Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Selection of affordable upright piano

Hello from Greece,

I got my piano diploma more than 5 years ago and i am doing research on upgrading my piano.

My primary budget was about 4k but i am open to something more expensive if extraordinary.

In general, i do not like the tone of Yamaha (used or new) - seems too bright for me. So i am looking to buy an upright piano with a more "European" sound (used or new). Please be advised that i intend to play 90% classical music on the piano.

I have played on numerous pianos (Yamaha U1/U3 used and new, G2 used, Young Chang baby grand used, Petrof upright new, Kawai K3, Tokai used and new).

The only piano i really enjoyed was W. Hoffman V-120 upright which here in Greece is sold exactly at 7,800 euro. Also, i found that a 30 year old Schimmel upright (116) had good quality sound but not such depth.

Also, the upright Essex 123 sounded OK - price about 6,000 euro. (To have a sense of the prices of new pianos here in Greece keep note that a U1 costs 9,000 euro, Schimmel 10,000 euro, Petrof 9,000 euro, Kawai K3 5,600 euro).

Having shared the above, i would appreciate if you suggested other piano brands (used or new) that i should focus on or whether the budget is insufficient to support the sound i pursue.

Kind regards,

John

To get what you want for substantially less than is typical, the best approach is to spend time instead of money. Keep looking, try moving sales and estate sales. Great bargains happen, but not often. If you're always looking, you'll be the one who gets there first.

If you're only shopping new pianos, perhaps your budget is low for what you want.

Moving to used pianos it seems possible, depending on how many are available.

Have you played that Kawai you mention? What did you think?

The problem is that you cannot find easily a used German upright in good condition and fair price.

I tried the Kawai K3 - actually the sound was quite good but did lack that extra depth that i was searching for.

I also found a Brodmann PE-121BLK upright new for 4,750 euro but haven't tried it out yet.

The price for the Hoffman is considered okay i suppose huh?

Ok, sounds like you want a higher end piano.
I wouldn't expect it to outperform the Hoffman, but it's worth trying.
Is that a new Hoffman? Compared to the US market the price would be extremely good. As a comparison, the SMP for a Yamaha U1 is $11,199 (about the price you are seeing). The SMP for the Hoffmann V-120 is $15,364. Unless I'm missing something, in your market they are completely switched. The the Hoffmann is a less expensive piano than the Yamaha U1?

yamaha sets its prices on what it perceives in a particular market and the competition. they were so successful in the u.s. market, facing very little competition from the domestic manufacturers in its market niche (kawai ended up being a bigger rival for the u.s. market than baldwin, and steinway came up with boston because yamaha and kawai succeeded in the american market), and set prices higher than they did for many parts of europe. it might have changed recently, but yamaha prices in Germany for example were lower than in the u.s. for years.

The Yamaha price is pretty much the same. It's the Hoffman that seems significantly different.

Welcome to the forum

Tell us your opinion on the broadmann when you try it

I sent you a pm

Thanks everyone - the new W. Hoffman V-120 (7,800 euro) is actually less expensive than a new Yamaha U1 (9,000) - also the new Essex upright 123 costs about 6,000 euro.

Yesterday i tried a used early 90s Yamaha U30 upright (serial number about 4.5 million) which had a quite good tone - it costs 4,300 euro.

It is not reconditioned but seems to be in a good shape. Any thoughts?

Hi there,

John you maybe better of with the a new Broadmann assuming it covers your musical requirements.

Is your money is your call

Have fun

Actually the Broadmann was not available for trying yet - awaiting for a call from the distributor.

Do you think the pricing of the used 90s U30 (4,300) and W. Hoffman (7,800 the most pleasing to the ears instrument) is high?

Thank you.

John

Just tried an upright Feurich 133 Concert and was very satisfied with its tone.

The dealer said it was used for two years and from 7,5k (price for new) sells it for 3.9k.

What do you think about this deal?

Purchasing used but lightly worn is definitely the best way to get a good value as others said.

If you like the Feurich best, negotiate it more, buy it and secure the longest warranty you can

Few other thoughts: As an advanced player, did you try many other baby grands? I recently upgraded from upright to grand and by far the best aspect for me was the increased dynamic control and better repetition feel for things like trills. I don't need thunderous bass at home (Most people don't). No upright will give you that true grand feel, except perhaps for a few notable obscenely expensive models with modified actions.

If you liked Kawai, did you consider K5, K500, GM10, or KG ? These are high quality and patience in the used market may find you one at your expanded budget. This is at least true in the US.

I was very impressed by the Feurich 133 I tried. It really stood out to me from the smaller Feurichs I've tried, not just being louder and having deeper bass but feeling like a better piano all round. It is Feurich's flagship upright after all.

I've also played a W.Hoffmann V126 which has a similar new price here in NZ to the Feurich133 and I really liked that piano too. Even though the V series is Hoffmann's lowest I felt the V126 came surprisingly close to the Bechstein B124 in tone and feel given the price difference between the two.

The only new upright in a similar price range I've come across that I liked even more than the Feurich and Hoffmann was a Kawai K600, although it is a bit more expensive.

The prices you quote seem similar in relation to each other to what I have seen here, where the Feurich 133, W.Hoffmann V126, Yamaha U1 and Kawai K500 all retail for around the same as each other. I guess tariffs could also be a reason for the different relative prices in other markets. I imagine Greece is similar to NZ and that the piano market is fairly small, so you could be waiting a very long time for a late model second hand version of your ideal piano to turn up. If that is the case, then the Feurich looks like it could be a good opportunity.

You can't go wrong with the Feurich Mod. 133 Concert. Having tried a very good number of uprights over the past few weeks, I can also conclude that I love its action, tone and feel. Needless to say, I've also seen and played awesome Sauter pianos, but the shortest/lowest Sauter upright is significantly more expensive than the Feurich Mod. 133 Concert. Given the price tag and the diligent way Feurich pianos are being produced and tested, their uprights and grands are fantastic IMO.

@spk I have tried only Samick new baby grand (priced 9k) and was not satisfied at all with its sound. I have also tried Young Chang used baby grand with the same result.

I tried new Kawai K-300 (priced 5.6k) and seemed to be a good choice. Unfortunately i have not found used larger Kawai upright or baby grands around 5k.

As mentioned above, i really liked the tone of W.Hoffman V-120 but its price (7.6k) is out of my price range and the opportunity to have a taller upright (Feurich 133) for a fair price feels right.

The deal involves also a 20 year warranty and the right to upgrade within 15 years since the purchase.

After playing many used uprights i have narrowed down my search to these two models and i need your opinion on what to select.

(a) Used Zimmermann upright 130 cm 2002 for 3,500 euro. I have confirmed with the official dealer of Zimmermann pianos in Greece and my own technician/dealer that this piano is constructed in Germany and has Renner action (it was constructed prior to the moving of its production in China) and also that its price was about 12,000 euro in 2002. This piano is sold by a private party - both my technician/dealer and the official dealer said that it is a great opportunity for the price. The technician informed me that a major service/tuning is required about 300 euro and the moving costs another 250 euro.

(b) Used Feurich upright 133 cm 2015 for 4,200 euro. This piano was used for 1,5 year by a student who then traded up for a baby grand piano. Its original price was 7,500 euro. The aforementioned technician/dealer who evaluated the Zimmermann piano sells this piano - however he told me that while the Feurich is a nicer looking piano, the Zimmermann is definitely better because all the parts are from Germany and construction took place in Germany.

Taking into consideration that both of these pianos cost the same eventually, i would like to know your opinion and your experience if any on these brands and models.

Thank you very much in advance,

John

Anyone?

Hi John 1987

I'm not familiar with either of those pianos, but what I read is that your own technician would advise you to buy the piano he is NOT selling as it is superior to the one he is selling. If this a correct read, you trust your technician and you like playing it, that seems to be a logical decision.