Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Yamaha YUS1 vs. Schimmel C116/C120 (all new)

The search for my first upright just took an unexpected turn. On a previous thread I solicited advice on the differences between the Yamaha U1 (SH2) and the YUS1 (SH2). Two forum members (backto_study_piano and KiraM423 ) drew my attention to the Schimmel uprights.

I had not contemplated trying out Schimmel uprights as all the marketing from Kawai and Yamaha had given me the impression that everything else is "old tech" / "low tech" (Schimmel still uses the SG2 silent system that comes on the Yamaha entry level B series) and a "dying breed" of pianos, expensive mostly because of old manufacturing processes. Also, they are more expensive.

Then recently I tried a C116... Totally over my budget (and my playing level), particularly since I need it with the silent system (I know, I know, ...), but so different from the Kawai K300 (my starting point) and the Yamaha U1 (where I drifted to, but that also hasn't convinced me). I just loved the action and the tone of the C116.

So now the question has become Yamaha YUS1 or Schimmel C116/C120? It strikes me as somewhat silly to buy a Japanse piano which has been adapted to sound more "European" (including German hammers I believe), rather than just buying a 100% European manufactured piano which has that sound by design. Does anyone know how they compare in action and tone? Also, has anyone had the chance to compare the C116 and C120?

Regarding the Yamaha SG2 silent system that Schimmel uses, it feels unsatisfactory to invest so much in a piano and get such old technology (I know, I'm paying for the acoustic qualities, but still...). As an example, this system only provides max. polyphony of 64, and I'm unsure how much poorer the sound will be vs. the 256 polyphony on the K300 ATX3 and U1 SH2. Then I'm thinking that since this system has MIDI out, I can always connect to an ipad/pc running a VST. Does anyone have experience with this?

I don't even dare think about the K122...

I welcome any thoughts and experiences you may have.

Hi Aostensv, good to see you here talking about your piano search. I'm going to start with a slightly off topic comment (linked more to your other thread really) and say that I think you have made the right choice to rule out the U1 relative to the YUS1. Personally, I think thta the Yamaha YUS series do a really good job of bridging a large portion of the performance gap between good mass produced pianos and top tier instruments for only a small price premium over those mass produced pianos (The YUS are not a hand built piano either I hasten to add). That makes them really good value. I think the price premium from a U1 to a YUS1 is a no brainer personally, especially as you are not convinced by the U1 on its own merits.

As to the specific choice you are referring to, I have to be honest and say that while I love their grands (and will seriously consider buying one if I ever have the space for a grand), I'm really not a fan of Schimmel uprights. I tried several when I was looking for my last piano, and never found one that remotely convinced me. Indeed, they always to me seemed expensive for what they offered. If you are talking purely about a choice between YUS1 and Schimmel, that would be an easy one for me. I have to declare an interest here as a very happy YUS5 owner, and whether you think that makes me a biased observer or someone who has (quite literally) "put his money where his mouth is" is up to you of course.

My most sginificant comment though is that neither of the pianos you are talking about are cheap. That in turn means that you have lots of choice at that price point. You said on your other thread that you didn't want to go to big for noise control reasons, and you have a lot of choice at that level. The Hoffmann's are another European option at that price point, and I personaly much preferred the T series Hoffmans to the similarly priced Schimmel c series. Indeed, the T128 was the last piano to be eliminated from my search in favour of the YUS5 I eventually bought.

Petrof is another one to look at (although again I'm not personally a fan), and I'd definitely look at August Forster as an option. The 125G absolutely blue me away (and I would probably have bought one but for a bad dealer experience) and the smaller version is likely to be close to the budget points you are looking at. Finally, I'd look at the Kayserburg artist pianos if you can find one. They're Chinese made (although as a general point from your post, I would personally ignore the whole country of origin issue . . . . .a piano is good or it isn't, regardless of where it's made), but have a lovely touch and tone. One of those might give you what you are looking for at a significantly lower outlay than some of the other choices mentioned.

Anyway, good luck with the search, and apologies if I have just confused you by throwing other options into the mix. A piano is a long term purchase though, so making the right decision is more important than making a quick one. Please keep us posted as to how he search goes.

Have you played on the K122 or are you staying away from one to avoid possible temptation? I ask because I've never seen on, but have played many konzert grands and I find their sound to be much much different than that of the classic. I would be curious if this is true of the uprights and if so, which sound you enjoy most?

The Schimmel classic grand that is my 3rd favorite piano had a very rich bell like treble that I loved. The Schimmel upright captured a bit of that bell tone, which I am sure is part of why I liked the sound. I've already told you about what I think of the action.

Also, I sent you a PM

Jason, thank you so much for you comments and insights. I really need to find place to try the YUS1. Unfortunately the Yamaha dealer here doesn't have it in store. The Hoffman is not readily available around here. I have tried the Petrof 125, but it didn't convince me either. Thanks again for the suggestions. All these replies on here are helping advance my search.

Thank you Kira. Yes, I'm dreading the K122 because I have read a few very enthusiastic reviews about it, but it would be a complete folly to acquire it considering my level of playing. Anyway, it's probably also too powerful for our somewhat poorly sound insulated house...