Yamaha Jumping Jacks

[Ron Nossaman]

> Ron, great explanation, and I concur.  Still, relegating this to merely 
> "operator error" in my mind doesn't mean that this, in the end, isn't a 
> design problem.  When THAT many operators are making "errors", and 
> countless techs everywhere are trying various "shotgun" methods of 
> compensation, it certainly would seem a design fix might be entertained 
> by the manufacturer. This has been such a common problem, for so many 
> years, and nearly (not totally) the exclusive domain of Yamahas, that I 
> am surprised that they have not addressed this.  Seldom do I find this 
> phenomenon in other pianos, even those of far lesser quality.  Given 
> Yamaha's sterling track record for being able to otherwise produce 
> trouble free, quality pianos on a consistent basis (more than perhaps 
> any other major manufacturer) it remains surprising to me they have not 
> made some design changes to fix it.  But hey, nobody's perfect, eh?
>  
> Mark Potter


Mark,
It's not a question of quality, but a question of intent. It's 
certainly the design, and an intentional one, but I'm not so sure 
it's a problem. I think it's intended as a high 
performance-potential mechanism, rather than something to 
accommodate the lowest common denominator. I think these actions 
have a nice crisp positive feel to them that is missing in more 
forgiving designs, and when new owners learn to play to the punching 
rather than the jack toe contact, they are quite happy with them. 
You can swing a power drill and drive a nail to make a hole, but 
using the drill as it was designed to be used will expand your hole 
horizons. Or you can ask that the drill be redesigned with a longer 
handle for better leverage and greater impact power...

My take.
Ron N