Please help choose between Yamaha U3 Silent and Yamaha UX (Upright)

[carlosn]

Hi,

I would apreciate good advise to help me choose between:
1-Yamaha U3 Silent 1994
2-Yamaha UX 1980
3-Yamaha YUS 1982

Please consider they are all in the same very good condition, the price is the same, I live in an apartment and the piano is for my son, who is learning in the second grade and i´m not thinking in trading the piano in the future, I´d like to buy something, if possible, for life.

The first two options are my favorites.

Please give your opinion, I thank you all for that.

Best regards
Carlos
Lisbon
Portugal

[jimbo320]

Carlos,
Welcome to the forum.
Since you've already made the decision to keep it for life, to me it would make sense to purchase the newest one. Being that's the one with silent option all the better.
Good luck to you and your son...

[pianoplayjl]

I'd choose Yamaha upright, Idon't know why. Silent's not that bad though. 

[keys60]

Carlos.

With all due respect, it is impossible for use to help you choose an unseen piano. The wear and tear on any of them varies so widely.

That said, and take this with a grain of salt, a piano from the early 80's, especially an Asian upright, has a great deal of age on it.
Theoretically, I'd agree with Jimbo on choosing the newer model. Other than that, it would pay to have someone knowledgeable nearby to check each pianos condition.
After that has been accomplished, the one that feels and sounds best to you is usually the best choice.
All the best.

[willvenables]

No question - Yamaha U3 Silent. Taller model over the YUS / YUX / U1. Longer strings, greater soundboard area = better bass, fuller tenor, wider dynamic range and a more 'open' tone.

Longer keys and taller action = greater leverage for improved control and balanced feel. Pay particular attention to the sharps, which are of course shorter keys than the naturals. The balance rail is further back so you're depressing the key further from its pivot thus giving you more control and less 'tip'. Push the fronts of the sharps very lightly and slowly, just 2-3mm down and feel the difference in the amount of 'feel' compared to the 121cm models. The acoustic chamber of a taller upright improves tone and dynamic range, but so does the taller action and longer keys too - the mechanics of a piano are actually more influential in a piano's dynamic range than the acoustic chamber.

Even more positively, the younger a Yamaha the better. Yamaha are continuously improving their pianos. The bass and tenor on a younger Yamaha will always be clearer and have better sustain than an earlier equivalent model. The treble will be more melodic and have a better signing quality too. Earlier Yamaha's sound more clinical, have more attack and less sustain. Slightly more percussive and very tubby in the bass.

Yamaha's silent system is without question the best in the industry. Check the touch sensitivity in silent mode. If the dynamics are uneven, then the key sensor rail could be faulty or more likely full of dust. There are 88 individual optical beams running underneath the keys. A blade stapled to the underside of each key cuts between the beam. The keyboard lid (fall) should be closed when not in use to minimise dust in the key bed. The key bed should be vacuumed by a technician annually and the key sensor rail cleaned with compressed air canister (like with computer peripherals). Get an independent tuner technician to check the piano before you buy it to be sure the regulation is correct as well as its condition etc. The let off should be 5-8mm on a silent upright, not 1-3. If the let off is too close to the strings, the jacks and/or whippens can wear quickly or break.