New U3 - Which Shop Though ?

[quattrorings]

Hi

Am am new to the forum. I am buying a piano for myself - I am grade 5. I have settled on a new U3.

I have spent the last month visiting a variety of shops. I have a variety of different offers from various shops but have shortlisted the following shops;

- Coach House Piano's - Cardiff
- Music Box (thepianoman.co.uk) - Manchester
- Chamberlain Music

It would be great to hear from members of the forum about their experiences of these shops - all are Yamaha dealers.

I want a new piano rather than an ex demo so a trustworthy dealer is important.

Advice Appreciated.

Quattrorings

[Withindale]

On what basis did you select those shops? How do they propose to handle warranty repairs bearing in mind your location? Why not buy from a local dealer? Who will be looking after your piano?

[Barrie Heaton]

Hi Quattrorings

A piano off the shop floor is a better buy than out of the W /house, the one off the shop floor will have been prepared to some degree and you should play the piano before you buy, as there is a lot of variations in U3

As to retailer well with the U3 its more what they will offer with the sale -
Music Box and Chamberlain, some would say that they are both bordering on wholesalers rather than being retailers. Coach House Piano is more closer to the old school of retailing. However, with Yamaha products there is that much discounting going on the level of service any of them can off is limited

Who ever you buy from take note of the serial number of the piano you are buying, unless your are doing it over the net or phone, then you will get one out of the W /house.



Barrie

[quattrorings]

Hi Quattrorings

A piano off the shop floor is a better buy than out of the W /house, the one off the shop floor will have been prepared to some degree and you should play the piano before you buy, as there is a lot of variations in U3

As to retailer well with the U3 its more what they will offer with the sale -
Music Box and Chamberlain, some would say that they are both bordering on wholesalers rather than being retailers. Coach House Piano is more closer to the old school of retailing. However, with Yamaha products there is that much discounting going on the level of service any of them can off is limited

Who ever you buy from take note of the serial number of the piano you are buying, unless your are doing it over the net or phone, then you will get one out of the W /house.



Barrie

Thanks this is really helpful. Have found them all good but have to say Jerry at Coach House has been particularly good.

The industry has been hammered so much recently that the concept of a local dealer has gone (particularly in South Yorkshire), hence you have to look for a combination of price and service elsewhere. Buying from a reputable dealer at the best price has to be the number one priority, as I have an excellent tuner and I feel that I have played a fair few piano's so I would have a feel for a duff example. I rate coach house particularly highly as they offer service and a competitive price. It is not every day you spend £7k so the piano has to be right.

On the serial number side of things this link on the US Yamaha site was very useful

http://usa.yamaha.com/support/finding_a ... aha_piano/

These numbers correspond with the examples they ship worldwide

Thanks for the input - very helpful so far.

Quattrorings

[Barrie Heaton]

On the serial number side of things this link on the US Yamaha site was very useful

These numbers correspond with the examples they ship worldwide

Thanks for the input - very helpful so far.

Quattrorings

You take note of the number not for its age, but to insure you get the one you sat at and liked rather then one out of the box in the w/house

Barrie

[joseph]

When I went to Chappell of Bond Street, they also had well-prepared pianos in stock. They have good technicians. When it comes to buying, talk to them about the price - the art of buying a piano is that you talk to the seller, usually the price is negotiable.

Probably Venables is a good place to look as well, as he prepares his pianos really well. I've never been, but his reputation is built on his work.

I don't know much about Chamberlain, Music Box or the Piano Man, so I can't comment on their work but I'm sure they are all reputable dealers.

[athomik]

All those dealers are pretty good. Ideally, you want to play the piano you are buying, to make sure you like it. Yamaha prep the pianos very well before shipment to the dealer, then its up to the dealer to make sure it's OK after delivery. Make sure they can recommend a local Tuner/Technician to look after it while it's under warranty.

athomik.

[quattrorings]

Thanks All

Much appreciated. Now just debating if I should go up to the YUS3 - personally I thought the bottom end was better than the standard U3.

Any thoughts appreciated

[Barrie Heaton]

Thanks All

Much appreciated. Now just debating if I should go up to the YUS3 - personally I thought the bottom end was better than the standard U3.

Any thoughts appreciated

Better quality hammer, they Voice down very nicely if you like a more mellow tone than the standard Yamaha sound, also better Bass string giving a rich bass also a better change over at the base treble brake .... IMO they are worth the extra

Barrie

[joseph]

If you have the money, go for the best you can afford. I haven't played a YUS3, but I have played a YUS5 and it's excellent. I'm not sure what the differences are between the two models, it may be just a different cabinet, or there may be more.

The YUS3 and even the U3 will take you from grade 5 to past diploma level (LRSM). It might not take you to concert standard, but you can worry about that when you get there!