Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Yamaha Uprights "YUX" vs. "W"?

Hi all,

I'm a new member here. I'm planning to buy a piano (from Yamaha) soon, though I face a few dilemmas. Since I've been using digital piano all the time, I have very little knowledge on acoustic ones, please help!

First of all, I'd like to ask, when we open the cover of the piano, the letters and numbers on the golden plate are the model and serial numbers? What if it's W 2486055? That means "W" is the model and 2486055 is the serial number? Is there a Yamaha upright called "W"? I can't seem to find any information about it on internet.

Some told me that "YUX" is a very good model. But my friend and her teacher kept telling me that "W" is even a better one. I couldn't really trust that because, 1) The teacher is the seller. 2) Nobody knows about "W". 3) The teacher said that the "W" she sold to my friend was quite new (approximately 10 years old), but I found out that her serial number is 2486055, that makes it around 30-40 years old, according to some website. I didn't really get to try out the YUX properly because it was very noisy that time. Moreover, I'm not an expert in this field.

My English isn't really good but I hope you guys understand what I'm trying to say. So, opinions please?

P.S. The "YUX" is at the other shop and the "W" is at my friend's house, so I don't think I'll go there again.

Thanks a lot.

Interesting.....Both mdls.you are refering to are considered gray market pianos in the USA and were never sold new via Yamaha USA.There are actually 3 different W mdls.W101,W102,W103.The W101 and W102 are 52" in wood finish in an upgraded case.They are one of best mdls.Yamaha has ever made though they are usually of an older vintage.and have a dark rich sound not traditional of a typical Yamaha. The W103 is 48" and is similar to a U1 except in a wood finish,no toe block and looks more deco as to it's furniture styling.The YUX is a 52" radial back mdl. and is also a very high end mdl.similar to the WX7 which was Yamaha USA Rolls Royce uprt years back. The upgraded cases on both mdls. look the same (large music rack) though the YUX is usually ebony polish. It also has agraffes in the bass. Yamaha has many many mdls.not all available depending on where in world one resides. I have found that Yamaha mixes and matches the different cabinets and strung backs and calls them different mdls. These mdls probably are not considered gray market in Malaysia though they are in the USA. Any specific questions?

Thank you so much for the useful information. I'm not sure whether they're considered gray market here. The "W" I mentioned look something like W102, slightly different though.

Hmmm... Is it possible to compare YUX and this "W"? I still can't decide...

The YUX is more likely much newer than the W series uprt.What's the serial #?
The preowned examples of both mdls. that I have owned were very much different from each other.The YUX had a lighter stock touchweight and had an innovative double escape type action which seemed to be somewhat noisey unless one removed an unecessary aluminum rail. Only model that had this action design so evidently didn't pan out in future mdls. YUX had the radial back which is a feature only in the more expensive Yamaha artist uprts.(YUS,UX1,UX3,UX30BL,WX1,WX3,WX7 etc.)Also had the agraffes in the bass.Than again I always liked the W102.It had this rich full sound far from being bright or thin sounding. They also were offered in a stunning rosewood satin case aside from the usual walnut and mahogany. It comes down to your personal and subjective choice.

Hey, welcome to PianoWorld. I am so glad to see another Malaysia joining this forum and possibly be more informative on piano.
Do you ever consider other brands like Kawai, Petrof?
So far, these two brands are the one that are of similar price with a Yamaha and is available in Malaysia.
Just FYI, I have found out so far you can get Yamaha, Kawai, Petrof, Wagner (Hailun actually), Boesondorfer, Samick, Young Chang, Steinway, Boston and Essex in Malaysia.
Some less wide regarded brand like Steinbert, Challen is also available but I don't really pay much attention on them.
Why don't try a U series (especially U1), a very famous model in Malaysia (lol)
I assume you are going for a new piano and may I know your budget? Also, how long do you intend to own that piano?

@PianoBroker,
I didn't see the YUX's serial number. Thanks again for the comments. ^^

@Tanjinjack,
I've seen a few Kawai but the others are all Yamahas. I'm going for a used piano and my budget is around RM 10k. As for how long I intend to own the piano, hmm... as long as possible I suppose.

Hi guys,

I've checked the YUX's serial number. It starts with #222 (pretty old huh). And it was in bad condition - A black key got stuck, the sound and touch aren't really good. So, the seller told me that it hasn't been tuned yet. After we tune it it'll be alright. I'm starting to doubt what the seller says. First, he said it was pretty new while it was made during 1975-1980. And he told me that it was in a very good condition. This YUX costs RM 11,500, which is about
3,510.95 USD. Worth it?

1976 to be exact. Never saw one that old.Good to know for future reference. I've always had fairly new ones 4 mil......Did it have the radial back and the large music rack? Curious if they changed the cabinetry since than. I'd keep looking Good luck!

For your budget, you can get:

1. brand new Hailun upright but with 'Wagner' on your fallboard, fit your budget perfectly. 9k~10k
2. Stretch your budget a little bit over to about 15k and get an Indonesian Yamaha U1, brand new!
3. Stretch your budget further to about 16k and get a Young Chang upright, brand new from Korea.
4. Find a used piano, like what you are doing now, but I seriously don't recommend on used piano. You hardly can get a really nice one. Unless you know the dealer well, or else don't get one.
5. There's a Steinway Z on sales at JB around 10k. I will PM you the ad if you are interested.
6. Or, double your budget to 20k, get a Chinese-made grand piano.

As far as I know, at Wagner Piano, their old model WG185, is now on sales and comes less than RM20k. This is really attractive for a 6 footer!!

If you need help, just PM me.
I am also a piano shopper shopping around Malaysia. lol.

Regards,
-jin jack-

Thanks guys once again. Now at least I know more about pianos. ^^

I've decided not to buy from that seller anymore. You can't buy something from someone who's not trustworthy, right? =)

I'll go to random stores and check out. Hopefully I can find a good one soon.

PM you, check it out.

Let's work hard together to find the piano suit us the most in Malaysia.. (although I have started to research in Singapore...)

Thanks Jack. ^^

But I guess I really can't do anything else other than visiting shop by shop and try out one by one to see which one I like the most. I wonder if most of the stores have their own showroom? If so, it is much easier for me to find.

I'll post again if I find anything that's suitable for me. At least, this time I know that I should ask for the serial number all these. =)

Hmm... saw another YUX today. Its serial number starts with #32 (Sorry I forgot the 3rd number, but it has 7 numbers.) The sound is pretty good and the touch is a little heavier. It's probably because I've been playing on digital piano all the time. Is it true that newer pianos have heavier touch? When it's older, the keys will become looser hence lighter? I don't know, my father likes it. And he kind of knows the seller. So I think we're probably buying it... 80% possibility.

Probably made in 1980 or so.
As far as I know, all used YUX in Malaysia market comes from Japan.
I was told that U2 are generally used in institutions where they suffered from great wear and tear, I am not sure with the YUX series though.

Is it being tuned? I would say, DON'T buy any piano that is not in tune. The difference can be very significant between tune or not tuned. I am also curious to know why most of the used pianos are not in tune, which greatly discourage the buyers. Well, I just don't know why that's the phenomena in Malaysia. Perhaps it's tuned once but stayed in the floor for a very long time.

Satin, how much is the dealer asking? Do you know any tech that can help you check it out?
How about your tutor, does he/she know something about the interior of the piano. Ask him/her to check it out if he/she has the time. Also, if possible, let him/her try the piano before buying, probably he/she knows what piano is the right one for you.
(I assume you are new learner or have learnt a few years of so, based on the fact you practise on the digital. (no offense ya). However, if you think you can judge whether the piano suit you or not, then it will be great!)

Also, on your next visit on the piano, try to play all the key with even force, see if there's any imbalance of the keys or not. I don't know the heavier tone is due to what, but be careful if it's in fact 'not responsive' rather than heavy.

I am more secure with new piano, even with the Chinese one. My thought though..
The only used piano that I will go for is a grand piano(due to budget constraint) and for sure, I'll have a tech checked on it.
I feel like, I would rather pay around 10k more to get a brand new upright, even though it might be at lower spec or made in Indonesia, China or so. But, it is a new piano at least.

Of course, as you learn in this forum, new piano should be prepped well. So as the used piano, get it tuned before you make your order.

From what I know, moving a piano, WON'T cause the piano to be out of tune. The reason of it becoming out of tune when delivered to your home is because your piano is actually breaking in, getting used to the environment (humidity, temperature etc.). That's why you need a tuning after the delivery!