Upright pianos Yamaha U1 for sale

Although piano music is mainly associated with Europe and it is here that it has its roots, it has gradually spread around the world. Piano factories began to be established not only in Germany, France, Austria, Poland or Italy, but also in the United Kingdom, the United States and finally in Asia. It is on this continent that one of the leading companies producing and distributing pianos worldwide is located.

We’re obviously talking about the Yamaha brand. Although the company has many branches and currently touches different areas of life, its origins are inseparably connected with the world of pianos.

Established in the city of Kakegawa more than 130 years ago, Yamaha (then the factory was called Nippon Gakki Company), began operating in 1887. Its establishment is associated with an unusual event when Torakusu Yamaha undertook to repair an organ. Achieving success and anticipating the potential of creating instruments, he decided to become more familiar with the construction of the organ and soon build his own model. It was not a great success, but it led the artist to deepen his studies in the field of tuning and theoretical laws of music. Thus, in 1900, the first piano was created by Torakus, and two years later, in 1902, a piano was created which won an honorary award at the world fairs. This was the beginning of the introduction of Western instruments to the Eastern market. So far, these first few years Yamaha has been producing instruments for the Japanese market. So where is Yamaha U1 and U3 made? Are all Yamaha U1 made in Japan? Well, in the following decades, the factory technicians travelled to Europe many times to learn from the best piano makers, the company also invited German craftsmen to improve the process of making a piano and thanks to that, during the thirties, it had a much better product. Nowadays, there are factories located in Japan, USA and Indonesia.
In the middle of the twentieth century Yamaha worked hard to produce a CF piano - the number of factories was gradually increasing and the techniques for assembling individual parts and drying the wood were improving.

Yamaha Piano in the USA

New factories have been set up in Japan and a branch has been opened in the USA to import and distribute Yamaha instruments. And so, after about 50 years of working from scratch, Yamaha became the largest grand piano and upright piano manufacturer in the world.
The co-operation with world-renowned pianists who appreciated the quality of Yamaha pianos and made them famous around the world proved to be crucial.
In the 1970s Yamaha was able to boast of producing one million pianos, two decades later it was already 5 million! To this day, Yamaha is a leading producer of upright and grand concert pianos, and the latest instruments are also equipped with electronic and digital components.
It is worth mentioning the "flagship" popular piano models, which are flooding the American market in particular. We are talking about Yamaha U1 upright pianos and Yamaha U3 upright pianos.
The first models were produced in the 1960s, since then their names have not been changed. This does not mean, however, that the construction of these instruments has not changed - the latest models (those produced in the last two decades) are distinguished by technical improvements and design changes. The sound of Yamaha pianos can be described as bright, sharp and metallic. This is due to the fact that they have not too long, but very tight strings.

Yamaha U1 vs Yamaha U3

The question often arises what is the difference between Yamaha U1 vs Yamaha U3 pianos? In fact, the answer is extremely simple and quite obvious - they differ mainly in height. This fact obviously has several consequences.

The Yamaha U1 upright piano is the smallest piano in the U series and at the same time lower than the U3 by exactly 10 cm. This is not a big difference, but the size affects the length of the strings and thus the sound.
U1: 121cm (47,5”)
U3: 131cm (51,5”)
As we can guess, in U3 the strings will be slightly longer, which results in louder sound, deeper tone, more resonance. The soundboard in this piano is comparable to the soundboard of a 7 feet piano. However, the difference in sound between the Yamaha U1 piano and Yamaha U3 piano is so subtle that to hear it you would have to compare the two pianos in the same place (e.g. in a shop, showroom).

Is the Yamaha U3 and Yamaha U1 for beginner pianists? Both pianos are suitable for beginner pianists as well as professional musicians. It’s up to an individual which parameters will suit their needs.

Is Yamaha U1 a good piano? The fact is that these two pianos have more in common than differences - they were made in one factory, by the same technicians, from identical high-end materials. Greater differences will occur in the construction of pianos of the same model, but in a different time frame. This fact should be taken into account especially if we are wondering whether to buy a new Yamaha U1 or U3, or Yamaha U1 refurbished piano or Yamaha U3 refurbished piano. And if you choose a used Yamaha U1 piano or U3 piano, you’ll wonder if it’s produced in the 20th or 21st century.

Yamaha U1 price

Price certainly plays a role here. In the field of acoustic instruments, new does not always mean much cheaper than old! In the case of U1 and U3, however, the difference in price is significant, among other things, due to the changes introduced in the 21st century. Of course the condition of the instrument you buy is important. When buying an upright piano straight from the factory, we can be sure that all its components are new and made according to the latest technology. When considering the purchase of a second-hand piano, it is very important who renovated it and when, and what elements did it involve? It is a personal matter what type of instrument will be of greater value to the pianist.

But how much does a Yamaha U1 cost? For the Yamaha U3 and Yamaha U1 used pianos, produced between 1960 and 2000, the price does not differ significantly. Both models are in the price range between €3,500 - €6,000. For a new instrument we will pay two or three times more - €8,000 - €12,000 for the Yamaha U1 price and €9,000 to €13,000 for a Yamaha U3 piano. There are cases of these pianos at a much lower price, especially in the United States, while higher prices can be expected in Europe.

What is better, Yamaha U1 vs U1 silent? If you’re a fan of the latest technology or if you need to practice on headphones, you can choose Yamaha pianos with an additional built-in silent system - the prices of such instruments are higher than their classic brothers, but they offer a number of additional possibilities.

Maybe you are wondering where to buy used Yamaha U1 or U3? You are in the right place! You can see and compare offers from around the world on the Klaviano search engine. Surely you can find a store which offers Yamaha U1 for sale near you.