'Grey Market' Yamaha pianos

[Wimblees@aol.com]

John:

While there are many imported Yamahas in the US, and many are in relatively
good condition, once in a while a bad apple turns up. I  am in the process of
replacing the pin block on one such grand, that was sold by a local Yamaha
dealer. 

The problem is not so much that the pin block needs to be replaced. The
problem lies with the dealer not wanting to accept the responsibility for
having it done, or even acccepting the concept that the pin block is bad.
Because these are "imported" pianos, Yamaha will not stand behind them, and
thus the dealer is not going to stand behind the piano. This instrument was
sold "as is" with no gurantees. (If a "regular" used  Yamaha gets resold, even
by a non Yamaha dealer, Yamaha will try to honor the guarantee, if they think
it might have been a factory defect.) 

So while the pianos you look at might pass inspection, be sure the customer
understands that if anything goes wrong, the customer will be responsibile to
get it repaired, and that they will not get any help from the dealer, or
Yamaha. 

Willem Blees  RPT
St. Louis