# Which acoustic piano to buy?



## Lassi Tani (Nov 9, 2017)

I'm thinking about buying an upright piano. Budget is 4000-7000€. Which pianos would you recommend? Yamaha U3?


----------



## Jeremy Spencer (Nov 9, 2017)

I did a lot of research on this as well, it came down to Yamaha or Kawai.


----------



## Iskra (Nov 9, 2017)

A good U3 is definitely a safe bet, very nice piano.


----------



## Lassi Tani (Nov 9, 2017)

There's a piano store quite near selling used U3 for about 6000€ and it has had full maintenance care in Japan just recently. Also some kind of moisturizing system comes with the piano.

They're also selling UX3, YUX, I have no idea, what's the difference to a basic U3.


----------



## PaulBrimstone (Nov 9, 2017)

+1 for the U3. I bought one new 12 years ago and it has been solid as a rock, even in a humid climate (with heater, of course).


----------



## mark.warman (Nov 9, 2017)

I have owned a Schimmel upright (118 size) for many years. It is a fantastic musician's instrument and I personally much prefer its sound and touch response to the Yamaha and Kawai models. Definitely worth trying. I believe Spitfire's Christian Henson has made a video about the factory and their approach to piano manufacture and design.


----------



## ColonelMarquand (Nov 9, 2017)

A U3 is good. With that kind of budget I might look at 2nd hand pianos too. You could get something really good second hand that's better than a new one.


----------



## mark.warman (Nov 11, 2017)

That's a good point that CM makes. When I bought my brand-new Schimmel, I was advised that it would develop its full sonic potential after a few years of playing!


----------



## Lassi Tani (Nov 11, 2017)

Yes, I'm looking for a second hand piano. Do you know what separates YUX from U3? I read that it has longer bass strings, because it has a bit different structure.


----------



## synthpunk (Nov 11, 2017)

Just make sure your living situation is very stable before investing in a piano. Having to move and leaving a piano behind or selling it for peanuts is not fun. Also many stores can offer a payment plan.

Be sure to check your local ads first, sometimes you can run across a very good deal from someone retiring, moving, student, or a estate sale.

Take a course on how to tune a piano, this can save you the $100 every 6 months of having a tuner come in and provide you with another valuable life skill.


----------



## alexballmusic (Nov 11, 2017)

sekkosiki said:


> I'm thinking about buying an upright piano. Budget is 4000-7000€. Which pianos would you recommend? Yamaha U3?



Have a Yamaha U3 in my studio. I can't recommend it enough. Has amazing clarity all the way down to the low end (where most pianos get woolly), but can sound super mellow with the dampening pedal engaged. We went to a warehouse and tried out about 40 pianos when we bought it. The U3 stood out.

It records very well too if you're doing that. Don't have to do much EQ'ing or correction, just sounds great.

The size of it is why it sounds so good. But worth considering if you're tight on space because it's not small.

Other than that, it's a no brainer.


----------



## Lassi Tani (Nov 11, 2017)

synthpunk said:


> Just make sure your living situation is very stable before investing in a piano. Having to move and leaving a piano behind or selling it for peanuts is not fun. Also many stores can offer a payment plan.
> 
> Be sure to check your local ads first, sometimes you can run across a very good deal from someone retiring, moving or a estate sale.
> 
> Take a course on how to tune a piano, this can save you the $100 every 6 months of having a tuner come in and provide you with another valuable life skill.



Yeah I've been thinking of a piano before too, but the work situation this year and for the next few years seems to be really good. And I'm thinking of taking a payment plan.



alexballmusic said:


> Have a Yamaha U3 in my studio. I can't recommend it enough. Has amazing clarity all the way down to the low end (where most pianos get woolly), but can sound super mellow with the dampening pedal engaged. We went to a warehouse and tried out about 40 pianos when we bought it. The U3 stood out.



Does it have clarity and warmth too?


----------



## alexballmusic (Nov 11, 2017)

sekkosiki said:


> Yeah I've been thinking of a piano before too, but the work situation this year and for the next few years seems to be really good. And I'm thinking of taking a payment plan.
> 
> Does it have clarity and warmth too?



Clarity - absolutely. It's all about clarity.

Without dampening it's a bright sound, with dampening it's warm and lovely. So does both.

This is my U3 with the dampening on: 
Listen to Bach Prelude in C (NatWest arrangement) by alex.ball #np on #SoundCloud


----------



## synthpunk (Nov 11, 2017)

Yamaha is generally not known for it's warmth IMHO, but you could certainly experiment with Felts, cotton, etc. material's , to change its tone (ie Spitfire Felt, NI Una Corda, etc.). Though Alex's demo above is quite convincing to me, I could live with that tone and be very happy.


----------



## Lassi Tani (Nov 12, 2017)

alexballmusic said:


> Clarity - absolutely. It's all about clarity.
> 
> Without dampening it's a bright sound, with dampening it's warm and lovely. So does both.
> 
> ...




That's very beautiful! Thank you for posting that.
The store also has 2nd hand YUX and UX3 arriving this week.


----------



## Iskra (Nov 13, 2017)

sekkosiki said:


> The store also has 2nd hand YUX and UX3 arriving this week.


YUX and UX3 are very similar, if not identical in features and materials. If the store receive both, just play them and choose the one you fall in love with  You can't go wrong with either of those. 
One important thing though, if 2nd hand, choose always the official Yamaha revised pianos, as they take into account the climate of the places they're delivering the pianos to. The finish and adjustments to the mechanics of the piano will be different if you're on a very humid place or a cold and dry one so the piano perform and maintain tuning better and longer. They check and restore everything, many other 2nd hand pianos just got a coat of paint and a tuning, so an official 2nd hand is safer. I had a revised U3 for many years and it was a really balanced piano and had a great warm tone (yes, warm  ), apparently UX3 had some improvements in materials, so it's probably better.
In any case, nothing beats yourself trying all the pianos you can.


----------



## Iskra (Nov 13, 2017)

synthpunk said:


> Yamaha is generally not known for it's warmth IMHO


It's not, but I think that applies better to grand pianos. The structure and strings of an upright is so different that the tone can't be that bright, just saying


----------



## Vik (Nov 13, 2017)

sekkosiki said:


> I'm thinking about buying an upright piano. Budget is 4000-7000€. Which pianos would you recommend? Yamaha U3?


Try out the best Yamaha and Schimmel pianos you can afford, and buy the one you like the most. They are slight different mechanically, Yamahas are often easier to play for kids because they require less power and are easier to play than Schimmel pianos. Some people buy Schimmel pianos for that reason.


----------



## Living Fossil (Nov 13, 2017)

In the first place, i would recommend you to keep an eye on "want to sell" stuff in local newspapers.
There are lots of persons who want to sell their pianos. You can find great pianos at fantastic prizes with a bit of luck.


----------



## rottoy (Nov 13, 2017)

Why not go for a super cozy 5 octave upright piano? Here's a great example.


----------



## Lassi Tani (Nov 13, 2017)

Vik said:


> Try out the best Yamaha and Schimmel pianos you can afford, and buy the one you like the most.


I'll do that!



rottoy said:


> Why not go for a super cozy 5 octave upright piano? Here's a great example.



Well that would fit easily to my apartment. :D



Iskra said:


> YUX and UX3 are very similar, if not identical in features and materials. If the store receive both, just play them and choose the one you fall in love with  You can't go wrong with either of those.
> One important thing though, if 2nd hand, choose always the official Yamaha revised pianos, as they take into account the climate of the places they're delivering the pianos to.


The pianos are the official Yamaha revised. They wanted to have a videochat with me before I will go there and test them. They will play the every piano. Quite good customer support!


----------



## SeattleComposer (Nov 13, 2017)

Steinway K-52 is a workhorse and a joy to play. 34 k brand new is a good value. Can find many quality used for far less.


----------



## Bohrium (Nov 14, 2017)

sekkosiki said:


> I'm thinking about buying an upright piano. Budget is 4000-7000€. Which pianos would you recommend? Yamaha U3?



I have no idea about the prices in your country and if it fits the budget, but if you want to record your performance on that thing, too, consider one with MIDI.
I play completely different on a real piano (with another feel) than on a controller, so I use a real piano that is MIDIfied.

Just an idea ...


----------



## Lassi Tani (Nov 14, 2017)

Bohrium said:


> I have no idea about the prices in your country and if it fits the budget, but if you want to record your performance on that thing, too, consider one with MIDI.
> I play completely different on a real piano (with another feel) than on a controller, so I use a real piano that is MIDIfied.
> 
> Just an idea ...



The U3s that they sell range from 5700e to 6500e + 1500e for the silent system. 1500e for the silent system and midi costs bit too much for me.


----------



## Lassi Tani (Nov 20, 2017)

Yamaha YUX it is! I found it! Revised piano from the Yamaha factory. Big, warm, open sound. Can't wait!


----------



## Iskra (Nov 20, 2017)

sekkosiki said:


> Big, warm, open sound.


Told ya yammy uprights are warm! 
Enjoy your new toy! (you will).


----------



## Lassi Tani (Nov 28, 2017)

Iskra said:


> Told ya yammy uprights are warm!
> Enjoy your new toy! (you will).



I'm enjoying it! Couldn't be happier!!


----------



## Iskra (Nov 28, 2017)

Sexy pic!


----------



## synthpunk (Nov 30, 2017)

You might like this documentary:
https://www.netflixmovies.com/note-by-note-the-making-of-steinway-l1037-2007


----------

