What are the best Years for the Yamaha u3 upright piano?
What are the best years for the Yamaha U3 upright piano?
Things to know when buying a used yamaha U1 or U3.
The Yamaha U3 studio upright piano is regarded by many as one of the best upright pianos ever made. The sonic brilliance and high performance action of the U3 has positioned the model as an industry standard for settings that require a high level upright piano, ie. universities, recording studios, piano teaching studios, etc. The innovative design, sophisticated construction and top quality materials give the Yamaha U3 workhorse reliability and the touch of a precision instrument. At 52” tall , the U3 has the ability to fill a room with a large bass presence and sweet treble. Everyone loves a good U3....
With the stellar reputation that the U3 has created for itself, it is a rather sought after instrument. However, there is a high price to be paid for such a high caliber piano. With an MSRP of $14,559, the Yamaha U3 has created quite the demand in the used / secondhand piano market.
With the model’s introduction dating back to the 1960s, there are several decades and model variations to choose from. As a result, the question “what are the best years for the Yamaha U3?” has come up countless times.
In short, the Yamaha U3 has always been a great piano, and there are examples out there from each decade of production around today to prove it. The “best years” for the U3 are sort of a grey area and subject to individual opinion, but here are a few things to consider when choosing the best U3 model years for you.
First of all, pianos don’t necessarily get better with age…
In a conversation with one of our customers recently they said “I don’t know a lot about pianos, but I do know a lot about guitars, and people that really know guitars, know that the 1980s Yamaha acoustic models are some of the best around. So, I figured the same would be true with an 1980s model U3.”. Parts of this statement are true, but it’s a bit complicated.
Yes, Yamaha made amazing instruments in the 1980s (as well as the decades pre and post 1980s), their pianos and guitars from this era are still held in very high regard. However, there are pretty big differences in the way an acoustic guitar ages and the way a piano ages. The guitar is a relatively simple instrument made with only a fraction of the thousands of parts that makeup a piano. As the wood ages on an acoustic instrument like a guitar or violin, the tone wood becomes more resonant which results in a deeper and more complex sound. The strings on a guitar however, do not get better with age, and lose their tonal integrity relatively quickly when compared to the longevity of the instrument they’re attached to. Luckily, guitar strings are inexpensive, and can be replaced with ease, even by the most novice of players. The strings on a piano certainly have a substantially longer lifespan than guitar strings, but the same principle of string fatigue and tone loss still applies. Restringing a piano, or replacing the hammers in a piano requires several years of training in piano service or rebuilding to be done competently. So although the wood in the pianos rim and soundboard may be aging like a fine wine, some of the parts inside are not…
Do the older U3s sound better than the new ones?
Well, the general rule of thumb is going to be that newer is better.
Although, there are a few variances. Pianos that have been played in for a couple of years can often develop more depth and color in their tone vs a new piano of the same model sitting on the sales floor. However, as we start comparing Yamaha U3s from the current decade vs U3s from 20-50 years ago, there will be some sonic differences.
The good news is that Yamaha U3s, when properly taken care of or fully refurbished (like the U3 models that we carry in our store), have a pretty incredible lifespan, and although maybe not as sharp as their new model counterparts, a second hand model U3 with a few decades of age to it can still produce a very respectable tone and action performance.
U1 & U3 1960s - early 1980s
The early models of the Yamaha U3, although still very high quality instruments, have a slight manufacturing flaw. The U3s action is pretty sophisticated, and has a very fast “repetition” rate, meaning the hammer returns quickly so that the action can cycle, and the key can be played again. What assists that quick hammer repetition is a spring that Yamaha has incorporated into their “hammer butt” and corresponding flange. The tension on the spring is retained by a small piece of cord that is built into the hammer butt flange. The U3 still uses a similar design today. However, in the earlier years of the U3, the cord used in these parts was made out of an organic material (cotton) which over the decades breaks down and eventually snaps from the spring tension. The piano can still be played, but often resulting in a less responsive action and slight clicking noise from the parts that have snapped cords.
Fortunately, the rest of the parts that make up the U3s from the earlier eras are still very high quality, and the broken spring cords can be replaced by the modern version of the part that uses a high strength nylon material which will last forever.
After the correction in materials used in the U3s action (as described above) the design stayed pretty much the same throughout production. There were a few cosmetic changes like the addition of a slow fall fallboard, different hammer materials and pedal design, but the overall interior design stayed pretty constant. While playing newer models vs older models, you’ll probably hear and feel variations in action response and tonal quality, but chances are that if the specific piano you are looking at is in good shape, it is likely still a very respectable instrument.
As with all piano models and manufacturers, it’s usually better to purchase the newest model year that you can afford. With newer models (in general) you are going to get better tonality in the bass and treble, and an action response that feels a bit more precise. In my experience the models from the 1990s and newer are all very nice, and are probably the decades I would choose from when shopping for a used Yamaha U3. I would also throw out that sound and touch are very subjective preferences. There have been several occurrences when working with customers in my shop where the customer shopping for a new (used) U3 has the budget for a 90s or 2000s era U3, but falls in love with an older model.
My suggestion when searching for your new (used) U series upright is to use this information, be diligent, and play several different eras of U3s to see which is the best for you. With age, pianos become very individual with varying character and strong points. My experience tells me that you’ll probably find yourself leaning towards the newer models, but you never know. You may just find a real gem from an older generation.
Thank you for reading!
I hope this article helps you with your search.
Working with pianos is my passion.
If you have any questions about finding a used piano, don’t hesitate to drop me a line.
Aaron Firpo-
Seattle Piano Company
Aaron@SeattlePianoCo.com
206-556-5712