1963 yamaha u3

[goggles]

hi, i have what i believe is a 1963 yamaha u3 piano in like-new condition. It may have been refurnished but I'm not really sure. The serial number is 292827, do you have any idea how much this piano might be worth?

[mdw]

Check ebay as there are loads on it. Its easy to make the poly case look new and may have been refurbished but thats a very loose term it can be anything from full overhaul to clean keys and replace the nameboard felt.

[MarkGoodwinPianos]

£600 - £900 to the trade
£900 - £1400 privately
£2200 - £3500 in greedy piano shops.

[Forte]

£600 - £900 to the trade
£900 - £1400 privately
£2200 - £3500 in greedy piano shops.

A bit harsh on the retailer they may have spent a lot of cash on to bring it up to speed

[MarkGoodwinPianos]

2200 would be cheeky
3500 would be scandalous

[joseph]

It's a 50 year old upright or thereabouts.... what would you pay for a Chappell?

[MarkGoodwinPianos]

£100 - £200
Would you rather try and sell a U3 or a Chappell?
People love U3s but nobody gets too excited over a Chappell

[joe]

£100 - £200
Would you rather try and sell a U3 or a Chappell?
People love U3s but nobody gets too excited over a Chappell

I do,much prefer the tone of of good,well maintained used piano with character than the clitter-clatter of an overpowering U3.

[MarkGoodwinPianos]

I prefer a good, well-maintained U3 to a good, well-maintained Chappell.
But it's good that we disagree. Imagine if everyone agreed on what the best piano was! Ugh, how dull!

[mdw]

Ugh, how dull!

Thats what i think when faced with a music dept with half a dozen Us. I tend to think they sort of fit in with the Man United , Ferrari fan type. Good but no imagination, a bit sheep like.

[MarkGoodwinPianos]

Man Utd: Yamaha U3
Chelsea: Steinway
Man City: Bosendorfer
Chinese pianos: FC United

[joseph]

£100 - £200
Would you rather try and sell a U3 or a Chappell?
People love U3s but nobody gets too excited over a Chappell

I get your point but its not quite what I meant. I'd rather have a U3 than a Chappell too, but with a 50 year old instrument there are many other factors that come into play.

Incidentally, and I'm asking because I don't know, how do Yamahas from 50 years ago compare with modern ones?

[MarkGoodwinPianos]

I don't stock them that old because whenever I've seen them stocked elsewhere they sound terrible.
I tend to stick to 1975 onwards. I find the mid/late 70s to be warmer than the 1990s but then the 90s ones are louder. A nice loud U3 might be good for a choir rehearsal room but not so good for your terraced house. So a medium/mellow U3 from the late 70s or early 80s is better than something from the 60s or 90s in my opinion.

[sussexpianos]

I have seen a 1960 recon U3, Via Europe, and I have to say it was very good. But.... Id rather have a good 1960's Welmar or Knight. The last of the 120+cm Welmar & Knight uprights were very great pianos (old designs but still worth the money). I occasionaly find a 1990's model. I think they were designed to stay in tune for 5 years at a time!
I came across a 1950's Yamaha grand, all fine but the soundboard varnish looked like it had melted, like a marbel effect. Removers brought it in for repair, they had tightened the strap over the rim too tight and knocked a 10cm chunk out of the rim.