Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Yamaha U3 Advice - true or false?

Hi there,

New to the forum and embarking on the journey for a new piano. Was given this advice from a reputable store and just wanted check with the brains trust in this forum:

"U3 is designed mainly for large auditoriums, not for homes/smaller rooms - recommend a U1/YUS1 or a YUS5 instead"

Reading through some of the other threads, this doesn't seem right. Would value a second opinion/thoughts.

(Am actually leaning towards a Kawai K500 though).

Many thanks!

Have never heard this. Granted, some new U3s I’ve played have been brighter and rowdier than others. Would consider on a piano by piano basis rather than generically by model.

Well, the store gave you that BS because they are making more $$$ from the models they recommended.

No upright piano is designed for a large auditorium.

I grew up with a U3. That was my first piano. It's a fine piano.

This statement is self contradictory since a YUS5 has a bigger sound than a U3.

That’s what I was thinking. What a silly ting to say.

BTW, OP, you planning on buying new or used?

The U3 is a wonderful piano to have in the home. As terminaldegree mentions some can be really good ,others mediocre.

That sounds so contradictory., what I meant of course is that some may be nicer than others., But yes a lovely piano for the home.

Hi ShiroKuro - still undecided, but leaning towards new if budget allows.

Many thanks for all the input - think you have all confirmed by suspicions!! Appreciate it!

Im quite happy with my u3 in my home, but I did have to tame it in a couple of ways because it was very loud.

Could you elaborate a bit?. I am interested on your ways to reduce the loudness as mine is also loud (but lovely same time )

Well in that case you should start by settling on a budget, and seeing what is available within that budget. Then start playing as many pianos as you can, make your decisions based on your own ears rather than on the dealer's trying to convince you to go with one or the other model...

Good luck!

If you haven’t reviewed it, spend some time with Piano Buyer (accessible as a free link from this web site). You need to understand how pianos are priced and what is a ‘good deal’.

A good 130 size upright can be used quite successfully in a church just as a medium sized baby brand can. There is no doubt school halls can and do use them. However the piano is also suited to a home .It is a superior instrument ,I think to a U1.

There is also the Kawai K500 to compare it with.

Hi, I'm also a new comer and have been mainly looking at the Yamaha U family. From what I've tried so far, in terms of size U3/YU3/U5/YU5/YUS5 are all about the same. It's really important that we try as many as we can before actually buying one.
Enjoy the hunting process

That does seem odd advice. But then if you can afford a YUS5, try it. Try the U 3 again and the K500. You can change the room acoustic with drapes, fluffy pillows and acoustic panels to tame the biggest uprights. Also the bigger better uprights will make playing pianissimo easier.

I believe the YU5 and the YU3 are used pianos imported from Japan .I do not know if the U5 is available in North America.

People that cannot play softly on tall uprights still baffle me., Unless its the pianos themselves that are really lacking but I doubt that.Saying that I can understand that problems may arise if one lives in an apartment or one has just "graduated from a digital " to an accoustic piano.

Oh yeah, sorry I was mainly looking at used Yamahas with a few exceptions.