upright yamaha or samick

[drazh]

hi
I have digital yamaha clp 220 I do not have problem with that.
I read in some posts that if some one  wants to be a good pianist  practice with acoustic piano is absolutely necessary .
in my town I have only 2 choices :Yamaha or samick.
my money is limited to 7.000 us $

so I have some questions:
1. is acoustic piano absolutely necessary ?
2.Yamaha or samick ?
3.which height of upright  piano is OK?

thanks

[richard black]

Yamaha are reasonably OK, Samick are not up to much - but then Samick are cheaper, size for size. For that budget I'd look for something pre-owned.

[quantum]

If you want to learn piano seriously then yes an acoustic piano is a necessity.  If you are only a hobbyist, then don't stress about getting one (wait until your finances or piano selection allows). 

If you are feeling that you are being limited by your current digital piano, then it is probably time to upgrade. 

I'd say Yamaha would be preferable.  Good build quality and take abuse and then some.  If you had more selection you could shop around for better tone than your current 2 choices. 

Bigger is generally better - longer strings, larger sound board.  Get the largest you can afford. 

[drazh]

Bigger is generally better - longer strings, larger sound board.  Get the largest you can afford. 

hi
to me sound volume is not so important .but sound quality is.
does the bigger generate higher volume or higher quality of sounds?
best wishes

[quantum]

Bigger does not necessarily mean louder.

Short bass strings can sound dull and tubby, longer bass strings have better tone.  (One reason why playing bass on a good 9 ft piano is such a great experience).  Larger sound board can mean greater potential for resonance and singing. 

[mad_tom]

A good digital piano is better than the snobby types make out, but if you plan on being a classical pianist you need to do a ,lot of your practice on a traditional piano.  it can do things that digitals cannot yet do, and the feel is subtly different.

$7000 is a good budget.  You should get a fine piano with kind of money.

Yamaha U1 and U3 uprights are excellent, and good value second-hand.  Other U-series are bigger, a bit nicer sound, but a lot more expensive. Yamaha B is much inferior to U-series, in sound, feel, and durability.  But a lot cheaper. Samick are cheaper and, unlerss they have recently improved their quality, do not feel so nice to play.

Second hand is much better value than new - so long as you do not buy something that has been privately owned and lightly used, and not something that has been hammered by a professional or in a music school practice room.

Height may be a factor if you have to maneuver through small spaces to get it into your home, but taller does not necesarily mean a better sound.

Unless you ,live in a detached home in the middle of nowhere a digital for silent practice is worth keeping, or go for U1-S and U3-S that have the "silent" option.

(Not truly silent.  People in the same room will still be disturbed by the noise of fingers on keys and keys on key-bed - but at least the neighbours will be spared.  If you plan to get good you are looking at 3 or 4 hours practice a day, and neighbours should not have to suffer through that)

Don't rule out a small grand piano.  There are second-hand bargains galore, and the latest budget grand from Yamaha (GB1K)  is very affordable, although it is a little bit outside your budget, it might be worth saving for.  The action of a grand is significantly different from an upright.  If you intend to give recitals one day, then you will usually be playing on a grand piano - so it is a good idea to get used to one.