Yamaha Grands: The Pecking Order

[Model V]

There seem to be a baffling array of Yamaha grands around, new and old. Can anyone point me to a website which compares their qualities? Which are the ones to have and which to avoid?

MV.

[PianoGuy]

OK:

Horrible ones:
GA1, GH1B, GP1. These are all small grands, sub C1 size, and had really bad patches in the scaling. Avoid all unless on Freecycle. Thankfully no longer in production and supplanted by the GB1 which is not too bad at all.

Quirkily odd ones:
S4, S400. Handbuilt. S400 limited (thank goodness) edition. Sound absolutely divine when in tune, but tuning lasts about as long as it takes to play a couple of Chopin Nocturnes on the S400 and only a bit longer on the S4. Buy if very cheap (they won't be) and you love seeing your tuner.

Less quirky one:
CF111S. Yes, the flagship. Sounds great and performs well as some S&S Ds, but tuning on a few can be an issue.

The best in order:
GC1. A C1 with fewer frills and compromises where they matter least. The best cheap (ish) Yam grand.
C1
C2
C3.... The best balance of cash versus grand piano in the whole of Christendom.
C5.... The choice of most professional recording studios and with good reason. Usually rock solid tuning.
S6.... If you can't afford a Steinway B, buy an S6. Actually, with Yamaha's price rises, there's not much between them in price, but I'm sure that S&S won't discount like some Yam dealers do! My favourite Yamaha by far, and contender for my favourite not-a-Steinway-B piano ever. Bloody wonderful.

The rest in order:
A1. Actually rather nice, but a GC1 is better and cheaper. Buy one only if the diminutive size is essential.
GB1. Great for the cash, but a bit small. Real entry-level stuff shows you can only just afford a grand.
G1. Old and many nasty imports. Find a good one and you're laughing.
G2. Ditto
G3. Ditto, although bear in mind that G2s and G3s were actually available in the UK alongside the more refined C2/3 for a number of years. A few imported G2/3s had better scaling (almost C-series like!) than the ones officially imported here, but it takes a 'spotter' to find 'em!
C7. Nice, but somehow less happy than the C5 and not a patch on the S6.

A few generalisations there but as always condition is all-important.

Buy a Steinway B or an S6.
You know it makes sense!!

[Model V]

Thank you PG. That was really interesting an helpful. Regarding your closing exhortation, it's looking like it might be good news on the school front. These things take time but I know for certain what we want and also who we're going to buy it from. God willing, we look like being able to secure the money.

The question about Yamahas is more to do with my own situation as we may be on the look out for a modestly priced second hand grand in the near-ish future. I'll be starting a thread once I know how much cash we have to play with.

Many thanks,

MV.

[chrisvenables]

There seem to be a baffling array of Yamaha grands around, new and old. Can anyone point me to a website which compares their qualities? Which are the ones to have and which to avoid?

MV.

Great reply from piano guy,with which I agree, but I would add this:

For a more concise reply, what is your maximum size and budget and is it for home or institutional use, and what type of music is it going to be used for?

New models are much improved on older models (even with the same initial model code) ie a C3 1980 is a C3 'D' , then there were C3 F, C3 with no suffix, C3 L and C3M, improvements to hammer heads, soundboard, bridge cappings, scaling and bass string gauges, even adding an inch to the length of the C3 for example has improved the basic C series of the 70's and 80's beyond belief, and now they have a more 'European' tone. Ivory substitute naturals and wood composite sharps over the shiny plastic key tops on the older models is another benefit.

The best website? is a well stocked dealer's showroom! You need to play these pianos, well prep'd and with the attendance of a technician who can discuss the pros and cons with you in person. ie an S6: sometimes they come in from Japan heavily over voiced, thinking they're catering for European domestic tastes, but often far too soft for where they're intended. 6'11" pianos usually go in recital rooms, not homes, may suit the more sensitive classical pianist in a home situation, but a rock or jazz artist such as Jamie Cullum, may well prefer the extra umph you get from a C7, at less cost. Personally, I'd rather have a C7 - the extra string length and soundboard area, with good prepping, to me, outweighs the better soundboard in the shorter S6. Personal taste is so important. Can't remember the artist's name offhand, but he said - 'You can't play jazz on a Hamburg Steinway'....

[Openwood]

Yes, it's down to personal taste! I'd put the C7 higher up the list than PG. Remember you have to 'play the building' as well as the piano. A C5 is great for a studio, but a C7 gives you that ballsy bass without being over-powering, and as a result it works brilliantly in a 'recital room' environment.

I totally agree with PG on the S6. Last year I spent a blissful morning playing the Yamahas in Chappells 'upper room' (still getting the stains out my trousers) and if I could have chosen any piano in there to take home it would have been the S6, no question. OK, it 'should' have been the CFIII but the S6 just radiated warmth and character from every note; never played anything like it.

Trouble with a Steinway B is that it isn't a Steinway D, whereas an S6 is happy being an S6. That doesn't make any sense, does it? Never mind, I know what I mean.

Friends have an S4 and PG is bang on the money; it might be a fantastic piano but it's never in tune for long enough to tell.