Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/11/03

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Subject: Re: [Leica] the 90% rule-long, rambling BS from Walt
From: Peter Klein <pklein@2alpha.net>
Date: Sat, 03 Nov 2001 00:01:05 -0800

At 02:19 PM 11/02/2001 -0800, Barney wrote:
>PS - If you want to get into the a price vs quality vs sanity curve gone 
>totally
>off the chart get into the world of stringed instruments. Some violins go for
>(gasp) seven to ten million dollars! No, that wasn't a typo. A seven 
>followed by
>six zeros. Talk about worshiping your Leica and not using. If I owned one 
>of those
>babies it would never leave the vault!

But stringed instruments, like Leicas, *need* to be used.  A violin or 
cello that is not played for years can lose some of its tone.  Also, part 
of the value of an nstrument is how good it sounds, and that people *know* 
how good it sounds.  That's why gazillionaires buy Strads and Guarneris and 
such, and then loan them semi-permanently to their favorite up-and-coming 
young player.  Insured to the hilt, of course.

Pity the poor Leica that's been kept in a bank vault in plastic, and only 
handled with cotton gloves.  Its lubricants ossify, and it has to be sent 
to the luthier, er, repairperson, for a CLA.

Collectors should stick to shiny baubles and English Treacle Trays, and 
leave Leicas, violins and cellos to people who will use them.  Yes they are 
things of beauty, but their true beauty is that they create more beauty, 
something that can't happen when they're languishing in a vault.  Their 
value is to be appreciated, not just to appreciate in value.

Now if collectors want to collect violas...... no, no, I'm not going there!

"The first thing we do is kill all the collectors"
Wilhelm Schaksberg, _Ernst III_

- --Peter "forgive me, it's late" Klein
Seattle, WA

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