What to buy - Steinway Essex 123 or Yamaha U1?
Moderators: Feg, Gill the Piano, Melodytune
What to buy - Steinway Essex 123 or Yamaha U1?
I’m buying a piano for my daughter and couldn’t decide between the Steinway Essex 123 and Yamaha U1. We know the Yamaha U1 is good but I really have a soft spot on the Essex123. It has pleasantly weighted keys and quite nice sound. My daughter says the only difference she could tell is the touch on the keys, the Yamaha touch is lighter. Is this better for a learner? Would appreciate any advice on this.
Re: What to buy - Steinway Essex 123 or Yamaha U1?
I think the Essex is made for Steinway by Young Chang AFAIK. Dont be swayed by names pick the one you or your daughter likes.
Re: What to buy - Steinway Essex 123 or Yamaha U1?
Either would be a good choice, but there is a comment in your post which disturbs me, "....quite nice sound". This to me doesn't sound too complimentary. I think you should try a greater selection - even another Yamaha U1 to see if the sound is more pleasing, as all pianos are somewhat different.88keys wrote:I’m buying a piano for my daughter and couldn’t decide between the Steinway Essex 123 and Yamaha U1. We know the Yamaha U1 is good but I really have a soft spot on the Essex123. It has pleasantly weighted keys and quite nice sound. My daughter says the only difference she could tell is the touch on the keys, the Yamaha touch is lighter. Is this better for a learner? Would appreciate any advice on this.
Widen your search until you find one with a sound you 'love,' and of course a touch which pleases your daughter. You'd be advised to try a Kawai K3 which tend to sound sweeter (more mellow) than Yamahas and imho have an excellent keyboard touch.
Please let us know how your search progresses.
I was playing the piano in a zoo, when the elephant burst into tears. I said, "Don't you recognize the tune?" He replied, "No, I recognize the ivories!"
Re: What to buy - Steinway Essex 123 or Yamaha U1?
Thank you for your replies. We bought a Yamaha U1 in the end based on the teacher’s advice. We still like the Essex, it’s more appealing to look at and I like the touch but as we are not expert, I can’t tell much difference in the sound. My daughter did try Kaiwi K3 but found the keys were very heavy for her. She told me the keys got heavier and heavier as she was trying to finish a piece. Her teacher said it’s more challenging to play the dynamic when the keys are lighter so it would be good to practise on a Yamaha and as my daughter is a petite girl, a lighter key touch is good for her, so she doesn’t get too tired if she’s going to practise for long. Anyway we are very happy with our choice. I only feel sorry that we didn’t give the business to Steinway shop as the staff there were friendly, informative and very professional. If in the future we ever need an upgrade, I’d like to get a Boston grand from them. :)