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I am a (very) amateur pianist - around 10 years of lessons when I was young but haven't played in 15 or more years. I am currently considering one of the three pianos in the title of the post. The price on the C1 is 13K and the price on the C2 is 17K - both of which are made for the US and are one-owner pianos according to the dealer. Any opinions on which I should purchase are much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Have you played all three? What are your impressions?
How much are you being quoted on the new U3?

I'm not terribly impressed with the prices you're being quoted on the used pianos - that's probably almost what they cost (as a "street price") when they were new.

I have played 2 new U3s - one of which I loved and the other for which I thought the touch was too light and the sounds way too bright. I haven't played either of the baby brands because they are around a 6-hour drive away and I thought I would get some feedback from the forum before I took the drive. The price I was quoted by a local dealer for the new U3 was around 11K.

Ah - I see.
Dealers usually don't give their best prices over the phone - usually the list price, if they quote anything at all. When you're there in person, you're viewed as a much more serious customer, and the prices tend to be more fluid...

I had a G1 (the precursor to the C1) back in high school, and it was a fine small piano, though the bass/tenor "break" and the low bass were nothing to write home about at just 5'3" in length. Although the grand action is preferable, the smoothness of the register transitions and low bass of a good U3 may actually be better than a small grand. The 5'8" C2 is more interesting on paper, anyway.

Thanks for the reply - and apologies for the delayed response. Since I last posted, I played another used C2 (closer to home and interestingly the same age but walnut instead of ebony) - and liked it. If it were satin ebony, I'd probably try my very best to buy it. As you noted, the bass is a little more robust, although I'm embarrassed to say that I am unable to hear the bass/tenor break in any piano. :-) I may just have to bite the bullet and make the drive. Any other opinions regarding my three options?

Sure go for that drive. I think you could be happy with any of those pianos... just a matter of being satisfied with what you have/get. Grands are awesome but also more work to move, and I seem to move a lot!

Hello all. I haven't yet taken the drive to play the used C1 and C2 because I decided to try playing as many brands as I think I might possibly be able to afford before I actually see and play those, given that I have played other pianos of those models before. So in addition to the three Yamahas, the following are possible contenders:

Boston 5' 4" (GP-163) - NEW - although I really liked the 5'10" much better, I can't afford it

Kawai 5' 11" (GL-40) - NEW

Petrof 6' 4" (Model III with player) - USED - 2002 - slightly damaged case - liked the tone and touch although some keys were not striking all strings - which makes me wonder how the case was damaged

Would like to try the following:

Weber 5' 9" (W-175)

Seiler 5' 6" (ED-168) (although that's stretching the budget - would probably need to find used and don't know if that's possible)

Seiler 52"

Ritmuller (GH-160R) (does anyone know where I actually play one of these - preferably southeast - or at least within 6 hours driving distance or so?)

Any thoughts on this collection of pianos? I'm finding that I like what I call a "pure" tone - not so complex but sweet. For example, I really liked the tone of the Boston and the Petrof. I'm also finding that I like a bass with some "umph" so this makes me think that I should really be looking for a used larger piano (I can go up to 6' 4" in terms of space I think) - or an upright.

The room I'll be placing the piano in is pretty big (17 x 24) with a cathedral ceiling in a portion of it and my budget is from 11K to possibly 20K if I find the piano of my dreams.

Any guidance you can give me as I try to negotiate these waters will be appreciated.

Daves Piano Showcase in Tampa has Ritmuller's; they are interesting to play - seemed a little more "Euro" in tone and they have a unique touch to them. I was only satisfied with the Ritmuller GH-188R (which I think is near full size), considering you want some omph in the bass.

You said you are in the southeast, and I'm in Florida... So, I'll offer the below, considering I just went through this very same process with the same budget (under 20K):

The person with the best collection of pianos that I came across in my extensive search was in Melbourne, FL at Atlantic Music Center (I didn't buy from there but I loved many of his pianos - I just found a perfect RX-3 elsewhere for me). There are two pianos that were really tempting... A circa 1895 C. Bechtstein and a 1924 Feurich, both of which have been rebuilt and would meet your budget. And he has lots of Kawai's (including a few Shigeru's that would be over your budget) and Yamahas and even Wilh. Steinberg pianos to play (along with Bosendorfers, Steinways and what not). He did have a Petrof that I played, but it wasn't for me.

Thank you so much for the information about sources for pianos in Florida. Do you mind sharing more information about your search? For example, why was the RX-3 "your" piano and why did the Petrof not appeal to you? What tone and touch do you prefer? What was your thought process on deciding to purchase new or used? Anything more you can say would be very helpful.

I like a lighter touch that is easier to play, but not so light that you cannot manage to get more dynamics out of the piano. I'm not a full time professional, so the heavier touch of a Steinway would be too hard for me to play.

Consistency of action, the neotex surface, lots of omph in the bass, consistency in tone across the keyboard and not too "bright" of a sound led me to the RX. However, each piano, even the same model, can have a different personality.

I'm trying to remember the reasons for why I didn't like the Petrof. Touch wasn't as consistent and not as light, and a somewhat too dark of a tone. The voicing of the particular piano wasn't consistent, too. It could have been the particular piano that I played, but it just wasn't for me.

It would be interesting to see where you are located, and lots of folks can help you in your search.

Thanks for the additional info. Very helpful. One question though. I am still having a hard time sometimes distinguishing between a "bright" tone and a "dark" tone (I'm assuming that's the opposite?). Is a dark tone the same as a mellow tone? I can typically hear the difference between a Yamaha and a Kawai, but sometimes what I hear is what I would call a muted tone (like in a u1), as if whatever sound is in the piano is trapped. And I'm guessing that isn't what people call a mellow tone (not sure what it is). Any thoughts from anyone on how to describe the difference between bright and mellow, and if dark is the same as mellow. (Granted all of this is pretty subjective but... 😊)

BTW, I am in Charlotte or Asheville NC, if anyone has any good leads.

Don't go too deep analyzing tones, just go by your own preferences.

For me, the first time I played an RX it was like, oh that's nice, sounds like a piano I guess. Then I played a bunch of others and heard different things here and there most of which my ears did not like. The RX may be "vanilla" to me but it's like the best French vanilla there is (at least at the time). Nothing peculiar but flawless.

The Weber on your list might be a good option. I played an even smaller Weber and it was pretty good. The second best part was the price

I like your analogy, comparing the RX to French vanilla. Makes me wonder what the analogy for a Yamaha C 1/2/3 would be. 😊