Opinions sought on Bootleg pianos

[Clyde Hollinger]

I do wish clients would ask me before spending their good money on these gray
market pianos.  I service two or three grands acquired by their owners in the
last two years.  The tuning pins are loose but still hold a pitch, and the
insides look pretty nasty.  The only repair I've had to do so far was glue a
lyre back together.

Clyde Hollinger, RPT
Lititz, PA (northeast coast USA)

Robin Stevens wrote:

> I am a Piano Tuner of 40 years experience in South Australia,where we
> have a annual rainfall of 12-14 inches and a evaporation level of 12 times
> that figure.so any Pianos that come to this area are well and truly put to
> the test.
> The problem is that with the ever increasing number of S/H Japanese Domestic
> Yamaha
> & Kawai pianos being bought to this area I can see a great cause for concern
> for these High humidity designed instruments.
> All of the Pianos drop 30-50 cents pitch in the first year
> The majority have very loose tuning pins
> Any screw removed from any site in the Piano has at least 25% rust the
> length of the screw
> The sound quality is not as good as it could be.( sound board loosing its
> crown ?)
> What I am trying to do is get as many opinions from Piano tuners &
> technicians regarding personal experiences they might have had with these
> pianos being sold to a area they were not designed for.
> On past experiences with any Piano in my area the drying out continues over
> the life of the instrument
> Looking forward to some replies
> Thanks  Robin Stevens