Top makes of upright pianos
If you haven’t room for a grand piano, then there are certain good makes of upright piano which stand head and shoulders above the rest. The table below gives the best common ones available in the UK, placed in order of the most common top quality pianos available. I’ve listed the ones tuners and performers regard as the best, irrespective of age, but taking into account tone, touch and appearance. Later we will add photo links to each model. Prices are a guide only. There are of course hundreds of upright pianos and we have only listed the top quality ones you're most likely to find. If you are interested in purchasing or selling a make not listed, please e-mail with details. Our restoration page has a list of all the common makes available and a rating of each make. For Yamahas see the menu above.
Are you tall - is there enough leg room?
Leg room on pianos varies from 60 to 70cm . Grands and small modern uprights are usually about 62cm from the floor to the under side of the keyboard. With grands, this can be increased by about 3cm by using glass caster cups; the angle of the pedals may then need adapting as these are raised up too. A Yamaha U3 upright has leg room of 62cm whereas a German Steingraeber 118 has 70cm and an older Bluthner 65cm. A small modern Zender has only 58.5cm!
Do you need book holders?
If you use thick music books, then a couple of book holders can be fitted. Older uprights usually have them, and modern ones and grands usually dont. Most serious musicians request them.
| Bechstein
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All models 1-10
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122-145cm
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1885-1929
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There is much variety in Bechsteins available, so it’s hard to generalise on price.
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| We deal mostly in models 10, 9 and 8. Model V (5) is also very common and often has attractive inlay, but models I to V suffer a lot from loose tuning pins and will therefore need repining and often a new pin-block. Model 7 is excellent but rare. Model 6 is rarer still. |
| Bechstein
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10
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126cm
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1902 – 1929
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£500-£1000
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£2500-£4500
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| Usually black, rosewood or mahogany. Beautiful warm rich tone. NB Bass not very deep tone.
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| Bechstein
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9
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122cm
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1902- 1929
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£700-£1500
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£2900-£5000
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| Usually black, rosewood or mahogany. Rich tone.
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| Bechstein 8
Usually black, rosewood or mahogany. Rich tone. Action difficult to set up. Good all round piano with more “serious” tone than models 9 and 10
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| Kaps
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One model
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130cm
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1898-1915
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£200-£800
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£2500-£5500
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| Well made pianos, often decorative Art Nouveau and Art Deco with strong rich tone. Can vary in quality.
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| Other less common good makes include Blüthner (pre 1900 ones very common but are usually over-dampers), Steinway, Förster (old ones good), Bösendorfer (excellent but rare), Feurich, Gors & Kallman (varied), Grotrian Steinweg (excellent), Ibach (pre 1910 ones common but over-dampers), Schimmell, Sauter, Seiler and Zimmermann (not recommended until 1995 when merged with Bechstein). Modern Bechsteins, Steinways, etc are not listed above because they rarely appear on the second-hand market.
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in order of most common good ones followed by less common ones available:
| Knight
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K10
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112cm
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1963-1988
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£600-£1000
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£1500-£2750
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| Knight
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K20
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110cm
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1963-1988
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£600-£1000
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£1500-£2750
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| Modern style. Usually mahogany, sometimes walnut or teak. Teacher’s favourite, made with great integrity. Full singing tone for modern piano. Older knights from 1950 to 1959 smaller and more varied in quality. Post 1989 Knight pianos are not made in the original way and are inferior in tone.
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| Welmar
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Modern style
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104 – 108cm
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1965-1985
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£300-£1000
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£1500-£3,000
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| Consistent good quality, rich mellow tone and fine touch. The 30s ones are taller pianos influenced by Blüthner (Welmar were the importers of Blüthner) and of similar quality.
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in order of most common good ones followed by less common ones available:
| Welmar
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30s style |
130cm |
1928 - 1940 |
£300-£800 |
£1500-£3,000 |
Fine quality with rich tone and smooth touch. In collaboration with Blüthner, for whom they were the agents. |
Other commonly available good makes of English and other European pianos include Chappell, Fazer, Kemble (varied), Rippen, Rogers and Broadwood (varied). We will add comments to these later. |
APOLOGIES! This list will and details be added to as soon as we get time! Feedback appreciated.
Upright pianos can be rented @ 3% of the purchase or 5% with option to purchase. Click here for our rentals page.
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