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Hi All,

Recently I bought an old Yamaha U1 from a local shop. The seller told me that this piano is imported directly from Japan, and has 30 years of history. He also mentioned the whole piano is original, and only the muting cloth is new. The piano appear to me in very good condition for the age, and it sounds sweet to me too.

Lately I found the website to verify it's serial (29xxxx), and it appear to be manufactured on year 1963.

1. Is this piano really that old and all original?
2. How old can a U1 last generally?





Thanks for your advice.

1. Is this piano really that old and all original?

It would appear so from the serial number and the style of the cabinet. The hammers look too clean for 46 years of age. There was undoubtedly some refurbishment beyond replacing the felt on the mute rail.

2. How old can a U1 last generally?
These old Yamahas are living long past expectations. The question is really how long can you go before a necessary repair doesn't make sense based on the market value of the piano.

One thing you could do is to send an email to Yamaha product support asking for a statement of the age.

http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/Text_WithCatMenu_SC.html?CTID=410010

Then print out their reply and ask the seller for a price adjustment based on the erroneous information. Did you get any kind of warranty? How much did you pay?

The practice of professional sellers lying about the age of older Yamahas (especially grey-market) is very common unfortunately. It's usually not an accidental error. Private party sellers often pass on the untruth because they are unaware of the bad info that was given them when they purchased.

Yes, your piano is that old. My serial number book, Pierce Piano Atlas, confirms manufactured late in 1963. At 46 years of age, this was a material misrepresentation of the age (30) stated. IMHO the useful musical life expectancy of Asian pianos of that era is about 35-40 years. This is another example of how "gray market" pianos are regularly misrepresented to unknowledgable buyers.
Pianos do not last forever. Pianos to not get better with age.

Oh man, does that mean I'm conned?

I got it for S2.5k (~US1.7k) after bargain, which includes 10 years warranty on major parts, 5 years 1/2 price buy back, few new accessories, delivery and 2 tunings. New U1 here cost about 3.5 times more.

The piano appear as new, I really wonder how they do it, or refurbishment? It doesn't even seems to have 20 years old to me. Does the refurbishment affect the sound, compare to original?
It sounds sweet to me, though a bit mellow, especially compare to some brand of new pianos & my Clavinova. I'm yet to try the new Yamaha to feel it's sound. Not sure the mellow sound is original, due to aging, or seasoning issues. Keys touch are nice too, seems rather easy to play with. All the woods are in good & solid condition as well.

After knowing the real age, my worry now is really, how long can it last before the major repair is required.

i think you should not worry so much as piano don't fall apart overnight. Looking at the pictures, these U1s, U2s are quite durable. They really look so new inside, it could be the truth as the air quality in Japan is very good.

I believe 1, these older piano could have been sitting in the homes of japanese for a long time, not played extensively, until the family recently decide to sell them. 2, there could be a good refurbishment work done to it.

Well if it plays well, sounds well, priced well, relax...
enjoy yr pian lah

cheers

This is 1930s Piano,

And this is Refurbished.

For my own sight, research.


for the age

Well, its very cool because it has Silent feature right?

Tryel,
As a novice, you have been given great support on another Yamaha topic on this forum. Unfortunately you now participate on this new subject and come out with a statement which is absolute nonsense.
This piano is NOT 1930’s - it is 1963 as correctly stated by Yahn, and also Marty – an established authority on pianos, after reference to the Pierce Piano Atlas.

You misunderstood the serial number. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. You are not quite as cool as that silent feature, right?

Enjoy your piano.

So does it mean Yamaha is Liar? by this official link
http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA...nu_XC.html?CNTID=12173&CNTYP=GENERAL

?

I am not trying to fight against your statement but I just want to share what I know for myself.

tryel,It is a 6 digit serial # not 5. Simple mistake! No big deal.

Ah, sorry, yeah. . .
I accept my mistake, it was 6 digit, well yeah, 1960s,

Congratz. And Enjoy

Thanks guys!

I noticed one thing tryel mentioned also, about the silent feature.
While trying to find various U1 models pictures, this cabinet design is similar as U1D. However looks like piano at that time do not have silent pedal design.

Also, I have not come across any U1 model having the metal plate at the pedals as this. So does that suggest the pedal portion is actually not original? And eventually lead to conclude there're various mixed parts in this unit?

If that's the case, back to my earlier question, how's the sound quality of "refurbish" compare to original?

The correct terminology is a mute function middle pedal. Teh "silent" feature is a relatively new hybrid electronic addition. We have a 1954 U2 in stock that has the same pedal set up, but no brass kick plate. If this middle pedal was retro-fitted it was a good job of matching the pedal with the other two and the fittings inside.