<HTML>In a message = dated 2/4/04 5:31:58 AM Pacific Standard Time, kevin.e.ramsey@cox.net writes= : <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-= LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> Yes, the GA-1E is Yamaha's new little price-point piano.  This is t= he one that has plain wire going all the way down to B2, which in a piano th= at size gives you some real problems tuning. B2 and the next few notes sound= like rubber bands, and it's frankly hard to find a good place to put those = notes. For that reason I usually recommend a Kawai grand if they're looking = for a piano that small. I'm surprised Yamaha designed and built this piano, = it's not like them. Kevin. </BLOCKQUOTE> Kevin, Terry, Avery, etc., I just tuned one last week.  You are right about the plain wire bei= ng difficult to tune at the bass break. This piano had other problems as well, though they are not related to th= e scale design.  It is housed in a VERY humid room.  I don't know = why it's so humid, but my hands felt clammy as soon as I started working...n= erves, maybe.   All of the keys needed easing, and most of the hammers were an inch +/- = off the rebound cushion.  I could sense that the customer was not into = spending alot of money, so I eased the keys and pro-teked the pins, which ma= de it playable.  I figured I'd set the hammer line, but was shocked whe= n I got the hammers to what seemed within spec, that let-off and drop disapp= eared.  Aftertouch was gone.  I moved the hammers back up in the a= ir, and things worked.  Given that I was short on time and the customer= seemed kind of frugal, I evened out the hammers, tuned it, and left it alon= e.   When I explained to the customer what I'd done, she kind of glazed over = and wondered why I charged her a small amount extra for the extra work(about= an hour extra of my time).  Fortunately, her son came in, played it, a= nd smiled, saying, "it works!"   I don't have the specs in front of me, but 1/8" is pretty standard space= between the shank and the cushion.  Is the GA1 any different??  I= suspect that swelling from humidity has caused big problems, but I'm not su= re where.  Any ideas? Dave Stahl</HTML>