Yamaha pianos

[Tom Cole]

I'd like to find out more about the dry cycles in Japan. Laroy Edwards
stated in a convention class that the domestic Yamaha soundboards are
dried down to 10% EMC whereas the US exports are brought down to 6%.
>From that I assumed that the winters there are not as dry as parts of
the US. And judging by the brown mold on the insides of some of the gray
market Yamahas, I can believe about the high humidity. 

Tom Cole

Christopher Witmer wrote:
> 
> Admittedly, the more arid parts of the USA can get dryer than Japan, but
> you'd be surprised how dry Japan can get in the winter, when there may
> be zero precipitation for a few months. In both countries, depending on
> how people heat their homes in winter, the piano can be subject to
> desert-like dryness. Japan's alternation between moderately cold, very
> dry winters and obscenely humid summers is a characteristic not found in
> much of the USA though.
> 
> Tom Cole wrote:
> >
> > David Love wrote:
> > >
> > > Anybody have any information on the difference between Yamaha pianos built
> > > in Japan for Japanese distribution versus ones for US distribution.  I have
> > > a customer looking at a U1, 15 years old that falls into the made for
> > > Japanese distribution category.  It has only two pedals, otherwise there is
> > > not obvious difference.
> > >
> > David,
> >
> > The main thing I would consider is what kind of environment is the piano
> > going to be in? The Japanese climate is on the damp side and the pianos
> > made for that market do not need to be prepared for the dryness
> > experienced by so much of the US.
> >
> > I live on the Pacific coast where the humidity level is very similar to
> > Japan's and none of the gray market Yamahas that I've seen have had any
> > soundboard or pinblock problems. However, you might very well have a
> > problem in other areas of the country from what I've read on this list
> > (check the archives).
> >
> > Tom Cole
> > Santa Cruz, CA
> > mailto:tcole@cruzio.com