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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 2
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 2 |
Hi,
I am told two different stories about Yamaha free tunings, so i am not sure which one to trust. So, tuning to experts here to understand when should a new piano be first turned.
To give you some details, I have been looking at buying Yamaha upright piano for the last couple of months. I saw this piano during Yamaha roadshow at a local Costco hosted by a Yamaha employee. I was told that Yamaha offers two free tunings at home in the first year. One of my friends went aheead with the purchase and 2 free tunings was also written on the invoice. I did not go through the purchase at that time.
Went to a local dealer with a group and negotiated the price. When group members tried to negotiate the price further, store amanger threw in another free tuning making it 3 free tunings rather than reducing the price further. The rest of the group members did not want to go through the purchase, so i was the only one who decided to go ahead with the purchase. Store manager then started to tell me that it is only 2 free tunings at home as the first one is done at the store before the piano is delivered as per Yamaha policy. I felt he went back on his word to cut the one additional free tuning he promised to the group as other group memebers walked way.
I was told at Yamaha road show that a new piano needs to adjust to the room temperature before it can be tuned, so Yamaha offers two free tunings. I also do not believe that Yamaha claims to give 2 free turnings when one of them is supposed be done before the delivery. These made me believe that the store manager was not keeping his word.
Please throw some light how these Yamaha free tunings really work. Really appreciate your input.
Thanks in advance.
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 7,559
7000 Post Club Member
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7000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 7,559 |
If you have occasion to speak to the Yamaha dealer again, ask them to show this to you in writing. I believe Yamaha refers to this program as Servicebond. I'm pretty sure it's clear what is required of the store and the buyer.
p.s. You're not about to purchase a piano you didn't play first in the store, right? Pardon the crappy grammar there...
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Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,607
1000 Post Club Member
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1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,607 |
I believe you are referring to the Yamaha Service Bond Program. The way I understand it, it is one in home service after the purchase of the piano. The cost is covered by Yamaha.
If you read the Yamaha recommendations, Yamaha actually recommends 4 tunings each year in the first two years of a new piano, then 2 tunings every year after that.
Many dealers do all sorts of things, telling consumers all kinds of things about how they do a great deal of prepping at the dealer, when you are lucky all they do is tune the piano. And this is because the dealer is counting on the very high quality control of Yamaha, which means the piano is playable out of box unlike many other brands that actually requires extensive prepping. I met an honest dealer who basically said they don't prep the piano. They just deliver the piano straight out of the box at your home, and tune it once after 4 weeks. They sounded kind of bad, but as it turned out, they were the honest one, but I bought a piano from a dealer who told me they will give me the premium prep blah blah blah but in the end, the piano came straight out of the box from the truck at my home.
Talking to my tech, he told me that if there is any piano that could be delivered out of the box at a home, it is a Yamaha from Japan. When I complained to the dealer that my premium blah blah prep turned out to be nothing at all, they gave me one more free tuning, so I got two counting the one provided by Yamaha Service Bond.
However, to be honest, the two free tunings were mediocre. The dealer does not allow you to choose your tuner then claim the cost through them. They send their tuner of their choice, so in the end, the value is questionable. What I realize now is all this free tuning are all gimmicks. What you need is to find your own tuner that has an excellent reputation, then establish a relationship with him for the life of the piano. It's irrelevant how many free tunings you get. In the end, the one tuning Yamaha provides is sufficient to tie you over until you find your own tuner that you know is good.
You should find the best tuner you can afford. The result is better than spending the money on a more expensive piano, then going with an average tuner.
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 2,604
2000 Post Club Member
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2000 Post Club Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 2,604 |
Yamaha Corporation of America strongly recommends to its dealers to offer two tunings with the purchase of a new Yamaha acoustic piano. YCA reimburses the dealer for a portion of the expense of one tuning.
Yamaha does not promise any tunings to buyers. The seller does.
Piano preparation pre-delivery and post delivery tunings are at the descretion of the retail dealer. As margins have diminished and costs have risen, many dealers have backed of expensive "free" service and "free" deliveries. Many Yamaha dealers prep and tune before delivery then offer one post- delivery tuning, suggested to be done between 3-6 weeks after delivery.
It is recommended that a newly delivered piano "acclimatize" to its new surroundings and get played in a little. 2-3 weeks is enough to accomplish this unless there are unusual weather conditions.
To jabarte, You went in and bargained with the dealer for a group purchase and extracted pricing and tuning concessions. Then the group evaporated, as they often do, and you express concern that the dealer has backed up on his committments.
Co-Author of The Complete Idiot's Guide To Buying A Piano. A "must read" before you shop. Work for west coast dealer for Yamaha, Schimmel, Bosendorfer, Wm. Knabe.
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,906
1000 Post Club Member
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1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,906 |
You know, the guitar is a nice instrument.
Amateur Pianist and raconteur.
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 15,621
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
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Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 15,621 |
Five free tunings that are lousy don't make up for one good one.
The more tunings are offered by dealers, the 'lousier' i.e *cheaper* is the tuner often hired for that purpose.
Not always - but very often...
Norbert
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 3,458
3000 Post Club Member
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3000 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 3,458 |
I prefer to call them "warranty tunings" (a tuning included with the sale of a piano). It helps the customer, dealer, and manufacturer, by making sure the piano is placed in a good location, taking care of any minor adjustments needed as the piano adapts to the new location, and so on.
Felt is used throughout pianos where parts move, to reduce friction and noise. On new pianos, it's as thick as it's ever going to be, so tolerances are tight, and it's not uncommon to have a sluggish key, which people are understandably concerned about with their new instrument.
The last time I did a Yamaha Service Bond service, it had a list of items, including checking all action screws.
--Cy--
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 4,567
4000 Post Club Member
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4000 Post Club Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 4,567 |
You know, the guitar is a nice instrument. I'm still chuckling over this 6 hrs later. I might actually offer a ride to another piano store.
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Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:34 PM
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Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:23 PM
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