Yamaha GH1

[Marshall Gisondi]

Hi Everyone,
A woman e-mailed me a week or so ago asking if the Yamaha GH1 is a good piano.  Are they good pianos. I know they've had trouble with the GA1 and had to discontinue its production.  What are the ins and outs of this GH1 piano?  Did it simply replace the GA1, or did they improve the same scale etc and call it a GH1?  Or is the GH1 a totally different piano all together?  Thanks
Marshall 

Marshall Gisondi
MARSHALL'S PIANO SERVICE
215-510-9400
http://www.phillytuner.com

[Joseph Garrett]

Marshall,

The GH-1 was the first PSO, for Yamaha, that everyone loves to hate.<G> It has scaling problems at the "break". It can be improved. (I've done several) Or, at least made them "less bad".<G> Basic substandard parts for the construction in comparison to most Yamaha products, which I consider above standard. Of course every piano needs to be judged on it's own merits. Also, I wouldn't give any definate comments until I've seen the piano in question.

Best,

Joe

 

Joe Garrett, R.P.T.

Captain of the Tool Police

Squares R I

http://gpianoworks.com/

 

[PIAN...@aol.com]

Joe, do you mean rescaling low tenor with wound bichords?

 

Randy Mangus, RPT

[Ron Nossaman]

On 4/28/2013 5:52 PM, Marshall Gisondi wrote:
> What are the ins and outs of
> this GH1 piano? Did it simply replace the GA1, or did they improve the
> same scale etc and call it a GH1?

The GH1 was replaced by the GA1, with an even worse scale.
Ron N

[Joseph Garrett]

Yes, if what you call the low tenor, (which it ain't if you are a Tenor<G>).

 

Joe Garrett, R.P.T.

Captain of the Tool Police

Squares R I

http://gpianoworks.com/

 

----- Original Message -----

From:

[Joseph Garrett]

Agree with that assessment. Of course there have been many manifestations
of the GH-1 before the GA-1. And, let's not forget the all "wonderful"
GB-1.<G> I wonder why they continue to allow a bad scale in their shortest
piano? Doesn't make sense to me..
Best,
Joe

Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
Captain of the Tool Police
Squares R I
http://gpianoworks.com/

> [Original Message]
> From: Ron Nossaman <rnos...@cox.net>
> To: <pian...@googlegroups.com>
> Date: 4/28/2013 7:07:22 PM

> Subject: Re: [ptech] Yamaha GH1
>

[Ron Nossaman]

On 4/28/2013 9:26 PM, Joseph Garrett wrote:
> I wonder why they continue to allow a bad scale in their shortest
> piano? Doesn't make sense to me..

I think they just supplied their own competition. It's easier to sell C
series when you have a dog to compare it with. Sells more expensive
pianos. But then someone buys the dog instead, in which case Yamaha
still sells a piano. If they made the dog sound presentable, they would
sell more dogs and fewer expensive pianos and lose money, so they made
sure the dog sounded nasty.

Ron N

[Randy]

Did you use the kit that Yamaha used to provide?  Or did you have it rescaled yourself?

Randy Mangus

Sent from my iPhone

[Joseph Garrett]

Randy,

I'm the one who invented "the kit"!! Oh my! I wasn't supposed to tell you that...shame on me!<G>

Best,

Joe

[Brian Trout]

Hope you'll forgive the heresy but I wonder if this has anything to do with why they sold to many of the Motif (electronic keyboards)?? 


Brian

> Date: Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:09:53 -0500
> From: rnos...@cox.net
> To: pian...@googlegroups.com

> Subject: Re: [ptech] Yamaha GH1
>

[Ron Nossaman]

On 4/29/2013 6:11 AM, Brian Trout wrote:
> Hope you'll forgive the heresy but I wonder if this has anything to do
> with why they sold to many of the Motif (electronic keyboards)??

Beats me. I'm just a shop rat that knows less about marketing than
anyone. But one thing that is obvious is that every sale a company
makes, however low and lame, is a sale the competition didn't.
Ron N

[Jim Moy]

I'll take a GA-1 or GH-1 in good condition any day over the cheap spinets and rusty uprights that I seem to be getting a lot of calls for in the last couple of months. Saw a GA-1 just today, and it was nice, no false beating, so my efforts on unisons actually produced some results. I suggested they have me do some leveling and voicing next time around, and I'll be happy to do it.

Jim

[jim ialeggio]

I'll take a GA-1 or GH-1 in good condition any day over the cheap spinets and rusty uprights that I seem to be getting a lot of calls for in the last couple of months. Saw a GA-1 just today, and it was nice, no false beating, so my efforts on unisons actually produced some results. I suggested they have me do some leveling and voicing next time around, and I'll be happy to do it.

Jim, I'm glad to hear your take on these pianos.

I have found a number of these pianos, together with clients, used. Non-grey market Craiglist, for 5K-ish. Sure, there are 3 notes at the end of the tenor bridge that will not stay in tune well, and are hard to tune, but the rest of the instrument I have been able to get sounding quite pleasant. They render well, and have an easy pin feel.  I look forward to tuning them, and the way I stretch the bass agrees quite well with their challenged scaling. With the exception of those few notes, the instrument can sound quite nice, way better than the majority of nasties we have to put up with.
Jim Ialeggio 

[Joseph Garrett]

Jim,

Why would you, time after time, subject your client to those "..3 notes at the end of the tenor bridge that will not stay in tune."??? Why not do something about it? Once done, the  GH-1 is quite tolerable as you say

Best,

Joe

 

Joe Garrett, R.P.T.

Captain of the Tool Police

Squares R I

http://gpianoworks.com/

 

----- Original Message -----

From: jim ialeggio

To: pian...@googlegroups.com

Sent: 4/30/2013 4:33:35 AM

Subject: Re: [ptech] Yamaha GH1

[jim ialeggio]

Why would you, time after time, subject your client to those "..3 notes at the end of the tenor bridge that will not stay in tune."???

Uhh...they subject themselves to it...

that is, until it bugs them enough to ante-up and pay me to change it out.

I point it out the problem each time I tune these, and say it could be improved, price and all that...but...often these things bother technicians way more than they bother a huge percentage of the piano playing public. This may be a reason why they never change these problems. 


Jim Ialeggio

[Joseph Garrett]

Perhaps. But, notes going out of tune within days doesn't do much for the reputation either. It does tell us how little a lot of people are unable to ascertain any semblance of out-of-tuneness. Sigh!<G>

Best,

Joe

 

Joe Garrett, R.P.T.

Captain of the Tool Police

Squares R I

http://gpianoworks.com/

 

----- Original Message -----

From: jim ialeggio

To: pian...@googlegroups.com

Sent: 4/30/2013 11:03:46 AM

Subject: Re: [ptech] Yamaha GH1

[Al Guecia/Allied PianoCraft]

Joe, How many tri-cords do you change to bi-cords?

Al -

High Point, NC

[Joseph Garrett]

Al,

Six. Seems to blend a bit better.

[Euphonious Thumpe]

A huge percentage of the contemporary public only has a piano as a status symbol. Thumpe

---

From: Joseph Garrett <joega...@earthlink.net>;
To: <pian...@googlegroups.com>;

Subject: Re: [ptech] Yamaha GH1

Sent: Tue, Apr 30, 2013 8:04:59 PM

[Joseph Garrett]

unfortunately

[Ron Nossaman]

On 4/30/2013 4:55 PM, Euphonious Thumpe wrote:

> A huge percentage of the contemporary public only has a piano as a
> status symbol.

Except the rich. They often keep an old used up unplayable grand that
they have tuned every ten years when it's their turn to host the party -
and hire a pianist. At least that's the way it used to be. Now they buy
that tiny Disklavier, don't have to hire a pianist, have it tuned more
often because they use it for background music, like a stereo, and
complain that they can't turn it down low enough.

Those that actually do play and care to own as nice an instrument as
they can afford and have it tuned once in a while - unless the economy
is down...
Ron N

[Joseph Garrett]

AND, with the GH-1's it's so cheap that they buy it thinking that it is
this MAGNIFICENT THANG, because it's a GRAND and then find out it's a
POS/PSO just like the spinet types etc, except it has the basic functions
of a grand and that's an improvement over the upright thangs, imo.<G>
Oh, well, at least it is a PSO with strings and an action, unlike those
damned "electric Piano" thingies. Sigh!

Best,
Joe

Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
Captain of the Tool Police
Squares R I
http://gpianoworks.com/

> [Original Message]
> From: Ron Nossaman <rnos...@cox.net>
> To: <pian...@googlegroups.com>

> Date: 4/30/2013 4:09:28 PM

> Subject: Re: [ptech] Yamaha GH1
>