just checked a few days ago in yamaha plaza sing, they do not carry U1E as it is an old model, and not in production anymore. but the equivalent available now is U1. selling at $9850. wah......
Hello! I am currently Grade 3 to 4, practising on a piano (39 inch with 85keys) which was bought 2nd hand. It is not sufficient to train my techniques now. With $3000, I hope to buy a better piano which can last me till Grade 8.
Hailun HL 121 @$2.8k (acoustic piano) with 10 years warranty, do you think it can last me to Grade 8? I am open to 2nd hand pianos. Cristofori has academic models that are within my budget. Or Pearl River? Any recommendations?
don need to buy new, unless u can afford a good one.
Well taken care U series can last for long time.
of course if you wanna buy second go anywhere but yamaha showroom, they only sell new ones.
No particular 2nd hand piano showroom to suggest, cos only the piano matters.
(though going to a good showroom may help =) pm me for more details haha
They usu provide buy-back service, or trade up policy )
And just my 2 cents, refrain from buying
1. NON japan-made yamahas ( definitely not china or korean made ones, no offense just tt they tend to be good for 1st few yrs only), also ask for proof
2. Yamaha nippon gakki (very old yamaha, usu > 25 yrs old),
3. 2 pedal piano, or
4. reconditioned ones.
My advice also dun limit urself to Yamaha, try Kawai as well.
Some ppl may find Kawai actually sounds nicer than Yamaha, vice versa.
When u go to view piano, bring along a friend tt plays piano well to help u choose.
Ask him/her to play all sorts of songs (cover diff range, touch response, sound quality, etc and ask him/ her for an opinion of the piano)
After that, also take note:
1. any rust on strings and water stain or any other stain
2. any loose keys & make sure they are all lie flat on 1 straight line
(if sides of keys are dirty, it indicates tt the piano have been played a lot.
but also beware if it's super clean. some dealer might have cleaned it up.
check them for low mid and high range
3. good soundboard , make sure it is not cracked or damaged
4. play loud n soft (diff range of dynamics) see how's the sound like
(also to check for any loose tuning pegs/pin & whether it can be tuned to concert pitch standard)
5. check whether it's over-strung piano
it means the strings run diagonally in two sections across the piano. The bass string section crosses over the treble strings, which are in turn running diagonally behind the bass strings. (most modern piano have this feature)
6. any wooden part that expanded (probably becos of water)
7. any strings tt may have been replaced (shows little maintenance)
8. damper pedal and una corda pedal working properly
(middle pedal can be adjusted easily)
9. check for the year it was made(online also can)
10. lastly, physical condition of piano itself
usu black color sells well, in other words other than black may be cheaper to buy.
also dun limit urself to visit just 1 showroom.
diff showroom may provide diff service, got some provide warranty, new bench tool, or height-adjustable one, and free 2-3 tuning, free delivery , free heater, or allow u to rent before buying.
bear in mind cost of servicing a piano (not tuning) is extremely high, so get urself a really well-maintained one.
and try to bargain as well..
all the best for your music endeavor
