grey market?

[Jay Mercier]

I know it's difficult to answer this question without actually seeing the 
piano for yourselves, but I still can't tell if this piano is a grey market 
piano or not.  It has three pedals, plays and sounds like anything else I've 
played and better around these parts of the woods.
My instinct says it's not grey market because of the condition and full 
prepping, but... it was shipped from CA and was on a list with about 300 
others.

Jay

>Jay Mercier wrote:
> >
> > I don't completely understand the term "grey market pianos."  Is it
> > referring to any piano sold from a wholesale warehouse?  I was recently
> > asked to find a "decent piano" for an older lady who wanted to donate it 
>to
> > the local retirement home.  To make a long story short, I ended up with 
>a
> > 1990 Kawai CA-40 Grand, purchased through a local dealer who purchased 
>it
> > from a dealer in Chicago.  It was listed with hundreds of pianos out of 
>the
> > Chicago dealer, but shipped from California.  Took 3 weeks to ship to 
>the
> > local dealer  - they didn't touch it - and immediately delivered it to 
>the
> > retirement home.  I was a bit nervous but to my amazement this "A" 
>listing
> > of a piano impressed me.  Absolutely flawless for about $11,000.  It 
>needed
> > no regulation and I told the home that the tuning could wait for a 
>month.
> > The local dealer mentioned that he too was surprised on the condition 
>and
> > said it arrived in better shape than some of his new YC's and Webbers.  
>This
> > piano had not one flaw that I could see ------- Now.......is this a grey
> > market piano?
> >
> > Jay Mercier
> > Piano Technician
> > Glenwood, MN
> >
> > >
> >
>
>Jay, the pianos I'm talking about are pianos that were not meant to be
>sent to this country (USA).  You can spot grey market grands because
>they have only two pedals.
>
>Some may indeed be good bargains. It's just that the dealer in this
>situation does little prep work and when I get to them, the pianos need
>work...to much I think.
>
>In the most recent case, the piano owner has owned the piano 1 yr and it
>has a significant problem...little or no letoff. I may get by with just
>a let-off problem or it may need a full regulation.  Regualtions are not
>cheap. Oh yes, she paid $6,000.
>
>I cannot recommend this dealer to anyone.  If he did a good job of
>prepping, the pianos might be a good bargain...but that might kill his
>profit. That's his problem, not mine.  I could not operate that way.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>--
>
>Frank Cahill
>Associate Member, Piano Technicians Guild
>Northern Va


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