- STEINWAY Console1900's-1950 VS. Yamaha U-Series, P-22's (New) - WHO WINS? --

[pianoplayerstar]

As to range, I'd say a steinway would win - however when truly compared to a recent P series Yamaha, would you rather purchase a 100-year old Steinway upright console over a recent Yamaha U/P series?

Why or Why Not?

Details.

[indianajo]

I detest the sound of the Yamaha Consoles.  Sound like cheap old Winter to me, Kimble's budget brand.  Warning, I have hearing to 14 khz due to careful use of earplugs in my life & career. You may have blown out your ears with fireworks, weapons, loud music, motors, you'll never know what you are missing. Plus I play winter repretoire with the tinkly top octave, where a good Steinway, Sohmer, Acrosonic, will really shine.  But Yamaha are boring in the bass notes, too.  Not the 9' grands, those are fine, but the verticals sound like ****.  Great durability though. 
With old Steinways, condition of the action needs careful inspection.  I like the sound, but too many wiggly pivots, scooped out hammer or damper felts,  broken jacks etc, walk away. Many were beat to death in music schools.   There are $300 pre WWII Steinway uprights in this town  which were home use only. But you have to look at them to see what you are buying.  It is not worth $$$$ to rebuild a Steinway action in a vertical piano, IMHO.  Really, pre WWII, in 44" up,  a Knabe or Kurzman "free please haul it away" sounds just as good as a Steinway vertical. Steinway's 1940 40" console was a major breakthrough in production engineering, ice breaker of the good interference bass copied by everybody else. I own a 1941 Steinway 40, sounds just like my 1982 Sohmer.