Grey Market

[Anthony G Caught]

Hi John,

The USA has very similar climates as Australia and I agree with what you
have said. We suffered the same problem with Yamaha pianos. And yes they do
kiln dry the timber to different moisture content for different areas.

At a Piano Tech Conference in Camberra in 1992 ? The Yamaha rep was asked by
many a tuner about the problems with the pin block.  Nice to tune but on the
loose side.  This problem was addressed and now as far as I'm concerned,
they are too tight. Then again maybe I am just getting older.

I know that at one stage Yamaha Aust. made a mistake and brought into
Australia a pile of pianos that weren't the tropical type and the have made
good lots of warranties on these pianos.  (These were the cheaper pianos)

I would think that Yamaha decided to make pianos for three different
climatic conditions, the same as Dampp-Chaser now make their systems for
three different climatic conditions.

Logic would say that because USA covers all these climates that Yamaha
supply pianos of the right moisture content for the majority of the people
(or pianos sold).

I was not reffering to the pianos for different conditions as the sales
pitch in my post, I was reffering to the "imported Yamaha pianos" as the
anti sales pitch.

Regards

Tony Caught
Australia
caute@optusnet.com.au



----- Original Message -----
From: John Ross <piano.tech@ns.sympatico.ca>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2001 12:01 AM
Subject: Re: Grey Market


> Hi Tony,
> Yamaha learned to manufacture pianos for the North American
> market, differently.
> Because pianos which came over here, in the 70's, frequently had
> to be repinned, with larger tuning pins, under warranty. So they
> determined that if they made them with wood that had a different
> moisture content, that the problem was solved.
> It was not only Japanese pianos that had this problem. European
> pianos that came here had the same problem. They just couldn't
> stand the extremes of high humidity, in the summer, and the
> dryness of the winter.
> So it is not just a sales pitch
> John M. Ross
> Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada
> piano.tech@ns.sympatico.ca