Topic: CVP DIY Repair

[tangothomas]

If you own a CVP you don’t have to be afraid of doing a self repair if it suddenly starts to behave strange. If it’s under warranty and you can get a technician to do the work for you that’s the best. But after that you can take off the lid (only three screws) and check if anything seems wrong. Loose contact, burned component, screws that needs to be tightened.

In my case some notes did sound to high and some to low so I suspected the rubber contacts. They wear out or age or get dirty. So after a few years it is probably time to replace them. So that’s what I did. If you want to do this  you need clean hands, screwdrivers, and a plier. Remember not to touch the carbon on the rubber when you put everything together. The pictures shows the interior of my CVP 605. It’s actually harder to play the CVP well than to do this repair.


https://app.box.com/s/2qby44b4m26i04u3y0clobl3d3y7jz4b

[MadrasGiaguari]

Dear Thomas,

incidentally, I just posted about the CVP contacts replacement:

https://www.psrtutorial.com/forum/index.php/topic,58392.msg453469.html#msg453469

 In my case, not having enough technical capacity to do the repair on my own, I called Yamaha service, very efficient, and reasonably convenient (he changed ALL sets of contacts)

Since I have seen the Yamaha technician doing its work, very complicated, I must congratulate with you for your skill!

Angelo

[tangothomas]

You don't need special skills to do this repair - just common sense. You have to get the keybed out, so remove what's in the way or hindering it to come loose. Take the complete assembly out, put it on a table, turn it around and unscrew the three boards. Then you get to the rubber contacts.

If you have seen someone do this it’s easier, and if you have access to a service-manual you can't go wrong. Sometimes you can even find YT- videos. It’s several contacts to remove because of all the buttons, screen and other functions in the lid, but if you take several pictures with your camera or mobilephone, everything will come to the right places. And the CVP will sound much better.

[Argento]

That couch on the right of the 1st photo appears to be really confortable , and relaxing to lie on 

Im pretty suprised on how "empty" the Clavinova is on the inside, appears to have only one digital board, all the rest (power source/filters?) are discrete components, easier to repair and replace.

You're really handy Thomas, to even dare to open your Yamaha for diy repairs , WELL DONE!!

[tangothomas]

Well as you saw, lot of space. The chair has also a footstool, but what’s more important is the pianostool I made out of a Yamaha original. Bought separately. Didn't come with the CVP:s. Took away everything on top and cut out a new heavy foam ”cushion” with a ridge in the back for support. Feels nice when playing half an hour in the morning and evening.

 https://app.box.com/s/sqxllcummgyagttmtbdtquarps1bk2yc

[Argento]

Well as you saw, lot of space. The chair has also a footstool, but what’s more important is the pianostool I made out of a Yamaha original. Bought separately. Didn't come with the CVP:s. Took away everything on top and cut out a new heavy foam ”cushion” with a ridge in the back for support. Feels nice when playing half an hour in the morning and evening.

 https://app.box.com/s/sqxllcummgyagttmtbdtquarps1bk2yc

Those comes without any cushion at all, right? (only wood), and you can open the lid, and have some space to put stuff there (music books ? ) , at least like that is the one i have , (from and old Duotone i played ~40 years ago)... its a really good pianostool... but SO hard to sit on!! lol (the one i have) .... with cushion must be another thing

[tangothomas]

Playing the DP is fun but can lead to injuries if you do it wrong. Wrists, back and neck can be badly affected if your playing position is not right.

Argento!

Yes it’s another thing. I was very surprised when I got the stool from Yamaha. Non-existing padding and covered with syntetic material that made you wet in 15 min.

We keep hearing all the time that we sit to much, at work, in front of TV, computers, in cars etc. So the time playing piano or KB is best divided in short periods and paying attention to correct position and heigth of the stool. I took a new picture of the legs of my custom made piano-stool. I contact-glued one inch of solid rubber on the underside of the legs to get the correct height for me at the CVP 709. The other stool I have is possible to adjust playing height up or down, but i prefer my modified Yamaha.

https://app.box.com/s/4t9mkylqw3yq793msb9gn0k1dths0zqr

Sidenote: When I visited Argentina many years ago I met Argento for the first time. Elegant white wine, made of Chardonnay. Became my housewine for years. Then came Argento Malbec, and today on March 1 they launch a new version of Argento Rose in Sweden.

[Argento]

The one i have here, has no cushion at all, really unconfortable... its pretty similar that the ones you see in this photo :



Actually using one-for-all , exactly like this one (you can't use the backrest while playing the keyboard, off course, but the lumbar support comes handy) its a pretty comfortable general use chair.

https://www.trust.com/en/product/22692-gxt-707r-resto-gaming-chair-red

"ARGENTO"  (Silver in Italian), is a slang word for "Argentinian" ppl in general, at least in all latin-america, you said "Argento" and everybody knows youre are refering to an Argentinian
Yes, we have pretty good wines, in almost all the Andes zone, in special in the Mendoza province (where the "Argento" wine comes from (i just googled it), i've been around there a couple of times, a little far from where i live (~800-900Km) , but can drive that distance one one day from my city, no problems at all.... its a nice zone to visit (besides the wine cellars), nice landscapes, pure air, lakes...
Im not a really big fan of wines , but in personal i prefer, sweet white wines, late harvest, my preferred one is "Suter Tardío", its not expensive at all, but for me, an excellent white wine, if you see it around, give it a try:



Regards Thomas!

[mikf]

Agree, the bench supplied with the CVP are pretty basic, but not just the CVP. I bought a Yamaha Grand and the bench that came with it looked good, but was not comfortable and the fabric actually started to disintegrate quite quickly because it was cheap padding and junk synthetic leather. I don’t know why Yamaha cut corners like this. It just doesn’t fit with a quality image and seems penny foolish. The piano cost $25k and the additional cost of finishing the bench high quality materials versus the junk they supplied is probably minimal.
I took the bench to a local upholsterer who completely rebuilt it with top of the line padding and fabric. Now it’s great.


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[Argento]

My God Thomas, that Grand is a beauty!, congrats!!

Yes, they make some "sales department" desitions that are , at least pretty strange ones.. a expensive grand, with cheap bad quality cover fabrics and padding is a nosense... how much more cost (or less profit) to Yamaha make a good bench?? wholesale $100/200? , in 25K is nothing and you get a much more happy customer...

When the marketing guys redirect some of the build process, that kind oh things star to happen , sadly

[mikf]

I have another piano that I keep at a different location, and it is a Shigeru, a top of the line product from the Kawai Company. Every single detail on that is beyond perfect, they even turned the legs on bench to exactly match the piano legs and provided little hand made velvet socks that fit over the pedals so they don’t get marked. Even the wood veneers on the inside of the case are exactly matched. Granted, it cost a lot more than the Yamaha, but it’s that level of attention to detail with zero corners cut that makes you feel good about a product.
Mike

[Argento]

Yes Mike, you're absolutely right, that the kind of little things that make the difference, a detail here, another little thing there, and in the total, with very little, you make really a big difference.
Sadly, that kind of build costs cut, its a global thing, not especific to a brand, or theme... you see that decrease in build quality everywhere... from cars to fridges, from audio systems to musical instruments and computers... sadly

[Toril S]

I have an upright piano from Yamaha that I got in 1970. Acoustic, pretty standard but it is still sounding good. When someone other then me play it😀😀