Does anyone has a recent experience buying a new Yamaha U1 in the San Francisco Bay Area? Can you recommend a authorized dealer which is honest with a reasonable price? How much was your new U1? Thank you.

I've been looking at pianos in the Seattle area and have seen quite a few U1's. I've seen them for as low as $8,500. I've also looked at a lot of used and as far as the sound goes I find that the older the piano the richer the tone, assuming it's been well taken care of and has been voiced. Really, if you want the best sounding U1 I'd go with a U1G (1971-1976), to me they seem the be the best and what I would get if I were getting a short upright, but I'm not, I'm getting a grand.

Jeff Schmidt at Music Exchange on Van Ness in the city should be able to help you. Try to get prices from several dealers, which is tough because they won't quote prices by phone or internet. Therefore, you might seek price info from pianoworld people to see what numbers they have come up with. In any case, Jeff will probably deal if you find a better price elsewher.

The comment about how a group of U1s from the 1970s are best is one that I think most would disagree with. U1s keep getting better, and in the absence of significant hammer voicing get very bright with time. Also, many U1s from the '70s are now entering old age and are more likely to have problems compared with newer U1s.

Finally, the price differential between U1s and U3s is typically not huge, but the difference in sound is very noticeable. Consider at least listening to a few U3s before buying a U1 as you might decide it's worth saving a little more for.

Hi,

I looked extensively in the bay area for U1s and T118s. The U1 will set you back from Music exchange $5800 plus tax plus deliver ($125). This includes two free tuning and the buy back option. I got that price without not much haggling. Remember the U1 is a widely bought piano so its much more a commodity than other pianos. You shouldn't pay more than $6K for one.

But the bigger question is why a U1? I like them a lot, but your paying about $2.5K over the T118 price for an institution quality piano. Unless you plan on playing this piano 8 hours and moving it to multiple rooms (which is what the U1 is designed for) I think its overkill. If you have the extra money why not look at a smaller grand for not much more than a U1 from the wide range of Chinese brand manufacturers in the Bay area. Your spoilt for choices, so shop around!

Good luck.

Thanks for your replies. Yes, I have read a lot of posts on PW trying to get an idea on U1 price but I found the range is huge (6K-8K). That's why I try to see if anyone has a recent experience. So if Music Exchange sells for $5800 plus tax plus deliver ($125), then the total cost would be around $6460, right? This price sounds reasonable to me. I hates haggling and I am bad at that.

About setting to buy a new U1, basically it is because I don't know much about pianos and I am buying for my three young kids, so I hope this is the only piano I will buy for the next 20 years.

Very good point. You see a lot of reconditioned U1s for $3500 but the "warranties" they come with are restrictive to say the least.

I forgot to mention, you may also want to look at the K2. There are a number of Kawai dealers in the bay area.

I U1 is 48" tall. A K2 should cost way less, but it's also less piano, at 45". The Kawai equivalent of the U1 is the 48" K3. Even when comparing apples to apples (K3 to U1), the Kawai usually costs less than the Yamaha and is, as MiddleAgedProdigy says, worth a listen.

If I were you I would read every post with me and Jivemutha in it. They are all recent and relevant to your search. Good luck.

Your right. I meant K3. If $$$$ is important to you the Kawai 10 year warranty is transferable, so you may be able to pick up a newer used one and still have a few years warranty. The K3's sound great and I like the action.

Check out Piano Plus at Hayward. I was considering to buy a YUS5 from them about a month ago. My friend bought a T118 from them last year. Price is very competitive. They are reasonable and very friendly too.

Also, if you have not already, check out Piedmont Piano at Oakland. Large dealership with a lot of high end pianos and good selection of Yamaha. Does not hurt to also get a quote.

In the South Bay area, you can check Penisula Yamaha. They have a large selection of Yamaha upright and grand. Salesmen are usually motivated and willing to negotiate.

Shop around and do not be afraid to let them work hard to earn your business.

Hopefully at least one of your three kids will develop into a fine pianist - in which case you'll probably be in the market for a better instrument in about 5-10 years !!

Thanks all for good advise. I don't know if my kids will become fine pianists one day, but I do hope they learn to appreciate music and make it part of their life. I personally want to buy a baby grand but it is out of my budget at this time. I will also consider the Kawai K3 and Yamaha U3 when I shop since I read lots of good reviews about them. I should start saving $$ to upgrade in 5-10 years

For now, my piano search end. We got our new U1 at the Yamaha dealer in San Jose. We went there based on positive reviews on Yelp and were not disappointed. Michelle was patient and knowledgeable. We bought our piano on Friday and it was delivered to our home the next day. Without any haggling, $6150 out the door including, tax, delivery, 2 tunings, and a bench. I especially like their 10 year upgrade policy since we are planning to upgrade to a baby grand in a few years. I don't know if we got the best deal, but we surely got the respect and good customer service. I hope this info can help others who are also in the search.
Btw, all my kids love the piano, even my 1 year-old.

Congratulations.

Congratulations and best wishes to the pianists.

You did well.

The going rate for U1s the Bay area is $5800+tax+delivery including two tunings.

As I mentioned earlier, lower-end pianos like yours (and mine!) are commodity items so there is not much need to haggle unless the salesman wants to make a bit more on the deal.

Have fun!

Very nice piano and price, Congratulations.

Congratulations!



Er, the U1 is hardly lower-end. It's rated in Fine's middle "professional" grade table. It's also made in Japan with pricy labor. It's been the star seller and model for ages. It's also not inexpensive (when's the last time you bought a $6k human-powered item that does something as frivolous as music? ;p).

It may be mass-produced in piano terms, but it is hardly a commodity item. There is no factory-set pricing. Supply/demand is not pervasive like an iPhone. Distribution and dealership is territory-based.

However, it is indeed very popular... to the point that there is so much information on the Internet about its pricing that SF Bay Area dealers don't underestimate the knowledge of their shoppers.

Er, the U1 is hardly lower-end. It's rated in Fine's middle "professional" grade table. It's also not inexpensive (when's the last time you bought a $6k human-powered item that does something as frivolous as music? ;p).

It may be mass-produced in piano terms, but it is hardly a commodity item.
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In terms of specs ( 48in studio) and manufacturing (made in Japan but mostly by machines) its low end. Given the cheapest Yahama ( cable nelson ) is $3000 and the most expensive is.over 100K its also at the cheaper end.

Saying that because a company's top item is over 100K then something they make that costs 9K is "lower-end" is simply wrong.

Yamaha does NOT make an upright over 100K so your "thinking" is nonsensical.