Hi, I'm just about to purchase a 1993 Disklavier U1 which has in-built disklavier system. It's is only a 3.5 Floppy system. Does anyone know where I can buy or get the old disks from?
Many Thanks
Kai
Where can I buy old disklavier Disks for 1993 U1
Moderators: Feg, Gill the Piano, Melodytune
hi, thanks for that reply. Very helpful indeed. So can i assume that i can put a midi file on blank disk and it will play? Obviously i understand it will not convert or play a full 16 track midi file but what if the part was placed on track 1? Maybe i could then rename the file extension to whatever it is on the yamaha disk should it not be a standard midi file.. Would this work?
In regards to price, i'm paying 2050. It's 13 years old and has a 5 year warranty and piano is in mint condition with all loops and bushings just done. Not much wear at all on the leathers etc.. I've been told by a few people that it's a good price for age and condition etc and the fact it does have disklavier option..
and advice appreciated thanks
In regards to price, i'm paying 2050. It's 13 years old and has a 5 year warranty and piano is in mint condition with all loops and bushings just done. Not much wear at all on the leathers etc.. I've been told by a few people that it's a good price for age and condition etc and the fact it does have disklavier option..
and advice appreciated thanks
One great source of information as well as music downloads is the Disklavier Users Group ( http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/disklavier/ ). You can also get software from http://www.yamahamusicsoft.com/. Just select 'Disklavier' and 'MX100 A/B" and it will give you all compatible disks for your piano (which will be an MX100 MkII).
The piano will record in Yamaha's E-SEQ format (not compatible with non-Yamaha equipment). However, it will play disks in both the E-SEQ as well as Standard MIDI File format 0. One thing to bear in mind is that your piano needs 2DD (double density, 720Kb) disks, which can be hard to find - pretty much all disks avaible now are 2HD (high density, 1.44Mb). Depending on the disk drive fitted to your piano (there were several different drives in use for various Disklavier models), you may get away with taping over the HD identification hole (opposite the write protect tab) on a 2HD disk and reformatting the disk to 720Kb on a PC. You can still get 2DD disk, as well as MIDI files, from the Yamaha Club ( http://www.yamaha-club.net ), which is an independent organisation and is not connected with Yamaha Music UK (although it is run by Glynn Madden, who used to be one of Yamaha's top organ demonstrators). Another useful source for utilities allowing you to manipulate E-SEQ files can be found at the 'Software Utility Downloads Page' on http://www.carolrpt.com/miditools.htm but you will need a computer which can run DOS for some of the programs.
The piano will record in Yamaha's E-SEQ format (not compatible with non-Yamaha equipment). However, it will play disks in both the E-SEQ as well as Standard MIDI File format 0. One thing to bear in mind is that your piano needs 2DD (double density, 720Kb) disks, which can be hard to find - pretty much all disks avaible now are 2HD (high density, 1.44Mb). Depending on the disk drive fitted to your piano (there were several different drives in use for various Disklavier models), you may get away with taping over the HD identification hole (opposite the write protect tab) on a 2HD disk and reformatting the disk to 720Kb on a PC. You can still get 2DD disk, as well as MIDI files, from the Yamaha Club ( http://www.yamaha-club.net ), which is an independent organisation and is not connected with Yamaha Music UK (although it is run by Glynn Madden, who used to be one of Yamaha's top organ demonstrators). Another useful source for utilities allowing you to manipulate E-SEQ files can be found at the 'Software Utility Downloads Page' on http://www.carolrpt.com/miditools.htm but you will need a computer which can run DOS for some of the programs.
It might be worth asking the dealer why at only 13 years old it needs rebushing and the loops doing. I know the the net dealers seem to use this as their selling point "ooohh it had the tapes done and the competition hasnt " .singingki wrote: It's 13 years old and has a 5 year warranty and piano is in mint condition with all loops and bushings just done. Not much wear at all on the leathers etc
I recon I have on average one loop a month to do out of all pianos I tune and the Yams no more so than others (may be as most are new to 15 yrs old). However a 13 year old piano shouldnt need all the loops and the bushings doing unless its been hammered in a music school. But then there would be a load of other stuff to do as well. It could just be sales bull as some of them seem to be grovelling and begging people to buy their Yams.
Hey, thanks for the pointer athomik! Had no idea you could still buy all that junk!
If it's who I think it is selling this piano, I have had experience with only one of his examples which seemed quite decent for the price paid. It was a Japanese imported MX100A with Japanese firmware in the Disklavier unit and no manual, so it was difficult to understand but could be operated if you either knew the architecture of the unit or could speak Japanese. The piano was in good nick and provided you didn't mind the top few inches of the cabinet filled with electronic gubbins could have been treated as a basic U1 for less money than most dealers sell them for. It was around 18 years old rather than the 15 claimed, but that's not far out I suppose.
The dealer in question appears not to need the money, with a large room in a Chorleywood house filled with similar pianos and a couple of very exotic motors on the drive. One might have been a Lamborghini, but since fast Italian cars leave me cold (I'm more of an Morris Minor man myself!) I could be mistaken. It was expensive at any rate, as was the house. I suspect that flogging imported Nippon pianos wasn't how he made his money. Of course he could be an ex-Lehman employee in which case he may need to catch up on a few quid now..... Anyway, my point is that treated purely as U1 and U3s, these old Disklaviers make financial sense because they're cheap. As Disklaviers, they're hopelessly outdated compared to a new one, but have MIDI facilities and will work provided you read Japanese. Beware of depreciation though. Even at 2K I doubt that you'd get 100% back if you traded it in.
If it's who I think it is selling this piano, I have had experience with only one of his examples which seemed quite decent for the price paid. It was a Japanese imported MX100A with Japanese firmware in the Disklavier unit and no manual, so it was difficult to understand but could be operated if you either knew the architecture of the unit or could speak Japanese. The piano was in good nick and provided you didn't mind the top few inches of the cabinet filled with electronic gubbins could have been treated as a basic U1 for less money than most dealers sell them for. It was around 18 years old rather than the 15 claimed, but that's not far out I suppose.
The dealer in question appears not to need the money, with a large room in a Chorleywood house filled with similar pianos and a couple of very exotic motors on the drive. One might have been a Lamborghini, but since fast Italian cars leave me cold (I'm more of an Morris Minor man myself!) I could be mistaken. It was expensive at any rate, as was the house. I suspect that flogging imported Nippon pianos wasn't how he made his money. Of course he could be an ex-Lehman employee in which case he may need to catch up on a few quid now..... Anyway, my point is that treated purely as U1 and U3s, these old Disklaviers make financial sense because they're cheap. As Disklaviers, they're hopelessly outdated compared to a new one, but have MIDI facilities and will work provided you read Japanese. Beware of depreciation though. Even at 2K I doubt that you'd get 100% back if you traded it in.