Our music departent was awarded enough money to replace about 15 verticals for the practice rooms, and the dean asked if I could suggest which models to look into.
Right how we're leaning toward U-1's. What do you like/don't like, and why?
Greetings,
Aside from a growing collection of restored Steinways, we have a lot of Yamahas at Vanderbilt. Some of them are from the late 60's and amazingly, are still working well. The quality of those years was higher than the 10 year old U-3's we also use, based on durability of pinning, longevity of keybushing, hammer wear, and overall construction. The later models have cheaper pedal assemblies, twangier bass strings,noisy dampers and cheaper hardware,(why can't they use a little heavier metal on things like music rack hinges, pedal arms, etc.)
The Yamaha's also seem to use plastic in numerous areas that get noisy, like the pedal pin dowels and trapwork.
We have, in the last few years, gone with Kawai K-3 pianos, and they hold up well. Some pinning looseness, but in the practice room world, that is almost to be expected. I also like the ABS parts in the actions, as humidity changes are now unimportant, and I think the composite material is more durable, accurate, and stable than the wood. They certainly stay put under heavy use.
Walter pianos are real durable, and I think higher quality than any of the imports, but budget busters.
Another consideration is whether it is in the best interest of the students to have only one brand of piano. I personally think that the "All Brand" concept is a dumb thing for a school to buy into. It is not a single brand world out there, and students need to come out of school with as broad an experience as possible.
Regards,
Ed Foote RPT
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