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Joined: Aug 2022
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Hi, i've been using a digital Kawai for 8 years now and i've decided to buy an upright. I split between Schimmel Fridolin F123 and Yamaha B3. So far, I tend to like Schimmel more but it would be great if I heard some opinions :P
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Since they are comparably close enough to each other, and given your 8 years of experience, I strongly recommend getting the one you prefer the tone and touch of.
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Since they are comparably close enough to each other, and given your 8 years of experience, I strongly recommend getting the one you prefer the tone and touch of. Perfect advice, as usual
J & J Estonia L190 Hidden Beauty Casio Privia P230 At least half the waiters in Nashville play better than I
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I would choose the Yamaha, it's the same size as a U1 and although the U1 is a better quality. Fridolin is designed by Schimmel but made in China.We do not hear much about them in North America. Have you had the opportunity to try the Wilhelm Schimmel? (made in Poland) I do not know the price difference. From what I have heard it's quite a nice piano. There is also a U1J made in Indonesia. Like the B series its made in Indonesia but its a U1 and at a lower price than the Japanese U1.Yamaha pianos are usually much easier to sell or you could trade the piano in later for a better model. Fridolen is at the very "bottom of the barrel" as far as what is regarded as related to Schimmel.
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Hi, i've been using a digital Kawai for 8 years now and i've decided to buy an upright. I split between Schimmel Fridolin F123 and Yamaha B3. So far, I tend to like Schimmel more but it would be great if I heard some opinions :P If you like the Schimmel better I would go for that piano. Fridolin may be made in China, but I don't think a prestigious brand like Schimmel will link their name to bad pianos. Also, some piano's from China get excellent reviews (Feurich for example). I believe the time that China necessarily meant lower quality are long gone. Haven't played either piano just want to say that you shouldn't let the country play a large role in your decision.
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Can you save your money, wait another year and upgrade to a higher series from either maker? If you upgrade to the Yamaha P-series or the Wilhelm Schimmel, it would be far better.
The Yamaha B-series uprights are a great introduction to the Yamaha range, but when I say that I'm really just repeating marketing. They have good actions. That's true. Good actions. The tone is undesirable. I wish Yamaha had kept on making that size of upright in Japan and the UK, because those pianos were really quite good. The B1 series upright though is really not something I'd consider as a serious musical instrument. There I said it.
The minimum I would go for is a B-3 upright. It's still the entry level series but it is saved by its size. If you can get a P121 even better. The P121 is basically the same specification as the U1, in terms of parts and quality, but it's made in Indonesia. They spend a bit less time preparing it than they do the U1, but I've heard technicians say that it can be prepped to a very high level. A quick search shows the P-series isn't available in the USA..... they're available in Europe where they're firm favourites.
This is the kind of situation where it may be that you should also consider a more upmarket piano from a "lesser" maker, and what is going through my head here is something like a 130cm Hailun. Hailun is available with a few different names, and there's the Cunningham piano which is made by Hailun but designed by Rich Galassini's team in the USA.
I'm sorry to kind of shoot it to sh** here but I feel there are so many better ways to spend the money. Pro Tip, when going to a dealer don't just look at the Piano Buyer prices. Sometimes if you get to know the dealer, they can do things for you to make the piano much more affordable. A piano is so expensive, even the 5000 Dollar B1, it really is worth spending time to make the right choice.
If you LOVE the B1 or LOVE the Schimmel, go for it. Buy one of them. In this instance it is only important which piano you prefer. If you're worried about resale value, you won't get your money back on either of them (or any piano!) but it might be that the Yamaha would sell faster if you have to sell, simply because it's a more famous name.
YAMAHA Artist
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Hi both are entry-level pianos. I find both less than satisfactory although they are good value for what they sold for. F. Schimmel is made by Pearl River in China. Yamaha B is made in Indonesia. For these two models pick the one you like better. But for your budget i'd look for a used Yamaha U1 or U3, which is considerably better
PLEYEL P124
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Hi both are entry-level pianos. I find both less than satisfactory although they are good value for what they sold for. F. Schimmel is made by Pearl River in China. Yamaha B is made in Indonesia. For these two models pick the one you like better. But for your budget i'd look for a used Yamaha U1 or U3, which is considerably better Unfortunately, I don't have a chance to buy U series. I live in Turkey, where there the piano sales are very limited and the best opportunuty I have are Yamaha B and F. Schimmel (and maybe Kawai K series).
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Joined: Aug 2022
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OP
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Can you save your money, wait another year and upgrade to a higher series from either maker? If you upgrade to the Yamaha P-series or the Wilhelm Schimmel, it would be far better.
The Yamaha B-series uprights are a great introduction to the Yamaha range, but when I say that I'm really just repeating marketing. They have good actions. That's true. Good actions. The tone is undesirable. I wish Yamaha had kept on making that size of upright in Japan and the UK, because those pianos were really quite good. The B1 series upright though is really not something I'd consider as a serious musical instrument. There I said it.
The minimum I would go for is a B-3 upright. It's still the entry level series but it is saved by its size. If you can get a P121 even better. The P121 is basically the same specification as the U1, in terms of parts and quality, but it's made in Indonesia. They spend a bit less time preparing it than they do the U1, but I've heard technicians say that it can be prepped to a very high level. A quick search shows the P-series isn't available in the USA..... they're available in Europe where they're firm favourites.
This is the kind of situation where it may be that you should also consider a more upmarket piano from a "lesser" maker, and what is going through my head here is something like a 130cm Hailun. Hailun is available with a few different names, and there's the Cunningham piano which is made by Hailun but designed by Rich Galassini's team in the USA.
I'm sorry to kind of shoot it to sh** here but I feel there are so many better ways to spend the money. Pro Tip, when going to a dealer don't just look at the Piano Buyer prices. Sometimes if you get to know the dealer, they can do things for you to make the piano much more affordable. A piano is so expensive, even the 5000 Dollar B1, it really is worth spending time to make the right choice.
If you LOVE the B1 or LOVE the Schimmel, go for it. Buy one of them. In this instance it is only important which piano you prefer. If you're worried about resale value, you won't get your money back on either of them (or any piano!) but it might be that the Yamaha would sell faster if you have to sell, simply because it's a more famous name. The fact is, the best pianos I got to try were Yamaha B3 and F. Schimmel. Piano sales in Turkey are not very common and I don't think I could put more than 7000, maybe 8000 dollars on the side. I also searched P series and apparently they are better than the B ones. But again, there are no P series pianos I can try available here, in showrooms. I could buy a P series but I don't think I can, without trying it first. I also made a search about Hailun, and again it's not available here. I see your point, I could spend my money in way better pianos, but with the incredibly limited opportunities I have, I can't. What do you think of Baldwin?
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Joined: Aug 2022
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I would choose the Yamaha, it's the same size as a U1 and although the U1 is a better quality. Fridolin is designed by Schimmel but made in China.We do not hear much about them in North America. Have you had the opportunity to try the Wilhelm Schimmel? (made in Poland) I do not know the price difference. From what I have heard it's quite a nice piano. There is also a U1J made in Indonesia. Like the B series its made in Indonesia but its a U1 and at a lower price than the Japanese U1.Yamaha pianos are usually much easier to sell or you could trade the piano in later for a better model. Fridolen is at the very "bottom of the barrel" as far as what is regarded as related to Schimmel. Sadly, Fridolin was the only Schimmel I got to try, it it not popular in Turkey. I wish I could try U1, but it's not available at the showrooms. I see your point in Yamaha being easier to sell or trade, at that point, buying a B3 makes more sense (since I've seen it at showrooms). I also could buy a Yamaha U1 without trying, but I'm not sure if i should. What do you think?
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If you were to order a piano such as a Yamaha U1 please be aware of how much time it would take to be delivered. If F.Shimmel or a Yamaha B3 are the only practicable choices I am sure one or the other will provide many years of enjoyable usage provided you have access to a piano tuner and in this case purchase the one you like the best.
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OP
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If you were to order a piano such as a Yamaha U1 please be aware of how much time it would take to be delivered. If F.Shimmel or a Yamaha B3 are the only practicable choices I am sure one or the other will provide many years of enjoyable usage provided you have access to a piano tuner and in this case purchase the one you like the best. I agree, both are quite well. I guess it would take a few weeks if I bought a Yamaha U1, but why does it matter how long it take to be delivered?
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I agree, both are quite well. I guess it would take a few weeks if I bought a Yamaha U1, but why does it matter how long it take to be delivered? Just in case it takes the best part of a year to arrive.
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Also, even if the piano is bought locally, the time between purchase and delivery can be “agonizing”. The longest I’ve ever waited for delivery of a piano was a week. It was a very long week.
Last edited by j&j; 08/05/22 11:17 AM.
J & J Estonia L190 Hidden Beauty Casio Privia P230 At least half the waiters in Nashville play better than I
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Hi both are entry-level pianos. I find both less than satisfactory although they are good value for what they sold for. F. Schimmel is made by Pearl River in China. Yamaha B is made in Indonesia. For these two models pick the one you like better. But for your budget i'd look for a used Yamaha U1 or U3, which is considerably better Unfortunately, I don't have a chance to buy U series. I live in Turkey, where there the piano sales are very limited and the best opportunuty I have are Yamaha B and F. Schimmel (and maybe Kawai K series). The Kawai K series pianos are better quality, and likely to be more expensive, than the other two you are considering - the Kawai K series is essentially an equivalent quality line to the Yamaha U series so it is unfair competition to the other two cheaper lines. That said Kawais and Yamahas have a different touch and sound to each other so you have to actually like the piano you are going to buy - play all of the ones that are available to you and see which you like the most .
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Is buying from EU and ship (or import to) Turkey an option? That may expand your choice (ie. getting a premium lightly used upright) Imo both F.Schimmel and B3 is below my bar of piano enjoyment. I would rather blindly order a new U1 than a floor B3 model. And specifically asks dealer to send a technician for a 1~2 full day of preparation. U1 is better in every way and its very consistent as well.
PLEYEL P124
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Since they are comparably close enough to each other, and given your 8 years of experience, I strongly recommend getting the one you prefer the tone and touch of. Perfect advice. I agree.
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The Kawai K series pianos are better quality, and likely to be more expensive, than the other two you are considering - the Kawai K series is essentially an equivalent quality line to the Yamaha U series so it is unfair competition to the other two cheaper lines. That said Kawais and Yamahas have a different touch and sound to each other so you have to actually like the piano you are going to buy - play all of the ones that are available to you and see which you like the most . This isn't accurate. Kawai's K-series includes their entry level models that are roughly equivalent to the B-series as well as models roughly comparable to the U-series. The K300 is between the B3 and U1 in my considered opinion. The K-series spans both ranges, with upper models like the K500 & K600 having U-series equivalents, and the K-15 and K200 that are roughly equivalent to the B1 & B2. To the OP, if you want to look into a 3rd option, is a K300 in range (price and availability) of you? It would be a good 3rd option. Otherwise, I stay with my original recommendation, get the one of the 2 you tried that puts a bigger smile on your face. I have a feeling that Fredolin Schimmel F123 has a lot in common with other higher level Pearl River lines made in partnership like Essex, Ritmüller and Keyserberg of similar size.
Last edited by PianoWorksATL; 08/05/22 02:08 PM.
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Is buying from EU and ship (or import to) Turkey an option? That may expand your choice (ie. getting a premium lightly used upright) Imo both F.Schimmel and B3 is below my bar of piano enjoyment. I would rather blindly order a new U1 than a floor B3 model. And specifically asks dealer to send a technician for a 1~2 full day of preparation. U1 is better in every way and its very consistent as well. I didn't make a search about buying from EU, I could buy a new U1 here though. Overall, U1 is better in every way but I'm not sure if I could afford it.
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The Kawai K series pianos are better quality, and likely to be more expensive, than the other two you are considering - the Kawai K series is essentially an equivalent quality line to the Yamaha U series so it is unfair competition to the other two cheaper lines. That said Kawais and Yamahas have a different touch and sound to each other so you have to actually like the piano you are going to buy - play all of the ones that are available to you and see which you like the most . This isn't accurate. Kawai's K-series includes their entry level models that are roughly equivalent to the B-series as well as models roughly comparable to the U-series. The K300 is between the B3 and U1 in my considered opinion. The K-series spans both ranges, with upper models like the K500 & K600 having U-series equivalents, and the K-15 and K200 that are roughly equivalent to the B1 & B2. To the OP, if you want to look into a 3rd option, is a K300 in range (price and availability) of you? It would be a good 3rd option. Otherwise, I stay with my original recommendation, get the one of the 2 you tried that puts a bigger smile on your face. I have a feeling that Fredolin Schimmel F123 has a lot in common with other higher level Pearl River lines made in partnership like Essex, Ritmüller and Keyserberg of similar size. The thing is, I was super excited about trying Kawai K300 but I was not quite satisfied with the sound and touch (eventhough I own a digital Kawai). K500 was okay, but again I was not unsure. And I can't really choose a piano and say ''I really want this''. At first I thought I would go with F. Schimmel, but having read all the other opinions and suggestions (and also keeping in mind that Yamaha is easier to sell/trade) I think I'm just going to let it go for some time. I can't make a healthy decision with such haze.
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