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Hello all, I am now considering a Yamaha U1A, serial number A 4249572. It seems that this was built some time in 1986/1987. It seems to be well maintained and tuning is kept up to date.

However, I am looking to keep a piano for many years to come, so I need to know...is this piano too old to purchase? I am not looking to do any piano restoration at any time.

Would $2000 be a fair value?

Thank you!

If you are seriously considering purchasing this piano, I suggest you hire a piano tech to give it a complete check. Saying that it "seems" to be well maintained is no guarantee that it is. A piano that is thirty years old could serve you fairly well for some time to come, but could also be a candidate for some serious work, depending upon how it has been maintained, the use it has had, and its current condition.

Regards,

I own a Yamaha U1-equivalent model from 1984, and it's a great piano. I have yet to find anyone who dislikes it. It had one problem too, and it's a well known issue of Yamaha pianos of this age: the silk strings that hold the tiny spring behind the hammers started to break off as soon as I started playing it. This makes fast repeated notes... slower. And occasionally a key may get stuck. The seller replaced all my hammer butts under warranty, but if you hire a technician to assess the piano make sure they check for this.

You never know until you have it checked out. My Yamaha U3 is from 1965! It's just fine. No worse than U3s I've played from the 90s.

We have several U1 pianos in a school of music, here. They have been played constantly by generations of students since 1968. They are nearly worn out. You will not live long enough to put that much wear on a piano by yourself, so in terms of long term durability, that 1985 Yamaha is right about on par with a new one. These pianos, and the Kawai pianos, don't seem to wear.
Regards,

I have a 1975 Yamaha U1, and based on 10 years of owning it, I'd say that no, a late 80s U1 is not too old, assuming it's in good all round condition. A good used U1 is imho a very good choice at their price point, and gets you a lot more piano for the money than you might expect. That said, I am of course biased having made exactly that choice myself.

The only comment I'd make with an instrument of that age, Is that you will eventually need to either have some fairly significant work done. This probably wouldn't be an issue for 10 or 20 years, but is nonetheless something worth considering given that a new U1 will imho probably outlive most purchasers.