The Yamaha U1Q (Yamaha U1) is an industry standard instrument. With a responsive touch, wide dynamic range and good sustain, the professional series Yamaha U1 upright has become an established favorite amongst institutions, tutors, students and in the home.
It is widely known that quality upright pianos over 120cm in height invariably sound so much better than those just under. In comparison with the preceding model P116, 121cm Yamaha uprights deliver a good bass, rich middle and clear treble – coupled with good dynamic range and responsive action.
Considering New Yamaha U1 vs Used / Reconditioned Yamaha U1 vs New ‘Related’ Models B3E, P121 and YUS1
It is these most recent examples of 121cm Yamaha uprights that have created such a strong market. Earlier offerings still bearing the U1 name do not feature the wide tone range, colour and presence in the bass. So in fact, if you are considering a reconditioned / pre-owned Yamaha U1, don’t be fooled that our praise is for the same instrument. We advise against old U1s such as the U1D, U1E and U1H. These are from circa 1960-late 1970s and in by far the most cases were not originally sold new in the UK but have lived in high humidity environments which significantly increases the rate of wear. Simply removing a cabinet screw in a “reconditioned” imported U1 will often show rust on the thread of the screw, despite a polished finish to the surface. U1M and U1A are 1980s vintage and some chance of being a domestic UK owned example may be present, but should really should still exercise some caution and get a decent technician to inspect it for you. 1990s saw the standard U1 arrive in greater numbers to the UK market but still this is no guarantee without validating the piano’s provenance. The best design is the current U1 post 1999. Your my find our popular article helpful: Early Yamaha U1 – U3 vs New Yamaha models
Whilst we promote new, quality pianos for a good reason, sometimes the piano you want is out of reach and of course a pre-owned example may be tempting. The best option for you in such case is to invest in a better design yet lower quality model B3E or a very closely specified P121. These new models are heavily based on the current and best design U1 – and so they inherit much of the qualities. They do need more preparation to get the best from them, but they are most often the better choice vs a pre-1999 Yamaha U1.
Another side of the coin is of course ‘improving’ on the bedrock of upright pianos. The Yamaha U1 can be improved upon: YUS1 or U3S. The YUS1 is from the custom series. This is very similar cost to the taller relation, the U3SQ. Yamaha launched a refined professional series dubbed the ‘Custom Series’ YUS range. A YUS1 features a classy refinement to the cabinet styling with rounded corners to the top lid, twin brass front castors, offset forks for the soft-close mechanism of the fallboard (omitting the brass hinge plates on the U1 and U3s), ecsaine covered (faux buckskin) music tray, upgraded treble strings and premium hammer felt (as used in the SU series handcrafted pianos). The U3S provides a refinement over the U1 through physics alone – being a taller piano. The YUS1 is a refinement by quality and design, within the same dimensions per the U1.
Yamaha U1 piano cabinet
The cabinet features include a soft-close fallboard and a lock. The middle pedal is a standard muffler rail for muted practice. Front brass castors and rear steel castors. One piece fallboard and 2 piece top.
For school use, public spaces or requirement to frequently move the piano a short distance, where the piano may not always be sited against a wall, a rear toe conversion can be installed to both upgrade the castors to school-type resin castors with a protruding rear mount for the rear castor. We offer this service frequently for such environments and use.
Yamaha’s Overview and Specification
HIGH-QUALITY MATERIALS AND ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION
The exceptional high-quality sound and durability of the U series have been achieved through outstanding design, thorough quality control of the wood materials, and unique application of advanced technology to craft parts that are resistant to warping and twisting. The result is extraordinarily smooth and sensitive playability, with even the most delicate nuances preserved and given full expression. We have packed all of Yamaha’s unique commitment in this instrument to ensure that your piano playing enjoyment lasts for a long time.
SOFT-CLOSE FALLBOARD FOR CLOSING THE LID SLOWLY
A special Soft-Close damping mechanism is built into the fallboard, closing the lid slowly and preventing possible injury.
VARIETY OF COLOR FINISHES
Augmenting the elegant and luxurious polished ebony finish, a satin American walnut finish that brings out the beautiful wood grain, a polished mahogany finish, and a stylish white finish are also available. Select the one that best enhances the interior of your room or performance space. * There are some natural differences in the wood grain and shades, depending on the region and the individual instrument.
THREE HYBRID PIANO TYPES, INCLUDING SILENT PLAYING AND AUTOMATIC PERFORMANCE
The U series lineup also includes advanced hybrid pianos, such as the TransAcoustic™ which lets you control the volume and yet maintain the rich, expressive sound unique to acoustics, and the SILENT Piano™, which lets you plug in a set of headphones and enjoy playing the piano any time you want without disturbing others. It also has a Disklavier™ type which allows you to record and playback piano performances—letting you enjoy listening to concert-like piano content, and giving you even greater musical pleasure and satisfaction.
Our “No Drop Shipping” Promise
When buying from Venables Pianos, we provide our all important “No Drop Shipping” Promise. We will “know your piano” before you receive it.
- Your piano will arrive with us from Yamaha – if not already in store – and we will carefully test and check each component
- full inspection of cabinet
- regulate (adjust the keyboard, action and pedal mechanism for optimum touch),
- voice (adjust the hammers for an even and responsive tone) – even on a bespoke level (warm, neutral, clear)
- and of course tune this piano before delivery.
This work is in addition to the standard manufacturer’s factory and pre-dealer despatch “preparation”. The difference is remarkable and assures you of quality control and instrument preparation we are proud to put our name to.
It is unfortunate that due to the low profit of the lower priced pianos and trading models of music stores that the assumed trust in the Yamaha brand means high volume low margin sales with corners cut. Once the piano is in your home, a freelance piano technician would likely charge over £320 to provide the technical attention we deliver in all our pianos here. To instruct Yamaha Music Europe GMBH (UK)’ appointed piano carriers to deliver directly to you saves the cost of delivery to you from the store, omits any quality control and piano prep operations by the store, and ultimately a false economy. New acoustic pianos are not ‘boxed appliances’ and regardless of brand reputation for quality and uniformity, it is simply impossible to deliver the same standard of piano to your home whilst bypassing traditional piano store service.
