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Yamaha Spinet 1958 with some plastic

  • 1.  Yamaha Spinet 1958 with some plastic

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-13-2018 14:28
    Has anyone had any experience with Yamaha plastic parts from the 50's?  This is a 1958 spinet with plastic jacks and stickers.  Breaking spring cords, etc.

    Nothing is breaking at present, but since it needs work we want to determine the likely longevity of these plastic parts.

    Anyone?

    Pwg

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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    603-686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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  • 2.  RE: Yamaha Spinet 1958 with some plastic

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-13-2018 14:31
      |   view attached
    Forgot to include photo

    Pwg


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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    603-686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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  • 3.  RE: Yamaha Spinet 1958 with some plastic

    Posted 04-13-2018 18:40
    The cords need replacing, hammers need resurfacing. Damper felt hardened/crusty?  The plastic does not exhibit problems, yet; so go with it and hope for the best. I've never seen deteriorated plastic on a Yamaha. But then again, it could be just on the verge, or not. Think positively. I'm more of an optimist. Usually repairs are not worth the retail value of the piano.

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    Regards,

    Jon Page
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  • 4.  RE: Yamaha Spinet 1958 with some plastic

    Posted 04-13-2018 22:01
    Those don't look like the regular plastic elbows we replace, so, are replacements even available?

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    "That Tuning Guy"
    Scott Kerns
    www.thattuningguy.com
    Tunic OnlyPure, TuneLab & Easy Piano Tuner user
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  • 5.  RE: Yamaha Spinet 1958 with some plastic

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-14-2018 07:32
    Jon,

    Your diagnosis is fully accurate. Owner understands it is not "worth it" but other circumstances make it worth it to him.  Assuming of course that plastic parts don't suddenly start disintegrating. I have only seen one other Yamaha spinet in all my time so I don't have a track record on them.

    Not my idea of a fun bunch of hours...

    Scott,

    I highly doubt that those parts would be available. However, I suddenly realized that if necessary perhaps I could print them!

    Pwg

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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    603-686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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  • 6.  RE: Yamaha Spinet 1958 with some plastic

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-14-2018 09:13
    Mr Grey,

    Those plastic elbows are made of the same ABS material as every jack on every Yamaha vertical I've ever worked on.They're highly unlikely to break. Are you certain it's from 1958? All the ones I've seen are from the late 1960's. I don't think they were even imported prior to about 1964. I have seen a few '50s Yamahas that were purchased by military personnel and then shipped stateside but they were all grands. Yamaha spinets are surprisingly good for a 36" vertical and have a scale that makes them actually tuneable. If they hadn't slaughtered so many Naughas to make case parts I could give them an unqualified recommendation.

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    Karl Roeder
    Pompano Beach FL
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  • 7.  RE: Yamaha Spinet 1958 with some plastic

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-14-2018 09:32
      |   view attached
    Karl,

    Serial number is 946434 and it is definitely of Japan originality. I determined 1958 from this number in pierce. That may not be accurate.

    I agree that it is basically a darn good little spinet (as spinets go) and it does not strike me as being from 1958 but...I did not check Yamaha website.

    If no one knows of chronic failure in this model, they are likely to go ahead and fix it.

    Pwg


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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    603-686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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  • 8.  RE: Yamaha Spinet 1958 with some plastic

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-14-2018 09:47
    Mr. Grey,

    The Yamaha website has it as a 1970 Hamamatsu product. And no thoughts for the poor Naughas?

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    Karl Roeder
    Pompano Beach FL
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  • 9.  RE: Yamaha Spinet 1958 with some plastic

    Member
    Posted 04-14-2018 10:05
    I have worked on at least a dozen of these pianos and never run into any broken plastic. All owned by retired Air Force families who got them in Japan. They are rugged little spinets, well made. The plastic is not the same brittle plastic used in US made actions. One of the churches here had a Yamaha spinet in their old church. It is now in their choir room and a Yamaha Grand is in the main church.

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    James Kelly
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
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  • 10.  RE: Yamaha Spinet 1958 with some plastic

    Posted 04-14-2018 10:17
    I like these pianos but the only naughahide one was one on which I covered the lid to hide water stains. It's in the archives.

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    Regards,

    Jon Page
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  • 11.  RE: Yamaha Spinet 1958 with some plastic

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-14-2018 12:30
    Well, it sounds like a go. I appreciate everyone's input. This one does not have any naugahyde on it BTW. Once polished up it will look pretty nice. Should sound decent too.

    Pwg

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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    603-686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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