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I've gone through 5 Yamaha sustain pedals in the last 2 years and I'm really frustrated. Regardless of FC3 or FC4, A or otherwise. I've owned all and they ALL make SO much clatter and eventually (within just a few months) begin to squeak so loudly that I can't record or enjoy playing piano. Is this some kind of design problem cause I'm tired of spending extra for Yamaha sustain pedals and have them end up as expensive door stops. (And, ironically, they aren't of much use there either. Their weight was reduced by several ounces in the latest versions and now slide around even MORE easily. In mid-performance I'm constantly having to hook it with my foot and drag it back!)
Posted : 27/09/2021 6:25 pm
WD-40 is a temporary fix - this comment is useful:
There are actually two places inside this pedal that can cause squeaking. The first is shown in this video (the switch lever-pedal junction), but there is another one. When you push the pedal fully down, the metal pedal bottoms out on a part of the plastic casing to prevent the pedal going any further. This area has two plastic ledges, one either side of the metal pedal, that flex slightly when you push the pedal fully down, and they can rub on the underside of the pedal, causing a squeak at the last few mm of travel. Apply some grease at these two points (you can do this without removing the back plate). By the way, don't use WD40. Use a proper lubricant/grease or the problem will return. Vaseline works better than WD40 if you don't have grease.
See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KijSKo7-NR0
Silicone grease, BTW.
Posted : 27/09/2021 7:08 pm
The pedal is mechanical… a dollop of silicone grease was placed in the critical location originally but it can work it’s way out (particularly if the pedal is in sub freezing temperatures for a while…mileage varies). Thanks Jason for finding a video showing how this is done…WD40 does not last but at least the video shows how to open the pedal and where the squeak occurs… there are several video on YouTube. It’s a quick easy fix. Takes a few seconds, lasts quite a long time… stop buying new pedals - a little squeak is easy to resolve.
If you are unsure how to do this, please call Yamaha Customer Support…
Posted : 27/09/2021 7:19 pm
Incidentally, the squeak problem in a sustain pedal is "better" than squeak issues in actual acoustic pianos. Acoustic pianos have much more moving parts to account for when there is excessive noise. The supporting structure of the pedals (wood/metal brackets), the rods sometimes rub against each other or other structures. The linkages. There's relatively much more to debug and account for and more materials and techniques to fix an acoustic piano with noisy pedals.
Due to the simplified design and no need for rods/linkages which would otherwise present multiple modes of failure - the self-contained pedals are simple to fix and have a much shorter list of tools and materials needed to remedy.
Staying put I didn't really address. See some ideas here:
http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2740821/How_to_keep_sustain_pedal_from
Some ideas are heavy - some are not. There's variety so maybe something works for you.
Posted : 27/09/2021 7:31 pm
