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Studio upright equal Kawai/yamaha

  • 1.  Studio upright equal Kawai/yamaha

    Posted 02-03-2019 12:13
    Wondering what other pianos are equivalent 
    in quality and price to the Yamaha and Kawai.

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    Thomas Black
    Decatur AL
    256-350-9315
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  • 2.  RE: Studio upright equal Kawai/yamaha

    Posted 02-03-2019 12:26
    I had reason to have to tune a Yamaha upright a month or so back and was extremely impressed. It was hideously out of tune before and giving it a good tuning was actually the quickest tuning I've ever been able to do. It was extremely well behaved and a pleasure to do. 

    Best wishes

    David P

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    David Pinnegar, B.Sc., A.R.C.S.
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    +44 1342 850594



    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Studio upright equal Kawai/yamaha

    Posted 02-03-2019 12:46
    Yes, David, I like both pianos but was just wondering if there are others equal  I'm not aware of.

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    Thomas Black
    Decatur AL
    256-350-9315
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Studio upright equal Kawai/yamaha

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-03-2019 16:42
    Thomas, I work on a lot of Yamahas and Kawais as well as numerous pianos made elsewhere in Asia which to a large extent are knockoffs of the Japanese pianos. Yamaha and Kawai make many models in order to cover all the price points. While their higher level pianos are among the best production-line pianos, I've found that their entry level instruments aren't necessarily superior to some of the low to midrange instruments made in China/Korea/Indonesia; this is more so with the Kawais than the Yamahas. (some of those "Japanese" pianos are actually made in those other countries.) So, with the exception of the top of the line instruments, it's worth considering the bang-for-your-buck ratio. I've worked on many 48" verticals from those other countries that I much prefer to the 42-44" entry level Japanese pianos. 
    Also, remember that the Boston is manufactured in Japan by Kawai, I'm not particularly fond of them but they are well made.

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    Steven Rosenthal
    Honolulu HI
    808-521-7129
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Studio upright equal Kawai/yamaha

    Posted 02-03-2019 17:26
    Steven,
          I'm interested in pianos comparable in quality and price with the U1 and K-300 which are upper end instruments.

    Sent from my iPhone



    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Studio upright equal Kawai/yamaha

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-03-2019 20:23
    You might want to check out Schimmel. Their uprights fall just slightly above the Yamaha's.

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    Geoff Sykes, RPT
    Los Angeles CA
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Studio upright equal Kawai/yamaha

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-04-2019 09:03
    I agree with Steven's point....but it's not even necessarily the 'low-end' Yamahas that can be funky. A year ago, I special-ordered a P22 in a fancy case for a customer.  The finish was horrible and blotchy and the sustain in the treble was about 3 seconds, with an unpleasant tone.  The wonderful manager/technician at Yamaha dealer Classic Pianos, Rick Zackery, had to really dig to uncover the truth, which was that this instrument was made in China.  He was honest enough to share the info and not hold us to the purchase of the special order.  My customer bought a different piano, also a Yamaha, but a different thing all together.

    I think price/production considerations are changing rapidly for these companies, and they don't necessarily want the word to get out.  So...don't assume the piano you loved yesterday is the same piano you're getting today.  I had this happen with Zimmermans:  I once tuned a Zimmerman studio the customer had bought in Germany, and thought it was one of the best-sounding uprights I'd ever met.  Next one I met had nothing to do with that fine instrument....it was cheap cheap cheap.

    So sad.
    Linda



    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Studio upright equal Kawai/yamaha

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-03-2019 18:28
    Mr. Black,

    You should check out the Boston 132.

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    Karl Roeder
    Pompano Beach FL
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Studio upright equal Kawai/yamaha

    Posted 02-04-2019 07:55
    The Yamaha b3, made in Indonesia, is remarkably close to the U-1, and sells for around $8000. It is a better choice than the grey market U-1s.

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    Ed Sutton
    ed440@me.com
    (980) 254-7413
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Studio upright equal Kawai/yamaha

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-04-2019 11:07
    Ed,
    The b3 (made in Indonesia) is a knock-off of the U1 (made in Japan) but having the job of tuning many b3 and U1 out of the box, I notice the b3 have more false beats, pin block irregularities and simply not as clean musical imprint. For a lifetime piano purchase I would choose the U1.
    Roger



    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Studio upright equal Kawai/yamaha

    Posted 02-04-2019 12:20
    I have a similar assessment, but the b3 is pretty good for the price, and I think better than the 30-40 year old grey market U-1s that I've seen. 
    The new U-1s are remarkable instruments. I'm not sure when they upgraded the design, but they are very rich instruments.

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    Ed Sutton
    ed440@me.com
    (980) 254-7413
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    Original Message