Yamaha / Kawai high-end uprights vs baby grands

[baddude]

Hello everyone,


I decided to buy a new piano and managed to narrow the brands down to Yamaha and Kawai. Currently, I'm deciding whether I would be better off buying an upright like Yamaha YUS5 and Kawai K800 OR an entry-level baby grand like Yamaha GB1K and Kawai GL10.

I understand that the uprights mentioned above have longer bass strings and would produce better sound than the baby grands. However, the baby grands (being grand pianos) would have better action and give me better control and overall playing experience.

At the moment, I can buy the YUS5 for $12,800, GB1K for $11,000, K800 for $11,600, and GL10 for $10000. Are these prices reasonable?

I will be going to the showroom and trying these pianos out but I want to hear you guys' opinions as well. I'm also open up to any suggestions.


Thank you


EDIT: I also have an option to buy Kawai GL30 at $17,000 but it's a bit over my budget range. Sound-wise, will the 5'5" (166 cm) baby grand surpass its brand's premium upright of K800?

[fredchopin]

An upright and a baby grand are completely different. A 25k upright will not be as good as a 15k baby grand. If you are serious about playing get a baby grand.



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[musica notturna]

If I were in your position I would definitely go over my budget range and buy the GL30  .
I think with the k800 you compromise the action.
With the GL10 you compromise the sound.
The GL30 meets both requirements and will live for you happily forever after.

[timtim]

While there are uprights, which easily compete - or even outperform - baby grands - the cost hefty amount of money. They have actions which are lettting you to repeat when the key is 2mm from the bottom only. Such instruments are produced by Steingraeber, Sauter and Seiler has also similar action.

For the price of each of those two first uprights (new) you can buy Shigeru SK2, or two GL30. Sauter Masterclass is like 30k EUR though, so bit cheaper
I do not know whether they equipped their standard pianos (which are way chepaer but still top uprights) with their magnetic actions.

I would also opt for baby grand, as I am in the same dilemma now, however, due to space limitations I will have to buy a top-upright instead of a baby grand. And there are man other good and cheap grands other than Kawai - like recomenned in piano buyer Ritmuller, new Bostons ( do not buy old ones), Brodmann, Hailun. W. Hoffmann, Schulze-Pollman etc. Maybe some used Petrofs or Estonias?