Yamaha CLP970 Clavinova repair!

This is the clp-970 Yamaha clavinova piano system. It's a top of the range digital piano with 88 keys.








Here are its official specs:

 "Woodgrain cabinet with Dark Rosewood (CLP-970A shown), Cherry ( 2194 LNK CLP-970AC ) or Mahogany ( 2193 LNK CLP-970AM
 • 88-key GH (Graded Hammer Effect) keyboard
 • 4-position touch sensitivity • 25 voices • 128-note polyphony (maximum)
 • PC Interface • Split voice • Dual voice • Digital reverb • Digital effects • Brilliance
 • 16-track song recorder • Internal song memory • 7 temperaments • 60W x 2 amplifier
 • Metronome • Three foot pedals with half pedal effect • MIDI • New sliding key cover
 • Dual headphone jacks • 50 built-in demonstration songs with sheet music
 • New 5-step Dynamic Stereo Sampling AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) tone generation with Stereo Sustain Samples, Key-Off Samples, Soundboard Reverb and String Resonance"

 This piano had the same problem all these clavinovas have at some point in their life: broken keys...
Three of its plastic piano keys had a broken base and therefore, these keys couldn't return to their original position once pressed.
 The solution is quite simple but it needs a bit of skill: you have to change the defective keys with new ones. There are replacement Yamaha keys on ebay and Yamaha instruments dealers all over the world. I ordered mine via ebay.co.uk for 15GBP (5 pounds per key). Pay attention though because not all keys fit the clavier, you have to specify the piano model, key note(A-G white or semitone black key) and key code to get the right replacement parts!

  Opening up the clp-970 was a bit of a mystery as it had many "hidden" bolts. Once I opened the piano, everything was a bit dusty so we cleaned it up and I sprayed the electronics with some contact cleaner. Then, I removed the clavier bolts to gently pry the old keys out. I placed the new keys in and checked that the clavier worked properly. Then, I placed every part of the piano back. This clavinova is now ready for some "forte" playing dynamics!

Here are a few pictures of the clp-970:

Cheers,

Thanos