Hi, I'm a longtime reader, first time poster.

I found an old yamaha U1 on Craigslist for a reasonable price ($1500ish). I played it. It sounds great. There are a few unusual characteristics that I am curious about:

1. The yamaha logo is not on the inside of the fallboard. It's up high on the front. This piano sounds too good to be a copy?

2. There was a shim loosely crammed in the soundboard on the treble end with a piece of cork holding it in. It slipped out easy and the soundboard was fine. There are no buzzes, looseness, etc associated with soundboard. What's the point of this?

3. It's red! The red isn't matching. (Did yamaha ever do red pianos?)

Thanks for any insight. Here are some picts:
http://www.decals123.com/ebay/Piano1.JPG
http://www.decals123.com/ebay/Piano2.JPG

1. Yamaha did this.
2. Who knows?
3. Mahogany finished often look different depending on the direction of the grain.

How's the cable reception, where's the screen hidden? ....lol sorry couldn't resist.

Make sure you kick it after winding it up. That way it will start more easily. And whatever you do, don't blow in the hole while the lid's up. The lid has to be down for the sound to come out.

#2 - Regarding the shim; there may be a buzz that comes and goes.

1.That is a factory ancient Yamaha from the sixties or prior.
2.No law saying you can't shim a Yamaha soundboard though
most would glue it in. Shims are mostly cosmetic unless off the rib. Maybe it fixed itself. Probably never buzzed in the first place.
3.Elton had a Red Yamaha grand. Iv'e seen gray market fire engine red Yamahas before.

Are you talking about this piano?

Lol, I have to remember this!!!