Best position of upright piano?

[mekohler]

I originally had my upright piano about an inch from a wall, which took away alot of the bass, making my already bright yamaha much brighter. Recently I tried moving it away anywhere from 1-2 feet away from the wall. The bass is brought out this way, but it almost drowns out the high notes. What's the best way to get a good sound out of a bright upright?

[alzado]

I would split the difference -- not right up to the wall, not so far from the wall as you had it.

A big factor is opening the lid, if possible.

I used to have a small upright -- to open it up I had to remove a couple of screws.  Even so, I did this to get a richer sound. 

Another possibility -- move it elsewhere in the room.

Experiment.   

[andyd]

Having bought a decent upright a few years back, we experimented over some weeks.  It will depend on your room, flooring etc.
Our final position - we have taken the lower panel (the one in front of your knees) off, we keep the top lid open a small amount (can still have music piled on top), and have positioned the instrument about six to eight inches from the wall.
That works in our house. 
You have to let the sound out of the box or it just wallows and bounces around inside.  But you don't want it all directed straight into your face from the top lid, or going into the wall behind to annoy your neighbours either.

Regards

Andy

[supernanny]

Also in my house, the distance to the wall is 6 to 8 inches. Not only does this sound better, but also there is more airflow around the instrument. This may be necessary to avoid moisture being trapped between walls and instrument or for that matter, under the piano.

Added advantage is that you are actually able to remove dust from behind the piano without needing it to haul around. Disadvantage is that my kids from time to time drop stuff behind it.....usually on of the pieces that I am studying 

Supernanny