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I know this question's probably been asked to death, but I can't find any discussion on it:

To make the question simple, I've decided to go for a Yamaha X-series (I'm in Asia). But not even the Yamaha website will say what's the difference between the various models.

Can anyone explain the difference: X, UX, YUX, YUA, UX3, UX-30BL, UX-30BI, UX-30A, UX-5?

Personally, I'm deciding between a YUX and UX-3. The YUX is a few years older but seems to have a slightly lighter touch than the UX-3 (which means I can play much faster, but might not get much stronger...). Is this possible? Are the actions the same? Or am I feeling a difference due to a variation in the age or condition? Sound-wise, they all seem about the same (the ones that are in good condition, that is).

Oh, and one more thing: all the pianos I am trying are out of tune, having been stuck in the showroom for months/years. Once it's in tune, will the overall sound come out richer & brighter? Or is that a function of other factors?

Thnks!!!

I think you should ask the dealer to tune the ones you like, and then decide.
Here in Europe the YUS is the newest version, I do not know in Asia. Check the serial numbers with Yamaha. Try to get the youngest one you cab find that has the best touch to your fingers and the best sound to your ears. Do not buy a piano from a dealer who is not willing to tune the piano for you, dealer preparation is very important for the end product.

Good luck

Thanks. Dealers will tune the piano after delivery. They tend to not want to do so in the show room, because the piano will need to be re-tuned anyway after the move.

Here in europe the tune it before buying, and then 4 weeks after delivery......
I think it is important to know how a piano sounds tuned before purchasing it!

I suggest you do a search on this forum as for all the differences in all those X mdls. After that,whatever you can't find out,I would be more than glad to address any particular mdl.

As for the YUX and the UX3: Actually both those mdls. are of the late seventies to the early eighties as for manufacture.
Never actually having had a YUX,I believe one difference is the agraffes in the bass section.The YUX was a interum mdl. to the YUA also of the same era.

The YUA vrs.the UX3.They are of that same era and share the same strung X back but the YUA has the,agraffes in the bass,upgraded case design including the big music rack and upgraded fallboard.Also the middle pedal of the YUA is a bass sustain instead of the practice mute. Also the YUA had an innovative double escape style action though I believe it was discontinued for various reasons. Though the YUX and the UX3 share the same cabinet design ,the YUX may share some of the traits of the YUA. Confusing Huh!

I'm no nearer to understanding which model might be better!

I've been searching this forum for ages, but can't see anything that explains the X series (plenty to distinguish U1s from U3s, or X from non-X, but even these posts don't say much...)

So are the agraffes or the cabinet design that important? Could I simply remove the panels and play a "nude" piano to get a better sound? Or does the cabinet provide extra resonance? Which model is the better one, or could you rate them by performance/sound/features, etc? Which model would you choose?

I don't really care whether the middle pedal is a muting pedal or sostenuto. I never use either. Activating the practice pedal significantly changes the "feel" of the keyboard and I find I can't really play properly if I use it.

Maybe it's just for those scales, etudes and Hanon exercises that nobody wants to hear... LOL

Hi Gorman,

I see your problem here. This is what I would do beside asking questions on this forum. Definitely look for a dealer that actually has both of these models. Ideally they should be side-by-side. You can read all about these pianos but playing them is another thing. If the price isn't so much your concern, then ask yourself which one you like better.

Personally, I think the U series sound brighter than the YU series (never tried the Xs). Many people who play "pop" or modern stuff like the U better, but then many people who do the British ABRSM like the U1 and U3 as well. YUS5, as has been written a ton of times before, has a slightly mellow, or some would say, a closer-to "European" sound. I compared a U3 and a YUS5 side-by-side and I found that the YUS5 is just that, SLIGHTLY mellow tone. The touch, to me, is not that much more sensitive for a model that's almost 4k (USD) more.

Here are my two cents. I highly recommend that you go ahead and find the dealer with the pianos. You might decide against a Yamaha entirely, like me

Oh...sorry - another thing: Since you're in Thailand, many of the model numbers and the place of origin of these pianos are not as advertised on US websites. Be sure to check with your local dealers about which of these models are equivalents and save yourself some headaches!!

Well, you're absolutely right about playing the pianos directly. I went to a few dealers and tried identical models (with similar ages) next to each other. One was very muffled, one had a nice bright tone with a good action, another had a completely different quality but virtually no power. I even tried brand new pianos just to compare, and the touch was sometimes a bit too heavy for my liking. Maybe it's just my playing, but I found the "better", newer actions not always as nice to play as some 30-year old U3's. I even tried out some brand new Petroff's with a Renner action, and they weren't to my personal taste either!!!

And just to check it wasn't just me, I tried out a few grand pianos - which were an absolute dream to play: the control and speed of the key actions were unparalleled!

One dealer did explain that the significant difference in prices was often that one piano would have an additional sostenuto pedal, or the cabinet was slightly larger or with a different design, or some other totally irrelevant feature.

In the end, an ordinary, ugly UX was offered to me for a considerably cheaper price - but the action didn't quite cut it.

Apparently, it also has to do with the "voicing" and how much the piano has been played over the years. A more frequently played piano will have more impacted hammers, thus resulting in less power.

I also came across a tiny 46" upright piano that had been specially designed to mimic the power and action of a 5'6" grand. I can't remember the name of the piano, but it was selling for $90,000 (yes 90 THOUSAND).

I'm probably going to settle for a 25-year old UX-3, simply because it's got a powerful sound when played and a fast albeit slightly heavy action (the better to develop strength & stamina of the fingers). I found a really nice 27-year old YUX that was much cheaper, but perhaps it was a little too light & easy to play. I don't want to outgrow it too soon!

Thanks everybody for all your advice and suggestions. I still am no wiser than before. It seems a bit of a "lucky packet" whether I get a good prize or not.

After all, one dealer told me that a good technician can design almost any sound and touch I want, all things being equal - so it hardly matters at the end of the day which model I choose.

I'll take that with a pinch of salt, but he may be right.

i seriously doubt even a world-class technician can turn any piano to any touch or sound!!! that's a bit exaggerated, to say the least. your best bet is always - if you like the piano from the start, it's more likely that you will like it after it's delivered. if what he said was true, then we would be buying pianos off the internet, don't you think? (gosh i really hope the majority of us don't do that!)

anything you like, within your budget, and can hold you over until the next opportunity comes, is good. so don't feel too discouraged by it. it matters more that you can play at home, right?