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Hi

20-30 years ago I used to play some piano. Since then I've been living in a flat where (acoustic) pianos isn't a good match... I've decided to start play again. Started to search for a digital piano some weeks ago. To be honest, I got a bit disappointed, I thought/hoped I could get a "good piano feel" for not that much money. I tried yamaha clavianovas, kawai cas and Rolands but they all felt "plastic" and didn't have the piano feel I was hoping for.
Then I tried yamaha nu1x and it felt like... a piano! Even though it was way over my planned budget, I really liked it and was planning to buy one. If not, instead going for a more traditional digital piano, I would just be disappointed I guess.

However, yesterday I saw an offer of an used yamaha n1. A lot cheaper than a brand new nu1x (~60% of the price). I haven't seen it live yet so don't know the condition. Haven't had a chance to play it (haven't played the newer n1x either). Anyone out there that tried both the n1 and the nu1x? Which one do you prefer? Is the answer maybe that simple as upright vs grand?

Also, a more general question about the hybrids... One big advantage of a "traditional" digital piano is (almost) zero maintenance. With hybrids, I guess there will be more maintenance? Anyone owned a hybrid for 10 years or so? Have you been in need of a piano technician during these years to "calibrate stuff"?

Cheers
Roger

This is a misconception ...Keys may occasionally need to be lubricated, key sensors may need to be cleaned or replaced, stop felts may need to be replaced.

I've spent over $300 for techs to do this work, and spent $125 on parts for DIY repairs.
I've also performed lubrication three times, doing the work myself to eliminate the cost.

Does that count as "almost" zero maintenance?

@MacMacMac - Ok, I see, thanks for info. I was wrong then.
Let me put this way then... Will maintenance cost be higher for hybrid piano compared to a "normal" high end digital piano? Or is it same same?

To answer that question ... let's hope we can hear from Dave Horne, our friend in the Netherlands. He's had an N3 for around ten years, so he'd be best able to comment.

(Many people here own NV10 and N1X models, but those are relatively new ... likely not old enough to require much maintenance.)

I'd advise to take the new NU1X for its more updated features unless grand action is really important to you. Maintenance is probably unavoidable but it shouldn't cost a huge sum if you don't mishandle the piano.

Keep in mind that 10 years is 10 years. A couple of things to note:

1. Hybrid pianos use more or less full acoustic piano actions, with thousands of moving parts. Though this is a time-tested and proven design generally, things may happen over the course of a decade, depending on use, environment, etc., in either case. And I think it makes sense to think about hybrid action regulation in line with acoustic action regulation (minus hammer work, dampers, strings, etc.). I would wager that few acoustic pianos go through extensive regulation in their first 10-15 years, but it's certainly not a rare occurrence.

2. Nearly all hybrids, including the AvantGrands, use a contactless optical sensor system. They are very reliable, but some of the reports we've seen here are that the LED light emitters do start to fluctuate and degrade over time. Whether this is true across the board has yet to be seen since it depends greatly on specific component and implementation details (and whether users keep their pianos on 24/7), but there have been reports of long-time owners of GranTouches and AvantGrands needing sensor system replacements after about 10 years, so that's something to keep in mind. Just remember, as much as a hybrid may look, feel or cost list an acoustic piano, they're still essentially consumer electronics, and you have to think about how long a PC or flat screen will last (compared to that 50-100+ year old acoustic grand that may still be kicking around after a rebuild or two).

My son-in-law, a PhD mathematician, would chide you for uttering this tautology ...

I gave my own experience on NU1 maintenance here.

Some of us, I suspect most of us spend nothing on piano maintenance. Not even a tin of cheap polish!
It's a poor product that does, either digital or even acoustic, beyond tuning once a year. they're only simple mechanical and electrical devices.
It should last a good 10 years before that happens. Mine'll be long gone by then. Hope I'm not . . . .

What is it with you guys?
Digital Pianos Do Not Need Maintenance!
Many Rolands have this 10 year g'tee, so that proves it!

You're back! And you're stealing thunder from our other resident jokester ... the other Pete.

I was confronting the exact same decision for about a year ago and went for a used N1. I do not regret it but perhaps I can give some advise:
If I only used the onboard sounds I would probably go for the NU1X. The CFX sample in that instrument is significantly better than the old CFIII-S sample in the N1, especially when it comes to resonance and headphone sound. The N1X also has more sounds than the N1 which only has 5 voices in total. The USB-audio in the NU1X is also a neat feature.

However, I bought the N1 because of the grand piano-action and because it has the ergonomics of a grand piano with the note stand in proper height (I can get tiered in my neck/back when sitting long hours at upright pianos). I also mostly use Pianoteq so the onboard sound isn't that important to me. The piano sound in the N1 isn't bad at all and it's perfectly fine when you just want to turn it on and play.

You might wanna be aware of a known phenomena in the NU/NU1X referred as "the loud note-issue" where some notes suddenly plays with max velocity without the player hitting harder on the keys. Yamaha did release a fix for it some time ago and hopefully it's solved now.

So, a used N1 for 60% of the price of an Nu1X doesn't sound to bad if it's in good shape, but I would suggest that you'll try it out to see if you like it and what condition it's in.