Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Yamaha U3 or Albert Weber AW-131: which one do you recommend

http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2620446/My_New_Kawai_K500_Piano_-_Init.html

if you wish to find out more from the owner of the k500 you can send a personal message through this site. he'd owned and played a respectable Baldwin studio upright for some time and had looked at tall uprights similar to those you're considering.

Thanks. It seems that the K500 is a bit more expensive than both the U3 and the AW-131, moving it beyond my projected budget. But I'll take a look at it and if the Kawai acoustic impresses me, maybe I can reconsider the budget <laughing>.
BTW, huaidongxi, I noticed that you joined this forum last year. But I'm dead sure I've been enjoying your posts over the last few months or so... Your insights are a boon to us -- piano novices!

The broad equivalent to a U3 would be the K500. That said, my own take on it is that if budget allows, the step up to the next models in both the Yamaha and Kawai ranges give you a lot more for a relatively modest outlay. The K600 is a really nice piano, and a piano i personally much prefer to the U3. And, here in the UK at least (I can't comment on your local market), the fact that Kawais tend to be a little cheaper than Yamaha model for model means that the price difference from a U3 to a K600 is minimal. From what you've said, I also get a sense that the tone profile of a Kawai might suit you better than a Yamaha.

If a Yamaha is really what you want, then personally I wouldn't spend money before looking at the YUS series. Although based on the U series, they are imho much better, thanks to some carefully chosen component upgrades. I have a YUS5 mysefl, and consider it well worth the extra money (the YUS3 less so , strangely imho). If budget is an issue, the YUS1, despite being smaller, is imho a much better piano than the U3 for a similar price.

But that's just my view. Like I say, I don't think you'd have a problem with any of those options, so it just comes down to what yo ulike.

Thanks, Jason, for the interesting analysis.
It seems that in Tehran Kawai pianos are a bit more expensive than Yamaha ones though I'll definitely take a look at the K600, too, based on your recommendation. The price difference might be because of the fact that only one dealer sells Kawai pianos here whereas Yamaha pianos are imported and sold by different dealers. Also I'll see if I can find and play YUS pianos here to get a sense of their sound and action.

Hi Jason and all,
Today I managed to call some sellers/rep and found out that here the U3 isn't available at all! Of course, I should check other venues over the next 48 hours, but the major Yamaha importers tell they don't have the U3 at the moment -- the U1 is available though.
However, both the YUS1 and the YUS3 are available, with the YUS3 being priced slightly more expensive than my first choice -- Albert Weber AW-131. The YUS5 is also apparently available though I haven't checked its price.
Also it's worth mentioning that Kawai K500 is more expensive than all Yamaha acoustics I've checked, and that's why I haven't even chased the K600! Guess the single Kawai dealer specifies whatever price he wants arbitrarily.
Anyhow, do you think the YUS3 is considered an improvement over the U3 in terms of sound, touch, build quality, and so on? Before playing it myself, does it sound warmer/mellower than the U3? Its reviews on the web are rather scarce -- compared with the U3 which is everywhere!
Thanks for your assistance.

Well, I don't know that YC would admit that they're less committed to pianos. Remember, I'm not a dealer or tech but what I remember was that about the time they had this great product that could really compete agains Yamaha and Kawai while having it's own unique sound that worked great for smaller rooms, Hyundai bought YC and both YC and AW started to have less presence in advertising on the web and in the music press but also seemed to start to disappear from dealers showrooms. Then came the reduction in number of lines and having more of them built outside of Korea. Maybe one of our dealers who is more informed about Hyundai and YC has some insight.

Young Chang will have parts in the very unlikely chance that parts are needed. We still are able to get parts for some Kurzweil Keyboards (another YC product) that were made 20 years ago.

I would call Young Chang with the serial number to verify the year and place of manufacture and if it seems to be legit, buy the piano you like best. The AW is a well made product designed by a well known and respected designer of pianos. Here's a short article about him and his work for YC.

Del Fandrich

Kurt

PS. Del didn't rework ALL the models of YC and Weber. It's possible that he didn't work on the 131 but I do remember when I was shopping that the 131 was well received in reviews.

Regarding your concerns about late night practicing—who are you concerned about disturbing? The neighbors? Children? Roommates?

When I was a child, my bedroom door was only about 5 m from my dad's Mason & Hamlin model A grand piano. I fell asleep many, many nights while listening to him play the piano, and it did not bother me at all. I am a lighter sleeper now, though.

If your piano room has a door, then how solid and tight-fitting the door is will probably have a bigger effect on sound reduction then any treatment of the room interior.

Hi Kurt,

Valid points and concerns indeed! I'll definitely ask the dealer for the serial number. Wish YC had an online place/website which could help us check the serial numbers. Or wish they had a mechanism whereby one could figure out the year/country of build-origin.
To be honest, I'm rather pissed off by the arbitrarily high price of Kawai acoustics here in Tehran. Guess the so-called one-dealer exclusivity has done its harm! The K-500, for instance, is at least $1500 to $2000 more expensive than both the YUS3 and the AW-131. Maybe at that price point I should go check the Petrof brand -- rather ridiculous!

Thanks again.

Hi Corvus,

My concern is three-fold <smile>:
1. How the piano sound will be received/hated/loved upstairs. I mean the family that lives upstairs might be directly affected. I have very good relations with them, though. But if the sound becomes unbearable, that might ruin the best of relations I guess! Anyhow, since the window which is a few meters behind the piano seat isn't a truly sound-proof one, I think I should work around that as well.
2. How the sound will be heard/hated/loved in other rooms. As you rightly said, perhaps I should add extra protective measures to the door. This is probably the major concern given the vicinity of the rooms.
3. And, last but not least, the back of the piano will be placed against a wall. The wall itself faces the wall of a neighbor's house. That might not be a great concern in and out of itself. But since nothing is on my wall to absorb the sound, my fear is that the sound might travel in an unhibited way so as to pester them.
BTW my room is carpeted -- I mean heavy carpets are on the ground.
A friend of mine who saw me yesterday and actually knows about my struggles finding a good and long-lasting acoustic told me, jocosely of course, the following: "Now that you're practically losing your breath in this endeavor, why don't you sell your CLP-575 and purchase a new CLP-685 for some solace?! It might not be available here yet, but it's cheaper than all of your acoustics and, hey, it's most probably the best digital!" And I said: "Get out of here ASAP!"

Cheers,
Amir

Hi all,

Just an update.
Today I talked to the Kawai dealer via telephone and, after having complained about their relatively higher prices, they kindly told me that they do offer discounts. So The K500 is a possibility -- yet again. Also their K300 is even more reasonably priced. Do you recommend the former in terms of sound and touch?
Moreover, today I managed to pin down the Feurich reseller. What do you think about the Feurich Mod. 133 Concert? Do you recommend this or do you think the K500 is a better acoustic? Of course, I don't know the price of the Feurich 133 and haven't played it either, but online reviews indicate that it possesses a warm/mellow and European sound.

Thanks again.

You are paralysed by these questions. They're all good. None of them is poor quality. Go play them. Buy the one that you like best, and stop worrying about what other people think about them.

Sure -- I'll do. I just wanted to make sure if Feurich pianos are regarded as high-quality acoustics by Piano World members.
Thanks.

where we live in Calif/u.s. it would be very difficult to even find a tall upright Albert Weber or Feurich to audition. if you don't have a memory for details, it might help to keep a notebook once your serious candidates get beyond one or two. don't be shy about re-auditioning any piano, you'll probably be living with it for years or decades.

as for your consideration for the neighbors, the feurich 133 concert and some other uprights (including our 120 yr. old upright) have a middle pedal that raises a fabric between the hammers and strings, sometimes called a sordino or celeste pedal that can also be used for near-silent practice. apparently feurich offers an option as well for silencing plus headphone listening, which would require electronics and extra cost, probably not available without a special order.

https://www.feurich.com/innovative-production/mod-133-concert/

Thanks for the advice. The Feurich acoustics also seem to be reasonably priced so the 131/125 models might be serious contenders -- along with Kawai K-300/K-500, and AW-131. The U3 isn't available here, and I didn't like the sound of the YUS3.

stiff competition now between the almost countless asian and pacific rim piano manufacturers (incl. essex and boston of course). some companies, especially those who don't build big quantities, have conceded certain geographic markets, and how much piano consumers benefit can vary widely depending where they are.

What I read in this thread is that Amirhsol has taken a liking to the Albert Weber 131. If that is the case, then that is what he should buy.

Worst case scenario, if it turns out that the AW 131 is not "The One", it is not the end of the world. I've read where some people trade pianos every year to like some folks trade automobiles. Sometimes the shopping experience itself, with all the different options, can be confusing and frustrating. In fact, it can get so frustrating at times the idea of not buying a piano at all becomes an option.

Amirhsol, go with your instincts! You know better than anyone else what you like and what you want...

Good luck!

Rick

Hi all,

Now that I've limited my choices to Feurich 125/133, Albert Weber AW-131 and Kawai K-300/K-500, I'd like to know if there's a website or perhaps a phone number which allows me to provide the piano serial numbers in order to check the year/country of their manufacturing. In particular, this is very critical both for Feurich and for Albert Weber. Most Feurich uprights, including the 133, were re-designed in 2015, and I'd like to make sure I'm getting a post-2015 manufactured piano. The same applies to the AW-131 -- I want to ensure that I'm getting a relatively new Albert Weber piano which has been manufactured in South Korea. This seems to be less of an issue for Kawai as the K-300/K-500 are new models.
As such, if you happen to have phone numbers or website/email addresses to help me with Feurich/Albert Weber serial numbers, please kindly provide them.
Kurt, in case you're reading this, you mentioned that I can verify where and when the AW-131 was made by calling Young Chang in Cypress California with the serial number. Would you please provide their phone number or their email address -- if the latter also works?

Best,
Amir

Apparently you missed the link I posted earlier in this thread - which includes contact info for Young Chang in Cypress California.

http://www.pianobuyer.com/current-issue/acoustic-brands-young-chang.html

And for Feurich......

http://www.pianobuyer.com/current-issue/acoustic-brands-feurich.html

.

..

Amir,

Google has: 657-200-3470

Per the Website, the AW-131 is a Del Fandrich design with the floating soundboard in the professional series so it should be a South Korea piano.

Kurt

Thanks, Carey. You're right -- I'd missed the first link.
Will make good use of them <smile>.