On Thursday, June 17, 1999 at 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, Jim wrote:

Does anyone have any experience with Rick Jones Pianos? They are located in metro-Washington DC (Beltsville, MD) and specialize in refurbished pianos. I've contacted them and they sound great, and I plan a trip to their store early next week. In the meantime, I'd like to hear about your experience with them. Thanks. Oh, by the way, I'm shopping around for a Yamaha U1 and will purchase a new one if I can't find a gem used.
Jim

This place sells the shells of Steinways and other renowned brands, rebuilt with inferior parts and labor. It may look like a Steinway, but don't be fooled. And when you go to sell it, Rick will not back his claims of quality with a good offer. Go
somewhere else and buy a Yamaha or Kawaii if you can't afford a Steinway rebuilt by Steinway.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Regarding gray market Yamaha pianos — there are two problems. First, the wood for these pianos was kiln dried for the climate in Japan. That may be ok for some areas of the US, but not others. Secondly, parts are not available from Yamaha for gray
market pianos.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)