Fernando Rosado
Piano Specialist
Used Yamaha Pianos - Clarifications
About Used Yamaha Pianos
As Technicians, Specialists and Piano dealers, it is our duty to clarify to the general public about the text "on used pianos" found on the Yamaha Portugal website.
The aforementioned text lacks substantiated technical and scientific information to support the theories it presents.
It points out a series of inconsistencies and fundamental contradictions that create an environment of insecurity among the lay public with the aim of discouraging them from possibly purchasing a used Yamaha Piano.
The text is all the more contradictory when it is published by Yamaha itself, which, in an exercise of "commercial self-flagellation," warns the public about the "dangers" of buying pianos of their brand, not mentioning any other problems existing in other brands.
The reason
The underlying reason that we believe led the "sellers" in Portugal to risk launching this "informative fraud" is related to the fact that the world and national market increasingly prefers the Excellent High-End Yamaha Pianos, built in Japan, aged between 10 and 40/50 years, which constitute an intelligent and economical purchase option for the public, both amateur and professional, but which drastically reduce the sales of new pianos in general.
The process has been used over the last few years in various countries, having in some cases resulted "relatively well" for Yamaha's objectives, but in general, it has proved to be a complete failure.
The cause of this failure is essentially related to the fact that the arguments used are easily dismantled by technicians, specialists, and customers in general, and are countered by the piano owners themselves.
In reality...
the fact that the Pianos that are pointed out as "improper" for the European market are all in "excellent health" and make thousands of amateur and professional users happy naturally refutes the idea that Yamaha tries to convey.
There is also no official record or any wave of complaints from users and owners of these pianos, nor any problem in their maintenance, and the growing demand for these instruments proves precisely the opposite. There is indeed a demand that often exceeds the capacity of supply since, being Used Pianos, they depend on market circulation and not on production quantity.
In truth, the levels of quality and durability of these instruments are, in general, so high that it can be considered that there are no complaints, and for Yamaha, that is the "big problem" with used Yamaha pianos. They are cheaper than new Yamaha pianos and in some aspects better meet the user's requirements, but they compete directly with new Yamaha pianos without Yamaha being able to control the market.
There are indeed several complaints about low-end Yamaha Pianos manufactured in Indonesia, China, and England that diverge from the quality demonstrated over several decades by Pianos manufactured in Japan.
The Used Yamaha Pianos, manufactured in Japan, are excellent instruments (as they were when new), and do not present any problems that substantially devalue them or that make technical assistance difficult.
From a commercial point of view, they are the Pianos that have the most commercial value and maintain it over time, since the quality remains stable without requiring complex technical interventions or permanent tunings.
From a Technical point of view, they are the Pianos preferred by Technicians and Tuners for their quality of tuning and regulation and for remaining stable for longer than most pianos.
The final suggestion we give to the General Public, who may still have doubts, is to seek credible and impartial information about this matter and above all to seek advice from Technicians/Specialists and from the Individuals, Professionals and institutions that own this type of Pianos. They will undoubtedly be the best advisors and the face of truth.
Final Note
The chart in Yamaha's text that relates the Age/value of Used Yamaha Pianos has no accuracy or any value from the point of view of market reality, as it presents totally wrong values that only serve the function of confusing the lay public.
The example referenced is especially unfortunate since a Piano (Yamaha model U3) was chosen, which was considered one of the best used upright pianos worldwide (the best in quality/price ratio) and is subjected to a "ridiculous assessment". In this way, Yamaha damages its own image as it directly informs the New Piano customer that this piano will have a very reduced value in the future.
It is also worth mentioning that the explanation of the hypothetical devaluation of Yamaha Pianos caused by "wood worm in the soundboard" is a serious technical error that only proves the carelessness of the published article and demonstrates total ignorance about this matter.
Fernando Rosado