Japanese Yamahas

[Paul Graeber]

I think the term is "Gray Market".....very hazy.


A local dealer imports at least one container a month.

Mostly Yamaha, but also Kawai and other Japanese brands.


If your dealer has the means to repin, and can afford to

do so, you might have a decent piano to work with.


Good luck


At 08:46 PM 4/2/97 -0600, you wrote:

>Dear list,

>	I am asking for your opinions or experience with imported used Yamahas

>made originally for the Asian market.  I have been told and believe that

>these pianos are built with a different moisture content in the wood before

>the pianos are assembled.  I have also been told that these same

>instruments , now subjected to our warmer, drier homes will have problems

>such as cracked soundboards, loose pins, etc.  I have also been told that

>Yamaha frowns on them coming here but does nothing to stop it.  I normally

>advise my clients to steer clear of these particular pianos because of the

>above reasons.

>	Today I inspected 2 of these imported used Yamahas, a U-1 and a U-3.  Both

>were in good condition today.  I told my client, that I inspected them for,

>the same information I quote above, as well as that they were both in good

>condition at present.

>	This practice is relatively new to this area (St. Louis, MO) and am

>interested in how these imported used Yamahas do in the real world in the

>U.S.A.  I was told by the dealer here that the importer in Florida has had

>no particular problems with them and had been importing them for 20 years.

>	Do any of you have first hand knowledge of what to expect from these

>pianos in the future and will share that knowledge with me so I can be more

>direct in my vague answers I give to my clients asking about these pianos

>Thanks ,

>James Grebe from St. Louis

>pianoman2inlink.com

>

>

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   </color></bold> Paul Graeber Piano Service

    pgraeber@1connect.com

    San Jose, California

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    Complex problems have simple,

easy-to-understand

wrong answers.