<HTML><BODY>
<div>Lance,</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I think you're right about the differentiation between Yamahas built for different destinations. It has more to do with giving customers more reasons to buy new pianos than with any physical reality of the pianos.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I don't think it was a tech who did this repair, I think it was the store where my customer bought it. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>If it was a private incomplete job, I wouldn't blame the tech either. As we've all learned, you can't blame a tech for cheap customers. </div>
<div> </div>
<div style="CLEAR: both">Dave Stahl<br>
<br>
Dave Stahl Piano Service<br>
650-224-3560<br>
dstahlpiano@sbcglobal.net<br>
http://dstahlpiano.net/<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</div>
<div> </div>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: lafargue@bellsouth.net<br>
To: pianotech@ptg.org<br>
Sent: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 8:47 AM<br>
Subject: Re: Spring cord repair; partial job discovered<br>
<br>
<STYLE>
.AOLPlainTextBody {
margin: 0px;
font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif;
font-size: 12px;
color: #000;
background-color: #fff;
}
.AOLPlainTextBody pre {
font-size: 9pt;
}
.AOLInlineAttachment {
margin: 10px;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader {
font: 11px arial;
border: 1px solid #7DA8D4;
background: #F9F9F9;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader .Title {
font: 11px arial;
background: #B5DDFA;
padding: 3px 3px 3px 3px;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader .FieldLabel {
font: 11px arial;
color: #000000;
padding: 1px 10px 1px 9px;
background: #F9F9F9;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader .FieldValue {
font: 11px arial;
color: #000000;
background: #F9F9F9;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader a, .AOLImage a {
color: #2864B4;
text-decoration: none;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader a:hover, .AOLImage a:hover {
color: #2864B4;
text-decoration: underline;
}
body {
background-color: white;
font-family: "Verdana";
font-size: 10pt;
border: 0px;
}
p {
margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;
}
img.managedImg {
width: 0px;
height: 0px;
}
img.placeholder {
width: 275px;
height: 206px;
background: #F4F4F4 center center no-repeat;
border: 1px solid #DADAD6 !important;
}
</STYLE>
<div id=AOLMsgPart_2_335d31c2-d47c-4e09-911f-f25fe02eddf5>
<STYLE></STYLE>
<div><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sounds like the temperature motivated you to work faster. I think you will find these broken cords in "American" Yamahas just as much if from the same era. Yamaha did not kiln dry the cotton cord to a special moisture content ; ) It was usually brown cord and Yamaha paid me to replace several of the "American" ones. They used to try to tell me it only happened in my area because of the wet, salty air and were reluctant to pay (this was mid-late 80's). I am not a believer in the "Grey Market" differentiation. If the customer was cheap, the tech could have just replaced the ones without the damper spring helping the hammer to return. I have seen lots of shortcuts taken because that's all the customer would pay for. I used to assume it was the tech until I saw enough to realize it is oftentimes a tech trying to do the best he can with low pay. I give the benefit of the doubt more as I get older ; ) </FONT></div>
<div><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </div>
<div>Lance Lafargue, RPT<br>
LAFARGUE PIANOS, LTD<br>
LPIANOS.com<br>
<A href="javascript:parent.ComposeTo('lafargue@bellsouth.net', '');">lafargue@bellsouth.net</A><br>
4244 Hwy 22 Mandeville, LA 70471<br>
985.72P.IANO</div>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </div>
<div style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=piannaman@aol.com href="javascript:parent.ComposeTo('piannaman@aol.com', '');">piannaman@aol.com</A> </div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="javascript:parent.ComposeTo('pianotech@ptg.org', '');">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, January 27, 2007 9:49 AM</div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Spring cord repair; partial job discovered</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div> It seems like every other grey market Yamaha upright I run into has breaking hammer return spring cords. I did yet another replacement job yesterday, this time in the customers garage, where temperatures hovered around 50 degrees farenheit all morning. It's hard to manipulate all those little pieces of thread with numb fingers. Still, after getting better at the repetitive tasks required on this job, I cut about an hour off my previous time. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>The interesting about this particular U3 is that somebody had already replaced some of the cords--but only on the notes with no dampers. Somebody obviously found the breaking cord problem, but wanted to sell the piano with a minimum of expense. All the other notes would function to some degree without the hammer return spring, but without the push of the damper spring, the end keys would have a helluva time returning to position. Pretty shoddy.</div>
<div> </div>
<div style="CLEAR: both">Dave Stahl<br>
<br>
Dave Stahl Piano Service<br>
650-224-3560<br>
dstahlpiano@sbcglobal.net<br>
http://dstahlpiano.net/<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</div>
<div class=AOLPromoFooter>
<HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">
<A href="http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/1615326657x4311227241x4298082137/aol?redir=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eaol%2Ecom%2Fnewaol" target=_blank><B>Check out the new AOL</B></A>. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more.<br>
</div>
</BLOCKQUOTE></div>
<!-- end of AOLMsgPart_2_335d31c2-d47c-4e09-911f-f25fe02eddf5 --></BODY></HTML>