Factory Reconditioned Yamahas ?

[Phil_Glenn@yca.CCMAIL.compuserve.com]

     The Japanese culture tends to think that a piano is worn out after 10 
     years, just as automobiles are used up after 50,000 miles. That is why 
     the used piano market is not very good in Asia, and so many are 
     exported. With their recent economic down turn, I would expect 
     attitudes to shift.
     Unless things have changed since I worked at Yamaha, and was in 
     Hamamatsu, there is no such thing as a Yamaha factory rebuilt piano.
     This is either a scam by importers, or an honest misunderstanding.
     By the way... any of these so called rebuilds that I ever saw didn't 
     look rebuilt at all.
     
     Phil Glenn RPT
     YCA


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Subject: Re: Factory Reconditioned Yamahas ?
Author:  INTERNET:pianotech@ptg.org at CSERVE
Date:    3/11/99 11:32 PM


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Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 21:01:27
To: pianotech@ptg.org
From: Roger Jolly <baldyam@sk.sympatico.ca> 
Subject: Re: Factory Reconditioned Yamahas ?
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Hi Jon,
         Sounds very suspicious to me, many of the gray market pianos were
taken in on trade by factory stores, and sold to wholesalers that 
specialize to moving used product in bulk. These people concentrate on 
cosmetics and not function. I am off to the factory on the 20th for two 
weeks of education, and a complete tour of the facilities, no doubt I will 
try to obtain the first hand story at the the whole grey market issue.
One grey market supplier here in Canada is purchasing, so say reconditioned 
units, good cosmetic job, hammers reshaped, but the key bushings told 
another story.
Just be carefull, and check with Yamaha USA. 
Regards Roger
     
     
     
At 06:58 PM 3/11/99 -0500, you wrote: 
>List,
>I have been requested to look at a few pianos in a dealer's showroom. The 
>person hiring me said  that one is a 'Factory  Reconditioned Yamaha" grand. 
>I didn't know there was such a thing. Did my client misunderstand or is the 
>dealer feeding her a line ?
>
>Promptness counts as I am scheduled to meet her at 1pm tomorrow (3/12). 
>
>It's always usefull to have the low-down when approaching situations like 
>this.
>
>Thanks, what a resource ! And some techs still insist on being computer free. 
>
>
>
>
>Jon Page
>Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net) 
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
Roger Jolly
Balwin Yamaha Piano Centres.
Saskatoon/Regina.
Canada.