Kohler Campbell or Yamaha Upright

[diana_chen]

 ;DHi eveyone,
Does anyone know anything about Kohler Campbell KC 121 and Yamaha T121?

I am a piano teacher, and now looking for a new upright for my studio.
I first went to a dealer who sell brand new yamaha pianos and tried the T121 piano, the sound was not bad to me. N i also went to a Kohler Campbell wholesell dealer, they have huge range of K&C piano I tried the KC 121 curve leg models, that was pretty good to me as well.
My personaly feeling is K&C better, becuase the yamaha was a bit too sharp to me.

The second dealer explained the yamaha have a lot of plastic parts in side. Is it bad for pianos?
But i know nothing about Kohler Campbell, how was the resell value? and where does T121 actually made some say Taiwan some say China?
If anyone knows the answer plz help

[hfmadopter]

;DHi eveyone,
Does anyone know anything about Kohler Campbell KC 121 and Yamaha T121?

I am a piano teacher, and now looking for a new upright for my studio.
I first went to a dealer who sell brand new yamaha pianos and tried the T121 piano, the sound was not bad to me. N i also went to a Kohler Campbell wholesell dealer, they have huge range of K&C piano I tried the KC 121 curve leg models, that was pretty good to me as well.
My personaly feeling is K&C better, becuase the yamaha was a bit too sharp to me.

The second dealer explained the yamaha have a lot of plastic parts in side. Is it bad for pianos?
But i know nothing about Kohler Campbell, how was the resell value? and where does T121 actually made some say Taiwan some say China?
If anyone knows the answer plz help

I think if you want a good studio upright you would actually be better off looking into the Yamaha U1. I think you would be better off even with a rebuilt U1 than either the KC 121 or the T121 or even the Kawai K3. All of those are ( to the best of knowledge) made in China as a low ball priced ( cheap labor) piano and will not hold as  good of a resale value as a good condition U1 will.. Although they may do the job ok, if you want to upgrade to say a grand later on, the U1 will hold it's value much better and be a great piano for you.

I don't know where you are located but here in the US there are dealers for used and reconditioned pianos of various brands and styles. But non the less, I believe you can't go wrong with the U1. In a school studio it's going to get a daily work out, you want to be sure you have a good piano, the right tool for the job, LOL.

Other good choices in uprights, a good used or reconditioned Yamaha U3 ( favorite with music schools will cost a bit more than a good U1) or the Kawai model K30.

Good luck with your choice ! I think of the Chinese models mentioned I'd look at a Kawai K3 if to go that route new.  I like Kawai regulation and generally their voicing.. Not a fan of Chinese knock offs though.

[asuhayda]

Hey!

I had a Kohler and Campbell baby grand forever and it was ok.  You really can't go wrong with Yamaha nowadays.  However, it has been my experience as well that the Yamahas are very bright out of the box.. and they will get brighter over time.

The Kohler and Campbell was extremely bright by the time I let it go.  It was so bright in fact that it was kind of hurting my playing a little bit.  It just didn't have any dynamic capabilities any longer.

I've heard the same gripe about Yamahas as well.. So, maybe that's just how they all are after they've been beaten up for years.

But as long as it's not a stencil piano, you really can't go too wrong (except for Essex/Young Chang IMO)

BTW.. more and more pianos are being made with plastic in the action.  Don't let this deter you, they are finding that plastic is less susceptible to the elements.  I wasn't aware that Yamaha jumped on that bandwagon already. I know that Kawai has been doing that for a while now.  To be honest, I was skeptical of it at first, but I played on a couple Kawais and was floored with what I could do with them...

The previous poster is right... the U1 is a coveted instrument. Very good quality upright. But if you don't like the brightness of the Yamaha, then you should probably go with your instincts. Because, that will only get worse over time.

[hfmadopter]

Hey!

I had a Kohler and Campbell baby grand forever and it was ok.  You really can't go wrong with Yamaha nowadays.  However, it has been my experience as well that the Yamahas are very bright out of the box.. and they will get brighter over time.

The Kohler and Campbell was extremely bright by the time I let it go.  It was so bright in fact that it was kind of hurting my playing a little bit.  It just didn't have any dynamic capabilities any longer.

I've heard the same gripe about Yamahas as well.. So, maybe that's just how they all are after they've been beaten up for years.

But as long as it's not a stencil piano, you really can't go too wrong (except for Essex/Young Chang IMO)

BTW.. more and more pianos are being made with plastic in the action.  Don't let this deter you, they are finding that plastic is less susceptible to the elements.  I wasn't aware that Yamaha jumped on that bandwagon already. I know that Kawai has been doing that for a while now.  To be honest, I was skeptical of it at first, but I played on a couple Kawais and was floored with what I could do with them...

The previous poster is right... the U1 is a coveted instrument. Very good quality upright. But if you don't like the brightness of the Yamaha, then you should probably go with your instincts. Because, that will only get worse over time.

Sounds like you needed the hammers softened. They harden up over time, the tech uses a pick like device to soften up the contact point to the strings. Mellows things right out.

[asuhayda]

Sounds like you needed the hammers softened. They harden up over time, the tech uses a pick like device to soften up the contact point to the strings. Mellows things right out.

Hey!  Ya, I actually ended up giving that piano away to my cousin.  It was 50 yrs old. I ended up buying a new one.  It had other problems besides brightness and I just didn't want to deal with it anymore.

The felt definitely needs to be softened for sure.  Unfortunately, some of the felt on the hammers has been worn down to the wood.  I think the piano needs to be restored.. at least the action does.  The soundboard is still good (amazingly).

[mic2005]

hv u tried hailun pianos. i have been reading a lot of good remarks about this maker around. so i decided to try them and boy... they pretty nice musical instrument and afforable too...