[pianotech] Electronic Keyboards - NOT "pianos"!!

[Ken & Pat Gerler]

Wim,
Currently, Kawai, guarantees their digital pianos, PARTS and LABOR for five years!  I Don't know about Yamaha's policy as I do very little work, but I think it is a year labor, 5 years parts.  Roland, I believe is similar.

Ken Gerler
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: tnrwim at aol.com 
  To: joegarrett at earthlink.net ; pianotech at ptg.org 
  Sent: Friday, September 02, 2011 3:25 AM
  Subject: Re: [pianotech] Electronic Keyboards - NOT "pianos"!!


  Electric pianos have their place, and do serve a purpose, as Jerry and David mentioned. But here is some information I give customers who want to buy one of them

  The tech rep for a major piano manufacturer gave a technical once where he said that his company invents a new electrictronic keyboard every 10 months, and once it's made, it's obsolete after 18 months. Once a model is made, the instrument is guaranteed for only a year, and the manufacturer is not obligated to keep spare parts around for longer than that. In humid climates, like here in Hawaii, the electric components rust out after three - five years. But since the parts for these things are no longer available, the instrument become useless. 

  On the other hand, I can repair a hundred year old piano with past I have in my tool box. 

  Wim Blees, RPT
  Hawaii


  -----Original Message-----
  From: Joseph Garrett <joegarrett at earthlink.net>
  To: pianotech <pianotech at ptg.org>
  Sent: Thu, Sep 1, 2011 6:06 am
  Subject: [pianotech] Electronic Keyboards - NOT "pianos"!!


David Boyce said: "From: David Boyce <David at piano.plus.com>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Is this the work of an RPT?
Message-ID: <4E5F541E.1080308 at piano.plus.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; Format="flowed"
 
Not sure whether I should have started another thread with this, as it's 
going off-topic a bit. But I wanted to say, interesting anecdote Ger. I 
was chatting to a client the week before last, who is a high school 
music teacher, and also an HMiE (Her Majesty's inspectorate for 
Education) for Music - a schools inspector for music. She was adamant 
that her electronic keyboard was just "a tool", useful for doing certain 
things, but that for playing pleasure, it would always be the old 
Bechstein. Another client is the same; a music teaqcher and performer 
with an excellent reputation (and ability to match), he has a good 
quality 'digital piano' as well as a very high quality upright piano. 
For playing pleasure, it's always the piano. The 'digital piano' is a 
useful addition, but not a substitute.
 
The temptation for education departments to save money by buying 
keyboards for learning on, is unfortunate. They are better than 
nothing, and can be a useful music tool, with headphones etc. But just 
because they have 88 black and white keys that go up and down, that 
doesn't mean they're really as good as a piano!
 
Best regards,"
 
David,
The first thing we ALL need to do is...Quit calling them Pianos!!! They are
NOT! They are, at best, PSOs that kind of sound like pianos, but really
don't.<G> (If a high quality amplifier is used, the piano sound is VERY
close...AMHIK!) They almost FEEL like a piano, but really don't. (even
though some espouse that "...it has a real piano action..." Whatever) The
fact remains, that many teachers jumped on that bandwagon, many years ago.
They found that the students did not advance as rapidly when they were
practicing on Electronic/Digital KEYBOARDS! The "weighted".."..Just like a
Piano action" thangs do not promote Muscle Tone like a real PIANO does!
Thus, the STUDENT is the loser!
Having said all that, the Electronic/Digital Keyboards have a very real and
active place in the field of making music. And, they have a very real part
to play in the Teacher/Student picture. Not to mention all the neat things
they can do for active Musicians in composing and such. For the "gigging"
musician, they're the best thing since peanut butter....DAMHIK!
So, they are here to stay. Just get on the band wagon and let's STOP
calling them Pianos! K?!!
Regards to all,
Joe


Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
Captain of the Tool Police
Squares R I

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