As a technician preparing new Yamaha pianos, amongst other pianos too, I have to set a few things straight here regarding Yamaha B series...
The B1 and B2 have the same internal specification - B1 is modern style cabinet (no legs, angled top door) - B2 is traditional style cabinet (with legs, toe blocks and castors, straight top door). The B2 has a very slightly fuller tone as there is more mass through a bigger cabinet. The castors are the reason why the B2 is 113cm vs B1's 109cm in height. The B1 also has a cut away in the floor of the piano so the frame and soundboard can sit lower. You may find the B2 is more comfortable to sit at with it's raised keyboard. In my opinion, + circa £400 for a different cabinet is not fantastic value...
The former Kemble Cambridge 10 (modern), Oxford 10 (traditional) and the Yamaha E110 (modern), P110 (traditional) were UK built pianos with solid spruce soundboards. The frame, keyboard, hammers, action, dampers and cabinet quality were actually the same as the B1 and B2. The only specification/quality difference between these models was the soundboard material - where B series are laminated spruce. The price difference was significant, the performance difference was subtle.
Yamaha and Kemble relaunched their equivalent UK-built models as K Camb. 12, Oxford 12 and P112N, P112NT - and again a couple of years later to 14 / 114. In all cases, all that changed was the cabinet height - but the internals were unchanged. The recessed floor of the modern style cabinets went, and became the reverse with a gap between the floor and the bottom of the frame/soundboard. Essentially, they made the bottom of the cabinets higher. Perhaps... it was a move to distance these models from B1/B2.
Yamaha formerly had a joint venture cooperation with Pearl River in China. The cheapest Yamaha upright was from this factory and was called the C110A. The next 2 models were from Jakarta, Indonesia and were made entirely by Yamaha and were not a joint venture. These models were the C109 and C113T. They commanded a higher price and received positive reviews. When Yamaha discontinued the Chinese C110A they relaunched the C109 and C113T models as the B1 and B2. They were introduced at the C110A price and were in fact superior to the C109/C113T models as they featured a fully braced back.
My dislike of the B1, B2, Kemble Camb. 10/12, the Yamaha E110/P112/P114 etc. is simply that they are short uprights and therefore the string length and soundboard area are lacking - which means the bass and depth of tone in the lower tenor is somewhat shallow, and the touch is less responsive due to short actions... these are all the same factors in all short uprights - but smaller pianos cost less to make and therefore a new piano can be within reach of tighter budgets, but also they are essential instruments for rooms with less space or complicated delivery access (tight turns, stairs etc.). Piano makers produce short uprights because there is a market for them.
Yamaha's laminated soundboard is very good. It is 3 plies of soundboard-grade spruce bonded together. It is not builder's grade plyboard (often suggested). There are many pianos with solid spruce soundboards that sound terrible, because of the design and quality of the piano itself, but there are also pianos - like the B1 and B2 with laminated soundboards that do sound very good for their size, and this too is because of the design and quality of the piano itself. Laminated soundboard are more cost effective and also are impossible to split plus are more stable in environments with fluctuating humidity. A piano of good design, build, material and prep quality with a well-engineered laminated soundboard should be considered as a serious instrument able to offer improved tuning stability and longevity as well as being attractively-priced.
The B3 is totally different to the B1 and B2. I would accurately describe it as a brand new Yamaha U1 in a slightly different looking cabinet, without a soft close fallboard and lock, a one piece top lid, laminated soundboard and made entirely by Yamaha in their very impressive Jakarta factory. It has the U1 frame, keyboard, action, hammers, dampers, soundboard design, ribs, backposts, tone collectors and pedal trapwork.... and it costs £2,635 less than the U1.
Lets now look at a similarly-priced refurbished 1970/1980's Yamaha U1. Genuine Japan-built professional specification U1 with a solid sprue soundboard. That is a convincing title but what a huge difference between the old U1 and the current U1. In fact, it is no where near as good as a new U1. The design is completely different. The current U1 is wider, so it has longer bass strings and increased soundboard surface area = better bass and improved depth in lower tenor. Also, it has a 5th backpost plus 2 tone collectors for improved structural rigidity which helps focus the resonant energy within the soundboard itself and not spreading throughout the cabinet - plus, it improves tuning stability; It has a full perimeter frame for greater frame density - also improving the fullness of tone; redesigned underfelted hammers to improve sustain and dynamic range... and all those features are there in the B3 too.
So, yes it does get my back up when someone focuses on the soundboard and ignores every other crucial element to a piano's performance and stability. It's straightforward scaremongering and a far too common misleading sales tactic.
Refurbished Yamaha U1 pianos still have way over 75% of the original components, so they cannot possible last as long as a brand new B3.
If you want comparison pictures, please visit our website article at
https://www.chrisvenables.co.uk/old-yamaha-u1-u3-vs-new-yamaha-u1-u3-b3-p121.htmBetter still, get out there and try these pianos with an open mind. Don't assume that advice on the internet is gospel and advice in the shop is spiel... I have read appallingly inaccurate 'facts' on forums, dealer articles and also our customers have heard completely the wrong information in one or 2 shops.
Topic: Upright Pianos to Avoid?