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Oh joy. My son arrives to announce that the piano has some sticky stuff on the keys of our brand new YDP-160. Looks like something from the last time my daughter played it, but she doesn't know what she had on her fingers. I try everything to clean it, but nothing works. The sticky feeling goes away, but the residue remains. I read several websites on the internet that say to use toothpaste. I try it on one of the keys, but then the key gets all scratched. I know I can replace the keys for $16 each, but it is working fine, just not shiny anymore. I guess it is something I will have to live with. It sure didn't take long to break it in. Our last DP lasted 6 years without anything like this happening.

Sorry to hear it. I hate it when things like that happen to something new.

What old are they? If they are old enough to have learned the lesson, you might want to replace they key for the new feel again. If they are still young, oh well, maybe just wait....

A not-too-stiff nylon brush and some detergent might do the trick. Or, 0000 steel wool or fine sand paper. Hey, maybe you'll give 'em that ivory-like matte finish!

HOWEVER, you should remove the keys before trying to clean them so you don't get anything on the PCB, which sits under the keys/hammers by the front. (It's somewhat protected by plastic, but the hammers still hit the MIDI sensors which are on the PCB.)

It's pretty easy to do on their portable DPs. I don't know about the YDP. Basically, you need to remove the action from the cabinet, or at least expose the rears of the keys and about an inch of space in front of the keys. I imagine there are screws in inconspicuous areas of the cabinet.

Or, call Yamaha support and see if they'd allow you to have a tech take care of it under warranty. But I always say, if you want a job done right, you gotta do it yourself.

I'd try some WD-40. It has solvents that will NOT harm most plastics.

Moisten a cloth or paper towel with WD-40, wipe it over the affected surfaces ... most sticky junk that won't come off with water WILL come off with WD-40.

When clean, use a water-damp cloth to remove the small remaining film of WD-40 from the cleaned surfaces.

This method requires NO scrubbing and NO abrasives. It will leave no scratch marks.

This also works well when removing sticky labels from various products. The label often leaves a sticky glue residue that won't come off with water/detergent. But it will come off with WD-40.

I just found out what caused the sticky residue. Tree sap.

Thanks for the advice. Do you really think that Yamaha might fix it?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is more than a little curious as to how tree sap managed to get onto your YDP's keyboard...

Had your daughter just come in after climbing trees?

Cheers,
James
x

Well in that case, you could lick it off!

Call Yamaha and find out.

Exactly. Climbing trees then playing piano. Don't you just love the way kids think.

Try this:

yamaha service

Rubbing alcohol cuts tree sap pretty well.

Tried it, but didn't work. I also tried Goo Gone, which took off much of the sap, but left a slightly visible residue.

Lighter fluid is good at removing sticky residues. Just remember to let it sit for a few minutes before wiping off. And repeat the process as many times as needed.

Thanks. I wiped off the Goo Gone after a few seconds, so maybe I will try leaving it on longer and see what happens.