The main difference between a Yamaha U1 upright Piano and a Yamaha U3 Upright piano is that the Yamaha U3 is 10cm taller and a little bit deeper (measuring from front to back). This gives it 3 main advantages to go for Yamaha U3 Piano:
1. The extra height of a Yamaha U3 Upright Piano means that it can house longer strings which result in a warmer, richer sound. The reason a concert grand sounds so amazing is largely due to the very long strings it houses. Similarly, the reason a Yamaha U3 piano sounds so much better than a Yamaha U1 or any other short upright piano is that the Yamaha U3 has a much longer string.
2. The larger cabinet of the Yamaha U3 Piano also allows it to house a larger soundboard which is good for producing a richer, more resonant tone.Melodica Music Center refer you again to concert grand pianos with their long strings and large soundboard.
3. Finally, the extra space created inside the Yamaha U3 piano cabinet allows it to house longer keys and a taller action which gives it a touch very close to that of a grand piano.
If you sit and play a Yamaha U3 Piano next to a Yamaha U1 Piano you can feel this difference. A Yamaha U1 Piano can feel a little bit “shallow” to touch compared with the deeper, smoother, more comfortably balanced touch of the Yamaha U3. Technicians and pianists alike comment on the better level of control you can achieve with the U3 action compared with the U1.
Other than that, they are equal. The build quality and component quality is just as good. The U1 is not a small piano so it does still have a good, rich tone, just not quite as rich as the U3. So if your budget will stretch Melodica Music Center recommend the Yamaha U3 Piano.
Some of our Yamaha used U3 pianos in Dubai are bright, some of our Yamaha used U3 pianos in Dubai are medium and some are mellow. This is mainly down to the soundboards being unique from one piano to the next. The job of the soundboard is to amplify the vibrations from the strings and so each different soundboard gives each piano it’s own unique “voice”. However, when it comes to the Yamaha U1 pianos, they seem to have a much more consistent tone, there is less variation between bright and mellow. We are not certain why that is but it does tend to be the case. It is therefore quite easy to choose a Yamaha U1 because they all sound so similar. Choosing a U3, however, is, therefore, a bit trickier because you have to figure out if you like a mellow, bright or medium tone. It’s good to have the choice of course because for a room with a hard floor and no soft furnishings you should look to choose a mellow piano. For a room with a heavy carpet and curtains etc, a brighter piano would be a better choice. So it’s good that the U3s give you that choice of tone.
The Yamaha U3 Piano is much more popular than the Yamaha U1 Piano , and so we try to keep more U3s in stock than U1s to give our U3 shoppers a bigger choice. I probably sell five U3s to every U1 and the reason for this seems to be that once a person has decided that they are spending this much money, they don’t mind stretching that bit further to get the best sound quality possible.
