Yamaha GC1 VS C1

[yoda_muppet]

Greetings all!  Great forum, I have found so many useful posts...

I couldn't find much about this topic, though.  I understand that the GA-GB yamahas were not great pianos.  From what I have read elsewhere, the GC1 is beginning to approach the C1 in quality and sound.  Does anyone have any firsthand experience comparing these two pianos?  I'm simply trying to determine if the C1 is worth the extra cost, since it is the same size and much of the same design/materials.

Many Thanks in Advance,

Doug

[erecording]

The C1 has all the following features that the GC1 does not:

A true sostenuto pedal- important to most classical musicians.

Thicker rim- for a harder, more dense reflective surface.

Cosmetic differences- soft close lid, beveled edges, extra lid prop position, spade foot leg.

Really play on both to see which you like better.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

[Axtremus]

Agree with erecording's post above except this one part:

"A true sostenuto pedal- important to most classical musicians."

I'm fairly confident that 90% of classical musicians would never use sostenuto in 90% of their repertoire. The bulk of classical piano pieces were written before sostenuto became common on pianos. Can do some very nice thing with sostenuto if you know how to use it, just not that "important" to "most classical musicians."

Also, I don't understand what you mean by "more dense reflective surface" in conjunction to to "thicker rim," though I do not dispute the fact that C1 has a thicker rim (more massive) rim.

It does come down to playing them and picking a favorite for yourself. Good luck.

[erecording]

Axtremus,

You have a good point about the sostenuto pedal. However, if it's not that important why is it there? It's true that a minority of players use it. On the other hand, consumers demand it. If the third pedal weren't there, people would have fits. Kimball built pianos with a middle pedal that didn't work. It had a spring loaded mechanism, but wasn't connected to anything. They did this because people are use to seeing pianos with three pedals.

Also, I would much rather that the middle pedal be a sostenuto than a bass sustain.
Anyway, I enjoy your posts and look forward to chatting more in the future.

[Michele Felice]

If you are looking at a mini-grand piano, you might also look at the mini-Kawais. Some technicians consider them to have a much better scale than the Yamaha GC minis. Build quality similar or better. Also, if you are concerned about tone quality, don't overlook high-quality uprights in the same price range; an upright (tall vertical--48 inches or more) very likely will sound better to you than a mini-grand; longer strings, better bass.

[yoda_muppet]

Thanks for all the info...

My tuner claims the Kawais would be great "if they would stay in tune better".  Stability is definaltly an issue since I play all the time.  I may consider larger pianos if they are substantially better.  Perhaps a C2 or RX-2?

cheers