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Hi,

I'm a new member from Italy and I'm looking for your support.

I'd like to buy an used upright piano and I've found a nice Yamaha P121NT-SG silent.

Now here are my questions for you:

The serial no. is quite strange as it is E322xxx (3 last hidden for privacy ). Is it really an original Yamaha piano? I've found other similar pianos in stores and normally the serial starts with J.... and is longer.

I've been told by the owner (nice lady ) that the piano was bought as new in 2008 but no invoice is available. Is this serial no. matching with such piano age ?

Thanks

Welcome to the forum!

I don't have a piano atlas to look up the serial number. Sorry, but probably plenty of others around here do.

Regarding your question about "original Yamaha": I've yet to see or hear about anyone faking a Yamaha piano. If "Yamaha" or "Nippon Gakki" is cast into the plate, and "Yamaha" is on the fallboard then I think you can be assured it's a Yamaha piano. Where the instrument was built and what was it's intended destination is of course an entirely different question.

The length of the serial numbers has changed throughout the years, just like most manufacturers.

This is a Yamaha from the indonesian factory.

This piano was definitely not made in Jakarta. It was made in the UK, approximately 2005/2006 in the defunct Kemble-Yamaha factory (closed 2009) and is a genuine Yamaha. The E prefix signifies made in UK.

The SG system on the P121 has now been upgraded to SH, but SG is still a decent system.

And yet the E means something totally different for Yamaha grand pianos. It's confusing!

Sorry, my mistake. The pianos from indonesia have 8 digits. But i think there are still some SN with prefix "E" as also with "J"?

take a picture using goggle app then you can find out where it was made

drazh: Please allow me to rephrase part of my earlier answer.

This piano was most definitely made in the UK.

ando and xentis: I agree Yamaha's model naming and serial numbering is more than confusing. In this instance in the old Kemble-Yamaha factory, the E is immediately before the start of the serial number not part of the model name. So, written on the frame is P121NT SG E322xxx. Older grands models could be eg: in Japan C3E 6123456 or GIRE 5123456 or in Indonesia GA1E J12345678.

Because their model names and serial numbers are so varied anyone in doubt about a Yamaha piano's authenticity, please contact Yamaha Corp in your own country or feel free to email me at chris@chrisvenables.co.uk

I've seen quite a few C3s where the E was just before the serial number - exactly as you describe the number of these UK models, rather than attached to the C3 in the plate casting. Saw one just the other day, in fact. Like this:

http://imgc.classistatic.com/cps/blnc/130324/814r1/44574b8_20.jpeg

The E doesn't seem to mean anything in terms of grands - they were all made in Japan, just denotes a period during the 90s from what I can tell. I've seen A-D series before that. They've had the L series and M series since then and now the X series but the serial numbers follow on from the the Es made in the 90's.

Thank you all very much.

Before looking at your feedbacks, today I called Yamaha Italy. The support given was really professional and satisfactory. The guy asked me the model, the serial no. and my mobile phone and in few minutes he called me back with my answer.... Indeed this serial is from 2006. I did not ask about where it was made yet.

Now I know once again I can count on Yamaha (and not only for motors ) ... and on Piano World of course :-)

And here is the answer from Yamaha that confirms the piano was assembled in Milton Keynes close to London in 2006 with original Yamaha components coming from Japan. All P series pianos were made there. Later on these intruments production has been move to Indonesia and the initial of serial numbers changed to J.

------------------------------
Gentile Cliente,

la matricola da Lei comunicata corrisponde alla produzione dell'anno 2006.
La lettera E prima delle cifre identifica la fabbrica di Milton Keynes, vicino Londra, dove tutti i pianoforti P erano assemblati con componenti originali Yamaha prodotte in Giappone. Succssivamente la produzione di questi strumenti è stata trasferita in Indonesia con matricole precedute dalla lettera J.

Distinti saluti.
Yamaha Customer Support