Yamaha ‘Test Drive A Hybrid’ Retail Program Aims to Raise Profile of Its Groundbreaking and Exclusive Piano Category
Buena Park, CA (PRWEB) November 05, 2013 -- Yamaha unveiled a ‘Test Drive A Hybrid’ promotion to acquaint a wider consumer audience with its groundbreaking and exclusive series of hybrid pianos, which combine the sound and feel of acoustic instruments with digital technology. These Yamaha instruments, which are the only real hybrid pianos on the market, were recently touted by the New York Times for bringing “the beauty, clarity and expressiveness of real pianos into the digital age.”
Yamaha’s hybrid pianos digitally simulate the sound, as well as the physical experience of playing a fine $125,000 acoustic concert grand piano at a fraction of the cost, size and weight. They are defined by the integration of sound sampled from Yamaha’s finest CFIIIS and CFX concert grand pianos, with an authentic acoustic piano action and natural wood keys that will satisfy the most discerning musicians. In addition, these pianos can be played at any volume or silently through headphones and never require tuning.
Through December 31, 2013, customers visiting authorized Yamaha dealers are encouraged to “test drive” any one of Yamaha’s four hybrid piano models, including the AvantGrand N3 baby grand, AvantGrand N2 upright grand, AvantGrand N1 upright or NU1 upright, with USB key giveaways and the chance to win $100 gas cards. Sweepstakes are being held for the gas cards each month throughout the promotion.
“One of the greatest challenges in getting customers interested in hybrid pianos is that they may not yet be familiar with this category of instrument,” said Jim Levesque, Yamaha Corporation of America’s Hybrid Piano Marketing Manager. “We developed the ‘Test Drive A Hybrid’ promotion to introduce our line of hybrid pianos to a broader segment of the public, and we’re confident that interest and sales will be driven into high gear once customers get a chance to take one of our hybrids for a spin.”
Customers who purchase one of the qualifying hybrid pianos during the in-store promotion are eligible to receive a free pair of Yamaha HPH-MT 120 headphones by completing an online rebate form.
The “Test Drive A Hybrid” program, coupled with recent rave reviews of Yamaha’s hybrid piano line in both the New York Times and Keyboard Magazine, is already generating buzz for the instruments and enticing customers to visit Yamaha dealers.
David Pogue, considered by many to be the most influential tech writer in the nation, is also a Yale-educated pianist with a decade of Broadway musical experience under his belt. After conducting his own “test drive” of all four hybrid pianos, Pogue wrote that the N3 “sounds like a nine-foot grand, but it’s only four feet long.” He also praised the sound quality he found in each model in the line, pointing out that the samples and speakers of the N3 “are so good, most players would not even realize it’s not a real grand piano.” Of the compact NU1 upright hybrid’s sound quality, Pogue said “it produces sound recorded from the strings of one of the world’s finest pianos (the Yamaha CFX Concert Grand).”
Keyboard Magazine raved “Yamaha’s AvantGrand line sounded so good and removed the associated compromises to such an extent that we called it the virtual piano for people who can’t stand virtual pianos.” The Keyboard Magazine review added: “The NU1 brings the same cost-benefit balance to a far lower price, amounting to a new benchmark for families, educators, and musicians in search of a pure piano substitute.”
Yamaha’s Jim Levesque added that while the benefits of digital pianos are well known, a major area of concern for some piano lovers has always been the "feel" of the instrument. “Yamaha hybrid pianos combine our rich history of acoustic piano craftsmanship with deep experience in digital engineering. However, it is the actual acoustic piano action of these instruments that will provide a playing experience that even the most critical of piano purists will enjoy,” he explained.
To find out more about the “Test Drive A Hybrid” program or to locate an authorized Yamaha dealer, visit http://4wrd.it/HYBRIDPIANO_PROMO.
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Doug Wright, Giles Communications, +1 (914) 798-7126, [email protected]
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