In response to the "A tropical environment???" comments... Your question: Do you mean like Florida or maybe New Orleans??? If we are talking about "outside", then yes. If we are talking about "inside" where pianos are usually kept, then no. Energy costs are much more in Japan than in the U.S. As a result, air conditioning in Japan is used much more sparingly than in the typical U.S. home. Your question: Does this mean that pianos that have spent a considerable amount of time in Miami cannot be shipped to the North East U.S. with out nasty problems developing??? No, it doesn't mean that. If a piano (or just about anything made out of wood) is kept in a very moist environment for many years and then moved to a very dry environment, the wood reacts significantly to the change. The effects on a piano are usually negative. You said: If I own a Yamaha grand can I open my windows or must it remain in a controlled environment. Better not do an out door concert!? You can open your windows if you own a Yamaha grand. Must it remain in a controlled environment? No, but ANY piano does hold up better in a "controlled environment." (Ask a piano technician.) You asked: The U.S. has many zones, so which one does Yamaha season for??? Yamaha seasons its North American pianos for dry to very dry conditions, compared to the seasoning of pianos for Europe and Asia. Why? Because our pianos hold up much better in the United States by seasoning them this way. We know from experience. (It is amazing what you learn during the process of making nearly 6 million pianos!) Your said: Calling Yamaha for more propaganda is a waste of time. It was this comment that got me to jump into this issue. Steve Pearson responded honestly to Dave Severence's questions in an attempt to help, not to spread "propaganda". Yamaha Piano Service staff members know what we know about the "seasoning for destination" issue: When Yamaha pianos were first imported to the U.S. in the early 60s, they were not seasoned as they are today. We repinned hundreds of these pianos. We replaced nearly as many with cracked soundboards and bridges. Yamaha learned about "seasoning for destination" the hard way. (We know this from the many service files we keep on pianos sold in the United States.) The 20 - 40 year old Yamaha pianos being brought over from Japan today were seasoned like the ones we brought in during the 60s. These pianos can develop the same type of problems that our 60s pianos did. We know, because of the number of calls we receive each week from unhappy customers that have purchased a used Yamaha piano made for the Asian market. They call to report that their piano now suffers from a cracked soundboard, loose tuning pins, and/or cracked bridges. They expect Yamaha to "take care of the problem" with their piano. We tell them how sorry we are about their piano and we explain to them "what we know" about the issue. These customers tell us that they wish they knew all of this before they purchased the used Yamaha piano. You said: Let a good independent tech be the judge. Then enjoy your piano. I agree, assuming that the technician stands ready to "take care of the problems" when the piano he judges to be a great buy, develops major problems. About a month ago, I was talking to a customer that had purchased a used Yamaha CF concert grand (made for the Asian market). The customer reported that he purchased the piano a month before and in that short amount of time the soundboard cracked in 5 different places. According to the customer, one crack was nearly 4 feet long. I asked the customer why he purchased the piano. He said that before he purchased the piano, he hired a piano technician to evaluate the piano. The customer and the technician went together and looked at the piano. The technician said it was "a good one" so the customer bought it. After the soundboard starting cracking, the customer called the piano technician and informed the technician of the soundboard cracks. The technician told the customer that soundboard cracks were a major problem that could not be repaired. The customer asked the technician what he should do and the technician said, "Call Yamaha, they will take care of it," and gave the customer our phone number... Propaganda? I don't think so. Having been a member of the Yamaha Piano Service staff for more than 18 years, I can tell you that our function has always been to provide truthful information to technicians, dealers and customers. I do agree with you on one point. "Calling Yamaha for more propaganda is a waste of time." You have to look somewhere else if you are looking for propaganda. Bill Brandom Piano Service Manager Yamaha Corporation of America At 12:51 PM 15/10/98 -0400, you wrote: >A tropical environment??? > >Do you mean like Florida or maybe New Orleans???? > >Does this mean that pianos that have spent a considerable amount of time in >Miami cannot be shipped to the North East U.S. with out nasty problems >developing??? And just what are these nasty problems that would not occur >in a seasoned for destination piano. If I own a Yamaha grand can I open my >windows or must it remain in a controlled environment. Better not do an out >door concert! > >The U.S.D.A. has a nice chart that specifies the equilibrium moisture >content of wood for the many regions of the U.S. The U.S. has many zones, >so which one does Yamaha season for??? > >By the way, Tokyo has a climate very similar to the North Eastern United >States. Look it up! > >Calling Yamaha for more propaganda is a waste of time. > >Let a good independent tech be the judge. Then enjoy your piano. > > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Steve Pearson <SPearson@yamaha.com> >To: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org> >Date: Tuesday, October 13, 1998 4:26 PM >Subject: Re: 2 pedal Yamaha > > >>Dave and list...YAMAHA never imported ANY grand pianos with two pedals. So >if it has two pedals, it IS a 'gray market' piano. How much that matters >depends in part whether it can survive in our more controlled climate. Air >conditioning and central heating are rare in the tropics, and can be >problematic for these not-for-export pianos. Any piano which has lived many >years in a tropical environment, will likely have some difficulty adapting >to a significant change, and can result in some nasty problems. Yamaha does >season for destination, and it does matter. Encourage your customer to call >Yamaha for more thorough answers to this subject. >>Steve Pearson >>Yamaha >>800/854-1569 >>>>> david severance <severanc@mail.wsu.edu> 10/13 9:41 AM >>> >> >>List >> >>One of my customers has ask my opinion concerning the purchase of a 2 pedal >>Yamaha G series grand that a dealer is offering her at a very attractive >>price. I told her that I thought they were used pianos imported here by >>individuals that were originally sold to the over >>seas market. I haven't heard positive comments regarding these pianos but I >>haven't personally seen any of them and would appreciate comments from >other >>techs who have. Thanks. >> >>Dave Severance >>Dept. of Music and Theater Arts >>Washington State University >>Pullman, WA 99164 >> >> >
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