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Hallo. I am planning to replace my old Fuchs & Mohr upright piano. I am 36 yo and rather an early intermediate player that returned to my piano hobby after a 20-year break. I play mostly classical pieces. Unfortunately my living room (ca 30 sq m) is to small for a grand and this is why I am now thinking of buying a good quality upright. The pianios I am considering are C. Bechstein 124 Imposant (Academy) and C. Bechstein 124 Classic/Elegance. I played them both around three months ago and was very satisfied with the touch and sound of both of them. Do you think it is worth it to pay extra money for the Classic version? Is it so much better compared to Bechstein Academy in terms of the quality of the sound as well as used materials? I know is very individual, but I will never be a professional player, play just for myself and for fun and simply can't decide. Choosing Bechstein Elegance would stretch my budget to absolute limit but would be possible. I also played Hoffmans, Petrofs and Kawai k 500 but i'm my opinion C. Bechstein uprights are a different league.

I chose the A124 with the Imposant cabinet. You can get the A124 in the Style cabinet also. It is not only available in the Imposant. I chose the Imposant because I liked that style and my previous Kawai had the furniture of the Style, so I wanted something different looking. I am very similar to you as far as taking a break from playing, being an adult and am playing for my own enjoyment. I am very happy with the A124. For me, the difference in price did not make sense. The A124 is a beautiful instrument for which I feel fortunate to have. Weather you want to spend the extra money for the Concert series is your choice. C.Bechstein does not make a sub standard instrument. You can't go wrong either way. Best of luck to you.

This video is very informative. I thought you might find it helpful.

Thank you RayR3004 for your reply, I really appreciate it. Of course I know Stu Harissons reviews of both of the pianos, actually I watched them many many times, as well as every other similar presentations on YouTube. I also read every topic on this forum concerning all Bechstein lines of pianos. But I still have this weird thought that I if I bought Bechstein imposant, I would constantly wonder how would the Classic sound in my room. I think I need to play them one more time to really decide...

Will your dealer take a trade-in if your taste gets more refined down the road?

What little I've seen of both is that they're both good pianos-- the Concert series is a definite step up, but if you're not hearing it, don't worry. If the difference means nothing to you, don't pay for it.

Maestro Lennie has the right idea. You can always trade up after a few years. Also, you might be very surprised at the sound you get in your own home. I know I was pleasantly surprised when I played in my home after delivery. It was so much bigger and warmer sounding than in the showroom. Go back and audition the instruments again. See how you feel. If you feel the Classic is worth it, then go with it. Only you can make that decision.

Gaius, I've been impressed by Yamaha's YUS5.

Many people don't want to do that because one will lose a lot of money even if the dealer has 100% trade up policy.

Sometimes it is not so much taste as a matter of compromise.
I have played both of them and of course the 124 concert is nicer but the price is high.The CBechstein A124 is a very good piano both tonally and the action is responsive. .However it sounds as though Gaius may regret not getting the 124(Concert) by what he says. Perhaps have a look around at a few other high end uprights may be the way to go for the moment?

I would have thought 30 square metres would be large enough for a grand?

I could compare both pianos side by side and my impressions were that Bechstein Elegance was definitely louder than Imposant (actually I hope it wouldn't overpower the room) and its sound was very creamy and pleasant (can't really describe this feeling), whereas Bechstein Imposant had a very clear sound and fantastic bass. I didn't notice much difference in action, but perhaps it is because of my low piano skills. Both pianos definitely look fantastic and posh. For that money I would definitely buy a grand, but my wife is irreconcilable in this matter.

When I was shopping for pianos, I voiced a concern about a particular model potentially being too loud for my space. The dealer offered to ship the piano to my house free of charge for a trial period. If I liked it, I would keep the piano and write him a check. If not, he would return it to the store free of charge. I decided not to go with that model, Yamaha S7x, and purchased a different brand from a different dealer so this never actually happened. Maybe in your case since you are clearly a serious buyer, the dealer would be willing to do something similar for you. You could try the Elegance or Classic and see how it sounds in your room and if it is overpowering. At least for me, I was determined to wait until I could purchase a forever piano as I did not want to have any regret about my purchase. I was very patient and did not rush the process. If you think you may have regret or will wonder if you made the correct choice, I would say take your time and don't rush into a decision. Go back and try the pianos multiple times until you are certain. Btw, I will clarify that within reason, I was willing to wait a long time to save and make my purchase... there was the Bosendorfer Artisan 214VC I tried that was truly perfect in every way... but at 4x the cost I would probably be dead before I could afford it, and even if I could afford it someday I would likely pass on anyway the beating my spouse would give me!

With Bechstein's own new hammers inside, any new piano will have a lot of dynamic options that can be adapted by a competent piano technician according to the needs of your room. The sound should never be harsh and overpowering and voicing it in your home will make all the difference.

What you hear in the showroom is kind of "factory defaults", so in a new piano you are mainly looking at the action and the overall characteristics of sound and its potential. New hammers can carefully be voiced with needling, not with chemicals. This goes for most new pianos by other brands as well, with very few exceptions.

Disclaimer: I work for Bechstein, but not in marketing, sales, production, development or customer service, so this is not an official Bechstein statement, just my opinion from experience. My own piano is a 135 year old Steinway.

Interesting post OE1FEU, might I add that you can easily adjust the sound of a "too big" upright piano by using acoustic panels behind it to dampen the sound, see my post/thread "I finally got a new upright piano".

Ok, I have just bought C. Bechstein 124 Imposant. It will be delivered in 2 weeks. I am so exited! It will be quite a significant upgrade from my Roland FP 30 🙂

Congratulations! 🎉🎊🎈 May it bring you many happy years of music making!

Congrats Gaius !
A new piano is one of life’s best things—- enjoy 😊

Welcome to the Bechstein family!

Congratulations on your new C. Bechstein! How delightful! Please do post pictures when it’s delivered. You might want to video the delivery. New piano delivery doesn’t happen everyday!🎊🍾🎉

Congrats! Take good care of it and it will last a lifetime.