Initially, Yamaha shipped pianos to the USA (1963, I think) that were made no differently than those pianos sold for the domestic Japanese market. Within a short time, a considerable number of these pianos began to exhibit the kinds of problems associated with insufficient humidity. The principal problem, (but not the only one) was loose tuning pins. As a result, Yamaha sent teams of techs to visit these pianos and among other things, restring/repin them. Japan had grossly overestimated the humidity level found in the typical American home. Even in high humidity areas, central air conditioning and heating (which are not common in Japan) would reduce the humidity to a lower level than anticipated. Repairing the affected pianos was a expensive lesson not lost on Yamaha, and to this day we still make pianos from wood that has been dried to a moisture content that is varied according to it's destination. By the way, the Japan climate is in the "Wet" zone, the USA is in the "Driest". In addition to the moisture content, each marketing area has it's preferences with respect to tone, finish etc. So pianos sold in other markets will have different string scales, hammers, pedal functions, finishes and warranties, among other things. In the USA, Technical support was never given information about models that were never sold here, so our level of support is scant for these models. The reason that these other-market pianos are here is a cultural one, primarily. Contrary to what a prospective customer is told, there is no law that mandates the retirement of a institutional piano. The pianos are bought cheaply enough in Japan to make it worthwhile to ship them over in container sized lots and sell here. And why is the value of a 15 year old piano so low in Japan? Because there is no market for them there. There are no rebuilders supplying refurbished pianos to a hungry market. There are no factory rebuild programs. The Japanese want new pianos. The reason they look so good is the care they receive in the hands of the owners, not because they get refinished in Japan, or anywhere else for that matter. Hell, there isn't even a stripper for polyester! Can you imagine sanding all that material down to wood to re-finish? A 15 year old piano is viewed by the Japanese in much the same way we Americans look at the value of a 15 year old car. It's not worth spending very much money on, and is past its prime performance years. We Americans seem to take a much longer range view of the pianos usefulness. So when I get a call asking about these pianos, I tell the customer the truth; that it may perform fine and never develop any problems related to low humidity, but if it does, Yamaha probably can't help them by providing any technical information. And most importantly, buying this type of piano represents a gamble. Much more so than buying a new Yamaha from a Yamaha dealer, with a warranty and the full support and backing of Yamaha Service. And at the prices I've heard some potential grey-market shoppers quote, I would never gamble at those stakes, I couldn't afford the loss. Mark Wisner Yamaha
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