This article is designed to give a overview on buying second hand Yamaha pianos.There are currently a lot of second hand Yamaha pianos that are exported from Japan to many retailers in countries around the world and the UK is no exception. And there seems to be an equal amount of opinionated views expressed on the web about buying second hand Yamaha pianos. What model to go for, what years are best etc.
A Good Buy or not ?
Yamaha have been making pianos for over a hundred years and have a formidable reputation for consistent quality which is why second hand models are in such demand – however its worth remembering when buying anything second hand that it will inevitably depend on its condition as to whether or not it’s a good buy. To use a car analogy – just because you are buying a top quality car like a Mercedes second hand, it doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been driven into the ground with all kinds of potentially expensive repairs!
We stock second hand and new Yamaha pianos of course. Our second hand Yamaha U1 and U3 models pianos are sourced from either private clients or are reconditioned by Yamaha themselves, in the Yamaha factory. These pianos are given a certification from Yamaha along with the manufacturers own 5 year warranty. Reconditioned Certified Yamaha pianos are only available from Approved & authorised Yamaha stockists for complete peace of mind.
U1 and U3 models
Most of the second hand Yamaha pianos available are usually the U1 and U3 models, or variants. The U1 is 121cm tall and the U3 is 131cm tall. The height of any piano is relevant because the taller the piano the more room there is for longer strings and a bigger soundboard, this makes for superior tonality and resonance.
A typical secondhand U3 Yamaha that is may be 50% of the price of a brand new one. The attraction therefore when considering buying a second hand Yamaha is to bring a top end piano within ones budget.
“A new model will inevitably last a lot longer than a second hand one” ?
It’s worth repeating that, as with anything second-hand, you have to know what you are buying or you need to trust the person selling it to you. The other downside of an older piano is that they have, like most things, a limited life span and its stands to reason that a new model will inevitably last a lot longer than a second hand one and of course a new piano will not have had any wear and tear and will feel and sound different to a second hand instrument, even if the second hand piano has been “rebuilt”(a wide ranging term).
In summary it is important to have an open mind when choosing a piano and to find the piano that will be right for you both musically and of course financialy and at Piano Warehouse we stock a wide range of both new and second hand pianos with no particular axe to grind other than finding the right piano for you!
