Yamaha and Bechstein Grey market

[Reikiharp@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 5/10/02 12:39:55 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Kdivad@AOL.COM 
writes:

<<   The change in climate
 >does make a difference, but if the piano stays here 6 months or more, all
 >the damage that will come from the change will have occurred.  >>
                                                                                
    I wish this were always the case. I have a customer who bought a 1950 
yamerha after it had been meticulously rebuilt including new pinblock strings 
case refinished new action parts etc. I highly recommended this piano to them 
and for about a year and a half the piano was wonderful. Then it began to 
self destruct. The lid veneer has cracked in about 20 places. Its just a 
matter of time before they're picking up pieces of veneer that have fallen 
off the lid onto the strings or floor.                                  The 
soundboard is also cracked now in more places than I care to count . As well 
as probably 10 big cracks there are tiny cracks about every 1/2 inch along 
the treble bridge, i.e. shredded wheat. The piano remained crack free for 
nearly 2 yrs. and all the above mentioned damage occured during the 
subsequent year.                                        I'm not a rebuilder 
but I can't imagine that these are repairable problems. The only solution for 
them now is to replace the soundboard and lid. Or even better, the whole 
piano.                                                                      
This was not the first grey-market piano I have recommended , but certainly 
is the LAST.                                                                    
                            JOSEPH D. GOTTA RPT