Grey Market Pianos/Dealers

[JStan40@aol.com]

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While it might be true that a manufacture will slightly alter specifications
for different regions of the world, there is no such thing as a piano that
is design to work for an entire geographic region in terms of climate; the
US for example has almost every extreme possible. Besides, these pianos are
located in homes that are in very similar climate controlled environments.
The reason that this is such a concern for the manufacturer is that the
prices are set differently in each region: a C5 in Japan sells for about
$18,000, while in the US the same piano costs more like $31,000. If there is
too much cross contamination, the price structure here in the US would begin
to destabilize.

Bradley M. Snook
Rice University, Shepherd School of Music

Forgive me if I've missed this on the current discussion of gray/grey market 
pianos, but I seem to recall from one of the previous discussions that there 
is a cultural component to the situation.  That is, that Japanese consumers 
rarely purchase used/rebuilt/rewhatevered pianos, but go quite far out on the 
financial limb to buy new, and perhaps more frequently than is true in the 
west (not certain as to where that idea comes from).  If this is true, then a 
large number of used pianos--most rewhateverable, at least--end up on the 
dealer's hands, with very little prospect of selling them in the home market. 
 Is not THIS where the container ships become the remedy, with the 
consequence that perhaps the US Yamaha dealer's greatest competition is his 
own product (Yamaha) coming into the country used?  And what does this do to 
warranty work (such as may be done by any given dealer), when a customer MAY 
have been told that it is just "a used Yamaha in fine condition"?  Not even 
parts available?

Seems to me that it's really Yamaha competing with itself, on a very 
elemental level, with customers, dealers, techs...........all caught in the 
middle of a situation which none of them seem to feel is being handled 
fairly.

Conrad?  Have you shipped it yet?

Stan Ryberg
Barrington IL
Associate Member
mailto:jstan40@aol.com

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