Upright vs. Grand Pianos: Which is Right for Me? | Piano Buyer's Guide 🎹 🎶

[@mfurman]

It is a very good presentation. Thank you.

[@vickigreene4288]

Nicely laid out presentation! Thank you

[@familypianoco]

Glad it was helpful! :) -Max

[@user-vy9cc1tp2u]

Смотрю-слушаю это чудо под названием фортепьяно и получаю чувственное и эстетическое наслаждение. Кто этого не познал, тот многое в этой жизни потерял. Смогу ли восстановить свою старую "Лирику"? Но "Кавай" это конечно уровень, хотя и на любителя. Звук в себе. Раньше не нравился, теперь прислушался. Классика на нём звучит интересно. Были бы возможности - продавл бы фортепьяно - много и разных. Но в линейке, как и тут. Философия и эстетика!

[@dunnkruger8825]

THANKS

[@flappybird315]

if your goal is to play on grand eventually, would a digital be better for practice than upright? Kawai grand feel, for example.

[@ROBERT-ml7ml]

Upright, unless you cannot afford a decent Upright that sounds good, then just go digital. Digital pianos will always hold their tune.

[@familypianoco]

We did a deep-dive here: familypiano.com/blog/digital-vs-acoustic-piano/

[@theclaverman]

If your goal is to play on a grand, then buy a grand! A digital piano will NEVER give you the same feel(nor will an upright), resonance and touch as a grand piano. And this is coming from someone who both owns a digital piano but also regulary play and perform on a Fazioli F278 grand…The digital piano definately has it’s place, but that place is not Chopins Etudes, Rachmaninoff 3rd piano concerto or Beethovens Hammerklavier. You get the point…

[@Lurch-Bot]

I have a Kawai 902M which feels very much like a baby grand. Puts out a surprising amount of sound for a studio piano and it could totally be a performance instrument for small venues. I think the current equivalent is the 907. You could probably pick up a very nice used 902 for $3k. I paid $2500 for mine but that was a decade ago and there was a glut of used pianos on the market. It was also practically unused - someone bought it for their kid, kid gave up on it and it sits around the house for 20 years until parents decide to get rid of it. IDK what the current market is like for analog pianos but you're gonna pay around $3k for a used digital piano of the quality you need. I started on a nice Clavinova when I was a kid. Feel was pretty good but there is still no substitute for playing an analog piano.

[@HodGabriel]

Would you choose a new highest quality german made upright over a grand which is not necessarily? considering same budget (about 25k USD)

[@StudioDTK5]

What about the experience of an upright with the front panels off? A large upright can be very powerful with the sound right there in front of you…thoughts?

[@familypianoco]

Very powerful indeed! If you're comfortable removing the front panel of your upright (and given it can actually be done), it is a great way to get a bigger sound out of your piano. That said, it doesn't make it a "grand sound" in that it won't fill the room as well as an upward-projecting grand nor does it give the instrument a bigger soundboard and longer strings. You may not want to go through removing the front panel for every playing session either (and leaving it off invites a lot of issues with dirt). So it is a good way of getting more sound out of your upright, but it's not necessarily a substitute for a grand piano's.

[@dunnkruger8825]

THE “SALOON” Sound??? That’s my 1st thought and recollection of uprights. What is your experience?

[@familypianoco]

Some older uprights can sound real "saloon-y" and those ones can be real great for certain genres. There's a ton of variety with upright pianos though and you can find all sorts of sounds and action feels! Some of the higher quality uprights can really rival the experience of fine grand pianos in both touch and sound (though there will always be some major built in design advantages to grands!). My personal favorites for upright pianos are Kawai's K-series (Particularly the K-500 and K-800), German-made brands like Schimmel, Sauter, Bechstein etc, and I'm also very fond of the sound and touch of many current and older American brands (Steinway, Charles Walter, Sohmer, Baldwin, Weber, etc.). I tend to enjoy older pianos of higher quality to newer pianos of lower quality - the age can add quite a bit of beauty and character to the sound! Thanks for watching -Max

[@Lurch-Bot]

@@familypianoco There is some great value to be had in older used pianos. I tried a well used Steinway S about a decade ago when shopping for a piano. The price was very affordable - around $5k IIRC - and it still sounded great. But the action was very sloppy and it was in overall fairly rough shape. It needed a full restoration and I wasn't looking for a project; I needed a practice piano for school. Looking at what they're going for these days, fully restored, it would have been a great investment. But then if I'd put all that work into restoring it, I doubt I'd want to sell it.

[@thefoxi9568]

I'm debating between the yamaha ydp 105 and the roland rp 107. What do you recommend for me in terms of sound and keyboard feel that you know is better?

[@familypianoco]

Roland RP-107, hands down. The action has 3 sensors, better weighting, and escapement, unlike the Yamaha, which has the pretty rough GHS action. It comes with bluetooth audio and midi, neither of which the Yamaha have. Waaaay better product and value, IMO.