[CAUT] Yamaha sharps

[Michael Magness]

On Dec 14, 2007 11:56 PM, David Ilvedson <ilvey at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

>  Been there...done that...like you I just couldn't bring myself to dump
> them...
>
> I believe I gave that box of keys to Mr. Love for key plugs?....
>
> David Ilvedson, RPT
> Pacifica, CA 94044
>
>  ------------------------------
> Original message
> From: "Michael Magness"
> To: "College and University Technicians"
> Received: 12/14/2007 5:26:32 PM
>
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Yamaha sharps
>
>
>
> On Dec 14, 2007 11:00 AM, Jeannie Grassi <jcgrassi at earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> > Alan,
> > This also happened with a Kawai grand.  I ended up buffing out the
> > whites
> > just fine, but Kawai opted at the time to replace the sharps.  Same
> > Japanese
> > key maker supplying both companies??
> >
> > Now I am taking care of a mid-80 C3 with unusually dirty keys and I
> > think it
> > might be the same thing.  Does anyone know the exact years that this
> > problem
> > existed?  Thanks
> > jeannie
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of
> > Alan
> > Crane
> > Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2007 4:10 PM
> > To: College and University Technicians
> > Subject: Re: [CAUT] Yamaha sharps
> >
> > At 08:53 AM 12/13/2007, you wrote:
> > >  Yesterday I had an unfortunate experience cleaning keytops. Yamaha
> > >C-2 about 20 years old. ... a very thin clear finish on the sharps -
> > >blistered so as to look somewhat
> > >white.
> >
> > Fred,
> >
> > This is probably way off-the-wall but...
> > In the mid-80s, about 20 years ago, I was working for the local
> > Yamaha dealer (actually on staff there).
> > Yamaha had just recently come out with their "Ivorite" keytops
> > ________ wonderful feel to the plastic, supposedly a milk-based
> > formulation (at least that was the hype at the time).
> > But it wasn't too long before they began having problems with the
> > Ivorite keytops getting dirty and being impossible to clean.
> > It was a real problem for them and they even had technicians going
> > around the country replacing entire key sets under warranty with the
> > same problem cropping up again and again until... they discovered
> > that the Ivorite wasn't getting any more dirty than normal plastic
> > keytops do and it was cleaning up just fine.
> > The stuff that wasn't coming off the keytops (that everyone had
> > thought was dirt) was the stain from the black keys, a new
> > formulation which evidently wasn't as stable as it was supposed to be
> > and was being transferred to the Ivorite by the pianists fingers
> > and/or the cleaning cloth.
> > We were told that Yamaha immediately fixed the stain formulation and
> > I never doubted it since the problem went away.
> > However... I'm wondering if it isn't possible that, prior to finding
> > the "right" stain formulation, the factory didn't start spraying on a
> > clear-coat sealer in an effort to keep the problem stain on the
> > sharps where it belonged.
> > Now, this is all just daydreaming on my part and I have no evidence,
> > anecdotal or otherwise, to support it.
> > Its almost certainly not what you're dealing with... but... OTOH, the
> > stain problem was very real while it lasted... and the time frame is
> > about right...
> > Just a thought.
> >
> >
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Alan B. Crane,  RPT
> > School of Music
> > Wichita State University
> > alan.crane at wichita.edu
> >
> >
> >
> Hi Jeannie,
>
> I have a C3 from early 1977 that just missed having those type of keys, I
> have replaced them on a C3 from '86, a C5 from '84 and I'm about to ship a
> set for a C7 from '87 so I would say from late '77 or early '78 through the
> late '80's probably '89, when they began replacing the key sets which is
> what they did when the pianos were still in warranty. I still have the old
> keys from the "86 C3, they were barely 3 years old and Yamaha told me to
> throw them away! Except for being gray not white they were in excellent
> shape and I couldn't bring myself to do it. I repacked them in the box they
> shipped the new ones in and I've had them ever since!
>
> Just call Yamaha with the serial number and they will tell you. If they
> are in that group they'll send a shipping box and an address to ship them
> to. Figure on about 2 or 2 and a half weeks downtime for the piano. The
> person that recovers them doesn't remove any wood from the keys so there is
> no adjustment to be made just removal, packing, shipping and replacement. At
> least that's what they claim, I'm shipping after Christmas, I'll let you
> know.  <grin>
>
> Mike
> --
> People who say it can't be done, should not interrupt those of us who are
> doing it.
> Michael Magness
> Magness Piano Service
> 608-786-4404
> www.IFixPianos.com <http://www.ifixpianos.com/>
> email mike at ifixpianos.com
>

I was holding out for that day when I needed to rebush a set and could use
these as interim forgetting of course that I still would have no sharps!
So I've decided to use them for riblets, nice spruce and in some cases I can
leave the weights in for mass loading the sound board!

Mike
-- 
People who say it can't be done, should not interrupt those of us who are
doing it.
Michael Magness
Magness Piano Service
608-786-4404
www.IFixPianos.com
email mike at ifixpianos.com
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