-YAMAHA GRAND PIANOS - YAMAHA UPRIGHT PIANOS-

Last updated 03/2008

Our main Yamaha stock comprises fine quality Yamaha G2, C2, G3, C3, G5, C5 and C7 grand pianos, and Yamaha U1D, U1G, U1H, U3G and U3H upright pianos. They are all little used, in pristine condition and are mostly made between 1965 and 1985, a period we consider to be the pinnacle of tone quality for Yamahas. Of the more modern Yamahas we only stock the mid and top range ones, as we consider the cheap grands, such as the Yamaha GB1 baby grand or the Yamaha B series uprights to be of too poor quality of manufacture. All second hand piano prices include free delivery to ground floor within 60 miles from our shops and a 5 year guarantee.

Brief history of models and prices of Yamaha pianos

It's from 1966 that we first see Yamaha pianos in Europe. These early models are the ones that sound the most like German pianos, with a good deep mellow tone throughout the range. They are more expensively constructed with top quality soundboards, excellent hammers, wooden pedal mechanisms on uprights and mostly wooden action parts. As the Korean and later the Chinese factories began to produce large numbers of pianos in competition with Yamaha, so the Yamaha piano started to be made more economically. Wooden parts were replaced by plastic or aluminium, though lately there has been a return to wooden action flanges. The tone also started to lack the rich depth that it previously had. The gradual brightening of tone is evident until about 1990, When Yamaha brought out what they called a hand-built piano, grands starting at £28,000 and uprights at £7,699. Yamaha now operate a two tier system with their basic grands and uprights, usually not made in Japan, and the top range series. These are the Yamaha S4A Grand Piano, Yamaha S6A Grand Piano, Yamaha CFIIIS Grand Piano, Yamaha SU118C upright Piano and Yamaha SU7 upright Piano. Considering that a Yamaha G3/C3 grand piano cost about £2,800 new in 1971 (600,000yen), the equivalent new price according to inflation since then would be £23,660! A Yamaha U1D upright piano cost about £1000 new in 1965 (197,000yen). The equivalent new price today would be £11,590! The early Yamahas are all of guaranteed high quality. Since about 1985 they developed a two tier system, with the top quality Yamahas still being made in Japan but others increasingly being made in different countries. There is now so much variely of model and number that it's difficult to keep track. We recommend, if buying a new Yamaha or one from 1985 onwards, that you seek the advice of a piano tuner who is familiar with them.

IMPORTANT: Yamaha "Slient System" pianos on upright pianos

We recommend buying an upright piano with a practice pedal rather than one with a Yamaha "Silent" system. This is because the touch on the Yamaha silent piano is compromised by the bar which comes between the hammers and the strings. As a result, the "Let off", which is the distance from the strings which the hammer reaches before the player looses control of it, increases from 2-3mm on most good ordinary pianos to 6-9mm on "silent" pianos. We find this makes soft playing more difficult both in normal and silent mode, thereby reducing the range of expression, and also gives the action a "choppy" feel. The traditional practice pedal found on most Yamaha uprights before about 1990 is ideal if for instance you live in a flat and need to practice very quietly.

We've been selling used imported Yamahas for over 20 years. Our current agent in Japan used to manage Yamaha Europa G.m.b.H., German subsidiary, and we visit him in Japan regularly to keep a check on quality. They are always little used, and the case and loops are checked and repaired if necessary in Japan before shipping. Bass strings are also replaced if they have lost their tone. We then finely regulate and tune them, and guarantee them for 5 years. Please click on TODAY'S STOCKLIST

A Word of Warning:

Unfortunately, as we have said above, not all models of Yamaha are good pianos. When we come across one we think you should definitely avoid, we will try to list it here. To start this list, we recommend you steer clear of the very common secondhand Yamaha E108 made from about 1985 to 2003, and also the second hand Yamaha LU101 made around 1984, which can be reasonable but is variable. We find these models often sound brash, patchy, lifeless and the tuning is not adequately stable. The new Yamaha GB1 baby grand sounds reasonable at first but unfortunately shows up as not being well made when it comes to tuning and maintaining it. Economy has been the watchword in making this piano. They have even left out the hugely advantageous adjustable music desk which is standard on practically all baby grand pianos. If you're looking for a budget priced baby grand then you're much better off choosing a baby grand from the 1920s or 30s, when competition in baby grand making was so fierce that the quality went sky high. The tone of the best these pianos can be exquisite. Alternatively, if you insist on staying with new pianos, we recommend the respected Austrian firm Wendl and Lung. Their 161cm (£7077) and 178cm (£7830) grand pianos are finely designed and very well finished off.

List of used Yamaha grand pianos

List of used Yamaha upright pianos

New Yamaha Upright Pianos (as of 23rd September 2006)

(Please enquire for best price and availability)

New Yamaha Grand Pianos (as of 23rd September 2006)