Buying a Upright Piano

[serenecheah]

I have been getting a few headache from choosing those upright pianos. I am a beginner and I wish to buy it but when I when to check it out I saw there are beginner's piano or something like that. And there are different models to. I wish to buy a normal upright piano with good sound and good condition and it still be able to use for intermediate level or so on and not only beginners only...I need some suggestion too about what model uprights piano I should buy.
By:Serene

[hfmadopter]

Maybe start with what price range is an option for you and name a few that you have seen that interest you. In other words give us an example of the names and models you have seen and feel you can afford.

Barring that the Yamaha U series pianos are generally a good option when weighing price and performance in a range of pianos that will take you the distance. Any under the Steinway name will be good if they aren't beat to death.  Baldwin made some of the nicest sounding with decent action upright pianos in older models, often found affordable. Kawai has a few good models as well. Those are three or four names worthy of mention but there are many more.

Stay away from Spinet models, you want at least a console height piano. A console or larger/ taller piano will give you the traditional internal layout of components. Spinets with very few exceptions are a convoluted mess of an instrument.

[49410enrique]

if you can find a well maintained used one for a bargain, charles walter uprights are also freakin phenomenal (amazing grands too!).

[ Invalid YouTube link ]
could be next to impossible to find if you are not in the US (they're scarce even over here)

you'll have to excuse his playing lol, camera sucks too (these piano guys really should record w an olymps hd recorder or a zoom q2/3 hd at least.....). i have played them, they  rock.
if I was boing to buy an 'upright' studio' piano after my grand upgrade sometime in the future, it will/would prolly be one of these.
ie
https://www.walterpiano.com/pianos/studio-pianos/

[the89thkey]

The Steinway upright is the best. However, a Yamaha is cheaper and for beginners and "intermediate" pianists (probably closer to advanced beginners) they will not be able to tell the difference.

[teran]

Tbh unless you have a lot of money to throw out a Steinway upright is really expensive and while they do sound amazing they don't sound THAT miuch better than say a U3 to justify basically double (or more) the price.

The most important thing really is even if you are a beginner, you should buy a piano with an excellent action/even touch and acceptable tone quality.

It kinda helps learning a lot when you're not fighting with the instrument.

[the89thkey]

if you can find a well maintained used one for a bargain, charles walter uprights are also freakin phenomenal (amazing grands too!).

[ Invalid YouTube link ]
could be next to impossible to find if you are not in the US (they're scarce even over here)

you'll have to excuse his playing lol, camera sucks too (these piano guys really should record w an olymps hd recorder or a zoom q2/3 hd at least.....). i have played them, they  rock.
if I was boing to buy an 'upright' studio' piano after my grand upgrade sometime in the future, it will/would prolly be one of these.
ie
https://www.walterpiano.com/pianos/studio-pianos/

That piano is horrible...

[49410enrique]

That piano is horrible...

it is one thing to voice your opinion, it is another entirely to let your incorrect personal and ignorant assesment try to come out as fact. 

honestly i just want to call you stupid, but im going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you perhaps did not mean to sound stupid and are infact probably pretty intelligent.   in fact i try to be happy and very welcoming of all the different view points, and wealth of knowledge and experience we all bring to the forum. i am happy you are here and contribute as much as you do, your enthusiasm is commendable (again being generous, you could just as easily just be trying to show off and let everyone know how great you think you are....but i'll first assume the former).

however, i think the way you phrased your opinion is unbelievably condescending, as if it is fact, furthermore, you could just as easily have stated you don't particularly like it the instrument , but instead you just came across as pooh pooh faced jerk off.

it is a stupid statement nonetheless. charles walter builds a fine piano. with proper care and responsible ownership and use they age incredibly well. does everyone need to like it and agree? of course not. but the op was asking for some ideas/help. I simply wanted to make them aware of these as a possible option/choice.

i am pasting the excerpt below in hopes that someone that reads your keyboard diarrhea is not confused into actually believe your nonsence:

from larry fine's book.....
"...WALTER, CHARLES R.
 
Walter Piano Company, Inc.
 25416 CR 6
 Elkhart, Indiana 46514
 574-266-0615
 www.walterpiano.com
 
Charles Walter, an engineer, was head of Piano Design and Developmental Engineering at C.G. Conn in the 1960s, when Conn was doing important research in musical acoustics. In 1969 Walter bought the Janssen piano name from Conn, and continued to make Janssen pianos until 1981. In 1975 he brought out the Charles R. Walter line of consoles and studios, based on his continuing research in piano design. Walter began making grands in 1997.
 
The Walter Piano Company is fairly unique among U.S. piano manufacturers in that it is a family business, staffed by Charles and his wife, several of their grownup children, and various in-laws, in addition to unrelated production employees. The Walters say that each piano is inspected and signed by a member of their family before being shipped. Dealers and technicians report that doing business with the Walters is a pleasure in itself.

The Charles R. Walter line consists of 43" and 45" studio pianos in various decorator and institutional styles, and 5' 9" and 6' 4" grands. Note that both vertical models have full-size actions and therefore are studio pianos, not consoles, as I define those terms. In fact, they are identical pianos inside different cabinets. Walter calls the 43" model a console because of its furniture styling, but due to its larger action, it will outplay most real consoles on the market.
 
Although Mr. Walter is not oblivious to marketing concerns, his vertical piano bears the mark of being designed by an engineer who understands pianos and strives for quality. The pianos are built in a traditional manner, with heavy-duty, full-length spruce backposts; a solid spruce soundboard; and Delignit pinblock. Exceptionally long, thick keys that are individually lead-weighted provide a very even feel across the keyboard. The scale design is well thought out and the bass sounds good most of the way to the bottom. The cabinetry is substantial, contains no particleboard, and is beautifully finished. Some of the fancy consoles in particular, such as the Queen Anne models, are strikingly beautiful. The pianos are well prepared at the factory and so need minimal preparation by the dealer.
 
The vertical pianos now use Renner actions, but a Chinese-made action is available as a lower-cost option, reducing the price of the piano by about $1,000 (list). The Chinese parts are virtually indistinguishable from the Renner parts, but they make the action feel just slightly lighter due to differing spring tensions.
 
The Walter 5' 9" and 6' 4" grands were designed by Del Fandrich, one of the nation's most respected piano-design engineers. Both models have high-quality features such as a maple rim, Renner action, Kluge keys, Delignit pinblock, tapered solid spruce soundboard, and Abel hammers (Ronsen hammers in the 5' 9" model). The 5' 9" grand also has a number of innovative features: A portion of the inner rim and soundboard at the bass end of the piano are separated from the rest of the rim and allowed to "float." Less restricted in its movement, the soundboard can reproduce the fundamental frequencies of the lower bass notes more as a larger piano does. A special extension of the tenor bridge creates a smoother transition from bass to treble. Eight plate nosebolts increase plate stability, helping to reduce energy loss to the plate and thus increase sustain. Inverted half-agraffes embedded in the capo bar maintain string alignment and reduce unwanted string noise. The Walter grands are competently built and play very well.
 
Warranty: 12 years, parts and labor, transferable to future owners within the warranty period.

[j_menz]

-

Your generosity is humbling. I can't manage it; Christmas notwithstanding.

[iansinclair]

.

I agree with j_menz.  I can't manage quite that level of generosity myself, Christmas or no Christmas.

[richard black]

I'm absolutely prepared to believe, based on the descriptions above (from 4910enrique and in the video) that those pianos are indeed very fine instruments, but the sound quality in the videos is so poor as to render them indistinguishable from the cheapest Chinese factory-made instruments, and in addition the instruments used seem not to have been tuned before the recordings were made. The lack of marketing common-sense shown by some folks just astounds me. If the Walter company would care to advance me the airfare I'll gladly come over and record the pianos, properly tuned, using decent audio and video equipment - I fancy a trip to the States! :-)

[indianajo]

Serencheah, what hemisphere are you in? What continent?
There are fully competent console and studio pianos going to the dump everyday in my market because the acoustic piano is "obsolete".  Certainly fewer want to learn to play one now than wanted to show off to the neighbors in 1950. And most that do want to learn to play live in tiny dorm rooms where there are rules about practicing after dark.
Frankly, after listening to the bland accentless bassless Yamaha the saleman foisted off on both my church and the piano teacher I hired for one lesson last year, I don't have any faith in modern consoles(40") or studios (44").  My sister-in-law dumped a fairly competent 1954 Everett for a sagging pitch import she bought because it "looks proper". The import was in fact, black instead of early American style. 
Competent vertical pianos I have played in my life included Baldwin, subsidiary Howard,  Everett, Sohmer, Wurlitzer, Mason & Hamlin, Chickering, Goodman (store brand), and of course Steinway. I don't like the modern Steinway studios, they are very fast but have a very heavy touch.  Checking out a piano involves ignoring the ubiquitous (except at dealers) bad intonation issues while looking for pleasing tone, matching tone between1,  2 and 3 string notes, no broken strings, hammers and dampers not pounded down in the middle (school pianos), no rattles or buzzing very loud (soundboard issues).  sustain and soft pedal work.  In my market, $200 is tops for an untuned but superior piano except Steinway, and repairs and tuning are about $50 an hour.   Oddly, low durability pianos made locally in the seventies command quite a premium here.   I paid $1000 for the 1941 40" Steinway with a child damaged veneer and don't regret it a bit, it holds tune like the pegs were glued in.  
 

[serenecheah]

Guys don't fight here please....
And by the way, I live in Malaysia but I didn't see any stores that sells Baldwin or Steinway's Uprights. I really want those brands Petrof will be fine too...^^
I appreciate all those recommendation you guys gave.
I went to a Piano store a few days ago and find out they have sell Yamaha U1A series.
What do you guys think about that??

[outin]

I have a Yamaha U1. I think the U1A is the same piano made for the Japanese market?

My piano has a good tone now that it has been played a bit (it was new when I got it) and keeps very well in tune. My issue with it is that I hate the keys, they are slippery, have some sharp edges and have a plastic feel, but I don't know if the older U1s are like that?

[starlady]

1) Yamaha claims that the pianos it sells in Asia are seasoned especially for damp hot climates. This could be a factor for you in Malaysia.

2) Have you tried any Hoffman-Bechstein pianos? I am very happy with mine.

--s.   

[serenecheah]

Outin : really? the keys really feels like plastic? and btw the salesman told me that the U1A series are a new version of U1...their price are just a few steps away...
Starlady : Those two brands are good too....but do you know any piano stores that have shipping for the pianos? thanks.

[outin]

Outin : really? the keys really feels like plastic?

Whatever the coating is that was used in my piano keys is not something I'd like. I don't know what better term to use for the feel...

and btw the salesman told me that the U1A series are a new version of U1...their price are just a few steps away...

Here in Europe the new ones are just U1 without the A...
why don't you google a bit so you know whether the salesman is right or not.

[starlady]

 The dealer I know of who is closest to you is Gospel Pianos in Australia, which I guess is not very close...anyway, here is the address: https://www.gospelpianos.com/index.php

Be careful of the names; the Hoffman made by Bechstein is also called the W.Hoffmann. That is the one I have and like. There is a different piano company called Hoffmann-Kuhne and I don't have an opinion on them.

good luck!--s.