Opinions sought on Bootleg pianos

[Roger Jolly]

Hi Robin,
                You have the ultra dry conditions that we have in central
Canada. There is a litany of horror stories. Slight pressure ridges open up
so wide that after 2 years you can drop a credit card thro' the crack.
Industrial polution has rusted the strings so badly, replacement is the
only option.
Most of these pianos are ex institutional units, and were ready for
complete rebuilding before they were shipped to your area.

Regards Roger



At 09:23 PM 06/02/00 +1030, you 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
> 
Roger Jolly
Saskatoon, Canada.
306-665-0213
Fax 652-0505