Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Best 48" uprights new or used for up to $20k?

I can't help but think about upgrading when my rental period is up on the U1 and I was wondering what people would recommend for 48" uprights, new or used, up to $20k.

No, I don't have the space for a grand, and never will.

I want a special piano that I can enjoy for a long time.

Recommendations?

My preferences from recent buying experience I think you should try:

K500 - I bought this one
K800
Boston 126PE or 132PE
Bechstein Academy A124
Yamaha YUS5

I would’ve been very happy with any of these but in the end, I chose the best bang for buck because I will be upgrading to a grand in a few years.

They’re not all exactly 48” but are thereabouts (i.e. taller uprights). The above are probably less than USD15k though. I didn’t consider any uprights more expensive than that.

Good luck and happy shopping!

Since your budget is so high, you have a lot of options... try Schimmel, Petrof, Boston, etc. If you do go used, you're going to have a *ton* more of options.

I really liked the Schimmel's when I tried them in the Yamaha shop here. They immediately made me not want any Yamaha upright that was in that shop. I dislike Yamaha upright actions, personally, but when I tried a Yamaha baby grand, I was surprised by how much I liked it -- it really made me question my desire for an upright. I also tried some Petrof's and I liked those as well. The Schimmel/Petrof upright price range isn't appealing to me and I didn't want to go used.

The Kawai K-500 was at the top of my list because of Kawai's amazing support and innovation in piano design. I also own a Novus (which is outstanding), but the sound of the new uprights didn't really sing to me. Some of the Kawai's I tried had really nice feeling actions, even used. The K-500 wood veneer was quoted as $2000 extra, which I felt was ridiculous.

The Ritmuller UH121R or UH121RA (different cabinets) are well below your price point, new. You should definitely play test them; even with your higher budget, you can step up to Kayserburg if you desire.

The Ritmuller's are European-sounding but Chinese-made pianos. Being Chinese-made, you can also expect them to be quite a bit cheaper than the equivalent Yamaha or Kawai. I highly doubt Ritmuller sells in high quantities, being essentially unknown and competing with cheaper Chinese siblings.

If you try the UH132R, be sure you actually play and compare it to the UH121R*, as I personally preferred the sound of the latter. The cabinet design of the UH132R also seems kind of "meh" for some reason, compared to the shorter but fancier siblings.

Yes, I definitely felt the sound and feel of the Ritmuller UH121R* was special.

Thanks for those recommendations.

My teacher told me that she had a Petrof upright but sold it and just has a Steinway grand. I’ll have to ask her for the model of the Petrof.

I want the most bang for my buck so perhaps used is where I’ll be able to do that, but how old? Should I limit myself to the last ten years?

I think I want to stick to 48” because I won’t have to move the painting that is above the U1, LOL, and I will be more likely to keep peace with the neighbors. I don’t need a louder piano in a one bedroom apartment.

Since your budget is quite good for an upright, you might consider a 48” upright with the silent option. That way you could practice anytime.

With a budget like that you can do venture out into more expensive piano territory.

While U's and K series are nice piano's more expensive European pianos should be played by you.

Keep trying piano's until you find your piano. You will know which one is the one.

I do think I’ve picked a number that will allow me to find an excellent piano, however, I still feel that that number leaves out a lot of new European pianos. Perhaps I’ll be forced to buy used.

I’m still up in the air about whether to get a piano with a silent system. I’m not playing silently much these days and there are a few problems with a couple of dead keys on the silent system on my rental U1, which I am trying to get fixed.

You have a real problem here, Larry, and you'll have to figure this out for yourself. A used piano is more friendly to the environment. On the other hand, depending on the price, you'd want to have it looked over by your own technician before taking the plunge. In my search, I felt that name brand used pianos were overpriced in general, even when I liked them, compared to other new pianos.

Since you mentioned you want the best bang for your buck, you could take a look at pianos that check both the "Musical Standouts" and "Good Values" columns in the Piano Buyer staff picks:

https://www.pianobuyer.com/article/staff-picks-recommendations/

You'll notice that the Ritmuller UH121RA is there -- deservedly, so, in my opinion, being relatively cheap yet quite special.

This is a luxury problem and a great one to have. Start shopping for piano's you live in a part of the country with lots of piano stores.

Go play all the prestige European piano's it will be a great time.

When you get tired take a break and recharge.

You have a great budget, hopefully some time to shop.

What is not to like!

I was thinking the same thing. Your budget, based on my recent shopping experience, seems to be too much for the ones I mentioned but yet not quite enough for the Concert 8s and similar. Maybe there are some gems in between.

Yeah, I guess I'm trying to figure out some of the pianos in the middle.

A million dollars isn't what it used to be and neither is twenty thousand dollars. I don't consider luxury pianos in my reach at that price point.

Even then, with that budget, I think you will be able to find a very sweet 48" upright, sweet enough to make me drool for sure.

Larry, $20k will get you an amazing piano.

You just have to go find them.

Can you offer me any hints?

The Schimmel dealer is having a clearance sale here in Vancouver.
I know there is a related dealer in Toronto. They would also have
this huge discount as these pianos are being replaced by a different
piano.
I tried the Schimmel C120., Really nice piano. If you bargain well you
could get a really nice piano.Other problems of being far from the dealer
would persist.(warranty, etc)
With the US exchange rate you could have a very good piano.
Just a thought .

The Schimmel in my local piano store is the only one in
Vancouver .(from online information )

That's an idea but I wonder about shipping and customs. Could you PM me the details on the Schimmel? Thanks!

There's not only shipping and customs, but also LarryK would have to (or at least should!) travel to Robert Lowry in Toronto to try the piano. No one should buy a piano without playing it first. Surely that would reduce - maybe considerably - any benefit from the current rate of exchange.

Regards,

Will do !