I cannot prove or disprove what Yamaha says about making pianos for various markets around the world. But, I can explain the logic:
(1) When Yamaha first brought pianos into the US in the early 1960s, Yamaha learned the hard way that the wood had to be dried to a lower moisture level. There were a lot of warranty issues that the company had to address in this regard.
(2) The reason for the problem was not that every location is North America is dry. Obviously that is not true. The reason is that a substantial number of households have either air conditioning in the summer and/or central heating in the winter. The result is that the indoor air (which is the only air that counts) frequently goes through periods of very low humidity.
(3) Drying the wood for production is an expensive process. Therefore it adds cost to the instrument. If Yamaha dried the wood in all pianos to the extent required by homes and institutions in North America, unnecessary cost would be added to instruments sold in other parts of the world.
(4) Apparently, Yamaha dries the wood to 3 different moisture levels based on the target market area. Pianos destined for North America are dried the most.
Apparently, there is a market opportunity for importers to find lower cost, used Yamaha pianos in Asia and bring them into the US. Of course it is their right to do so, and it is the consumer's right to purchase what he/she wants.
If you purchase a piano that was not made for North America, you cannot get parts and service from Yamaha Corporation of America. And, it is advisable to keep up the relative humidity in your home year round.
Regards,
PianoBench
On Aug 26, 2007, at 11:57 PM, rondisklavier wrote:
I always have question regarding the statement below. How Yamaha
manufactured for special market, for example US. US climate is not one
climate. There are as many climate as those of in Asia (from South
East Asia to Japan). In addition, when I was in my senior year in
college, I had a practical training in Yamaha factory in Jakarta,
Indonesia, and I was not aware that they make different pianos for
different climates.
--- In disklavier@yahoogroups.com, "Carol Beigel" .> wrote:
Their
> products are manufactured specifically for different markets. The
pianos in
> particular are not interchangeable!
>
>
> Carol Beigel
>