Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum 50 year old Kawai/Yamaha compared to Steinbach

Thanks for everyone's assistance. I think we are going with the U3 for $5500. It is a 1980 model but my daughter payed a U3 at a dealer and fell in love with the sound. They were asking $7900 at the dealer for a similar age piano. it sounded beautiful and we have a large room with hard floors and high ceilings so I think the brighter U1 would have been wrong in the space.
I actually feel sick hoping I've made the right decision. 😬

Please clarify. Have you actually seen and played the 1980 U3 for $5,500? A lot can happen to a piano in 41 years. Are you planning to have it evaluated for you by a piano tech? If a private sale, do the owners know the history of the instrument? Was the U3 at the dealer refurbished?

p.s. I know that sick feeling myself quite well.

Congrats on your purchase!

Relative pricing by country/region aside. If it's any consolation. The 1980s U3s were regarded by some as peak Yamaha. Yours would prob be a U3M. Not that the current ones are bad by any means.

As long of course the condition is good. And it was well kept over the years. No excessive moisture. Rust on strings. Felt bugs etc...

Don't feel sick, the U3 is a great piano. Provided you have played and loved the same piano you are actually purchasing (as individual pianos are different to each other) you are going to have a great time :-)

A 50-year-old, back then middle of the road piano will not hold up to the use that you will be putting it through.

With 5 children playing you need to find a younger, better piano.

Good luck

How about ED Seiler and Johannes Seiler (Samick) are they just to be ignored as well? I have a friend who bought a Samick in 80's and she still plays that piano.(at least going by the last time I heard from her which was a year ago)
I am referring to the post below and I am just asking a
question.By the way congratulations to the OP on his new piano.

Sorry to get here so late, 5playersinoz. It's healthy for me, though, to be so busy that I don't have the time I used to for PW.

However, you have not done badly, as advice goes. I think most was well-taken. If I had to add something, it might be that feeling sick before you buy your piano is a lot better than feeling sick after you own it. If it's within your ability to save up a bit longer, and let the local market print itself on your background awareness, so that you recognize something especially worthy if it so happens... it can be a pretty good move. Anyway, it's better than rushing and hurling.

But, having said as much, I now get to delete a rather overlong post and move on to the congratulations, and the hope that you will let us know how it goes.

BTW, your screen name 5playersinoz reminded me of the of the first of the "Amber" novels by the great Roger Zelazny: "Nine Princes in Amber." I love reading--- amazingly affordable.

In what world would the U3 have ever been a middle of the road piano? It would have always been better than 95%+ of uprights manufactured during its long history.

Second this notion +1

The 131cm U3, esp from the 80s onwards pretty much set a global benchmark in quality and performance, at a relatively higher but still reasonable pricepoint. (provided it's been well taken care.of like any piano of any brand).

Personal taste comes into the "best 95%(tone and response)of deciding the best uprights" of the world.That however should not be the focus in this thread.I would say condition is far more important than brand.I have tried a U1 which was really worn out instrument and that was from the 80's!

Not if you want one of the original first editions to read :-)

"...Not if you want one of the original first editions to read :-)...."

Well, you've got me there. Now that I think of it, I don't know why I should be surprised that he is collectable. Even among SF writers, he stands out. I do collect, but it's only because I wear out the paperback editions of books I love.