz is some "significant", trustworthy, or famous name. In truth, it really is no indication of the quality of the instrument, even if it is true, despite the persuasive effect of the association. Another example is "the piano came from ..some well respected place..". Yet another example is "This piano was  tuned / restored / supplied by so and so, who tunes / restores / supplies some well known person or place.

Such associations continue to persuade consumers in the private marketplace, but in fact should never to be relied upon as a positive indicator. Even where the claimed association is true, which it may well be, the actual association itself is seldom brought about in the first instance, directly as a result of the merit now being implied from the association.

In the final analysis, it is only the piano itself, as it stands now, as seen, that is the only reliable testimony to its quality and worth. Association sometimes has some real financial value in the worlds of, say, art and antiques, and occasionally in the case of pianos sold at auction. Still, in terms of the real value or quality of the musical instrument, all claims of association are really meaningless - they are usually nothing more than selling techniques. In my experience, usually, where associations are most emphasised, the real credentials are most questionable.