Newby Question - Yamaha b1 2007

[deimosjohnny]

Hi,

A newly just joined and with the same old questions.
I have the opportunity of a 2007 yamaha b1 at £1400. It looks in pristine conditions.
My daughter is at grade 4 and we need to get a better piano than the hand me down she has been using.

Is this a good enough piano, there don't seem to many on ebay or second hand sites which I always take as a good sign people holding on to them and not selling on.

The not very likely option is we go for a Feurich 122 and take a loan out for the difference it is about £3495 so put £2000 down on it and pay up the rest. Its a big difference money wise but a very good sounding instrument.

I seen one comment around 2011 that the soundboard had changed to plywood on the B1 is this the same for the 2007 or was it the original material.

Thanks in advance for putting up with a newly who's question you will have answered over and over I am sure.

Kind regards

John

[jimbo320]

Hi John and welcome,
I'm not sure what the cost of that in dollars is but I would go for a Yamaha hands down.
I'm a big fan of Yammies and own a few myself.
The keys or the action won't be like an acoustic but some of us here don't use one anyway.
I myself use a CP5 with a PSR413 mounted on top and a Micron at my right side both in practice
and on stage.
If you get it great. Let us know which way you go...

[richard black]

Jimbo - the B1 is a piano, not a keyboard!

To answer the original question, the few B1 instruments I've played were not bad for what is, after, a factory instrument. £1400 sounds like a good price to me. The Feurich, if in good condition, will almost certainly be a way better piano in every way but it is a lot more money and I can see why you might hesitate. Then again, that's a good price for a Feurich too. If you can get a loan at a good rate...

A plywood soundboard is actually a very good idea in many ways. It will give better robustness over many years of life than a cheap conventional soundboard. It may not sound quite as good initially, but let your ears be the judge.

[jimbo320]

Richard....I know that the B1 is a piano apposed to a keyboard!
I was just giving my opinion on Yamaha's in general.
That being said the piano I prefer for the times I play classical pieces is a GC1M but it's a little bit more than John is willing to shell out. My grand sits in my living room and has a great soundboard and can't beat the action. Being a little difficult to carry around is why I use keyboards. Plus the rock pieces I play on stage require sounds I can't produce on a grand...
Maybe I should of stayed quiet...

[bronnestam]

I love the Yamahas and I think it sounds like a good bargain, I would definitely go for it if I had the opportunity to keep an acoustic. Which I, unfortunately, don't ...  
But I was in a piano summer school one month ago and played on a Yamaha B1 all week and I liked it very much! Here at home I have a digital Yamaha and I really like the sound.