INSTRUMENT SPOTLIGHT: YAMAHA U1 AND U3

Yamaha uprights have consistently been one of the most popular piano models in our showroom, particularly for teachers and intermediate-level students. For those of you who haven’t tried out these pianos or considered owning one, I’ve written this post to give you a little more information about them.

Yamaha U1

Yamaha U1

There are plenty of upright pianos to choose from, and these pianos lie all over the spectrum of quality. The Yamaha U1 and U3 have always remained ahead of the pack. Aside from a superior sound quality, I believe that the Yamaha pianos are so popular because of their consistency of play across the keyboard. Let’s take a more in-depth look at these two popular models.

The Yamaha U1 is a 48” tall studio piano, with 24” of depth. The Yamaha U3 is a 52” tall professional upright piano, with 25.5” of depth.

What’s the difference? The extra height and cabinet size of the U3 allow for longer strings, larger soundboard, taller action and longer keys. As a result, you can expect a slightly deeper tone from the U3 than the U1. To put it another way, the U3 gets you just a bit closer to the sound of a grand piano than the U1 does.

Other than that, these instruments are equal in terms of build quality. In terms of space, the U3 is only an inch and a half deeper and a half inch wider than the U1. That brings us to price.

Now, when it comes to buying one of these pianos brand new, you’re facing an $11,199.00 MSRP for the Yamaha U1 and a $14,259.00 MSRP for the Yamaha U3. But there’s a secret that Yamaha doesn’t really like you to know about these two types of pianos.

When refurbished, these Yamaha uprights are as good as brand new. They’re so good, in fact, that Yamaha has spread the myth of the “gray market piano” to try and force you to think twice about buying used. Don’t fall for that. I invite you to take a look at our inventory of reasonably-priced Yamaha U1 and U3 pianos, and stop by our showroom to try them out.