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The Pianos:
Prices given are "list" which is pretty much meaningless in most cases --
expect a discount of 20%-30%. The prices also reflect the standard "Ebony"
(Satin) finish.
Yamaha A1 (4' 11", about $8000 street)
This cute little grand drifts in an out of the Yamaha lineup. Recently,
it has just been reintroduced again. At first it looks like a joke, but
in reality it is not bad for such a tiny instrument. When I sat down to
play it I gritted my teeth, preparing for the worst, but after a few
minutes I thought to myself, "Hey, this isn't half-bad."
The A1 has a thin, tinny, bright sound, but at least it's even throughout
the whole range and the action is quite responsive. I'm not sure I'd
recommend one of these, but they are an example of what can be done
with such a small instrument given careful engineering. I actually like
this piano better than the GH1B.
Yamaha GH1B/GP1 (5' 3", $11,990-$13,290)
The GH1B (and its cheaper-cabinet brother, the GP1) are the price point
grands in the Yamaha lineup. The less said about these, the better. The
tone is hard and unforgiving. Technicians tell me that they almost never
stay in tune for long (one tech referred to GH1Bs as "picture frame" grands
due to their popular use, with the lid closed and a lacy cloth on top, as
supports for framed pictures of the owner's family, usually children or
grandchildren.)
The GH1B has no duplex scaling, no tone collector, no soft-close keyboard,
no lid or fallboard locks, and the center pedal is the useless bass-sustain
type. Older versions (GH1) are even worse.
Yamaha C1 (5' 3", $16,790 list)
A rescaled G1, these C1 pianos are very well made and play rather nicely
for such a small grand. Not bad - I expected worse. Also, they are much
better than the GH1B/GP1s.
Yamaha C2 (5' 8", $19,090 list)
This piano was of some interest to me, as its lineage can be traced back
to my 1986 G2R. The G2R was one of the last of the 5' 7" G2 pianos. The
piano was upgraded to the G2F (5' 8") and then changed to the C2 in 1995
when most of the G series grands were dropped.
C2 grands are warmer and mellower than the G2 units. However, with careful
voicing, even some of the older G2s that have developed the trademark harsh
and brittle sound with age can be made to sound quite nice (I know; I had
it done on mine.)
I liked the tone and touch on the C2s I tried, although the bass is just a
tad thin sounding below the bass bridge break. Intelligent scale design
largely covers up for this, however. The C2 shares the same action
assembly as the C3.
Yamaha C3 (6' 1", $26,190 list)
Although it is only 5" longer than the C2, the C3 is in another class altogether.
It is a huge leap in performance above the C2. The 6' 1" frame is starting to
give you a taste of that "real bass" feeling that you find in larger grands.
I've played many of these and have always been impressed with the tone.
If I wasn't so greedy, I might happily live with one of these pianos for
years.
The C3 units (and above) use Yamaha's "Ivorite" key covering, a synthetic
material that mimics the properties of ivory. It's a porous material that
grips your fingers a little better than the white plastic used on the smaller
grands. Ivorite has a dull finish, and doesn't throw up as many annoying
reflections in bright light.
The C3 co-existed with the G3 (6', discontinued) for a few years. These G3s
were nice but not quite to the level of the C3. The good news for bargain
hunters, though, is that the G3s have come down in price on the used market.
Check your local classifieds!
Yamaha C5 (6' 7", $28,290 list)
Caught in the no-man's land between the 6-foot and 7-foot range, the C5
isn't as big an improvement over the C3 as I expected, despite the 6 inches
and the extra design freedom the longer length offers. The biggest im-
provement is (no surprise) in the bass region, with more of that "big piano"
feel to it. This is due, it is said, largely to the direct bass bridge on
these larger grands (the C5 and up.)
However, playing the C3 and C5 side by side in the Chopin Nocturnes, I
found I could barely tell the difference unless I listened hard, or played
loudly on the bass notes. This is not an indictment of the C5; the C3s are
just plain that good.
The C5 is the last of the small and medium sized Yamaha grands. Al-
though at 6' 7" it is getting up there in size, it still has the look
and feel of a mid-size grand. The C5 is the last piano with bass break
at Bb 26, and the last one with the 40" height and the 59" width (the
larger grands have heftier frame structures to support the increased weight.)
Yamaha grands are known for their nearly perfect quality control, but I did
play on one "flaky" instrument at a dealer. The voicing was all wrong, harsh
and strident, as if it had been sitting, uplayed, atop a heating duct for 10
years or so. However, other C5s I've played are simply wonderful.
Despite these lukewarm-sounding comments on the C5, I almost bought
one, especially when I saw the breathtaking cost of the C6 I was plan-
ning to order. In retrospect, I don't think I would have been much
worse off with the C5, at least in my room. Older versions are 6' 6".
Also, do not confuse the C5 with the older G5, which, although nice,
has an inferior scale design and isn't quite as desirable. The C5
doesn't share action assemblies with any of the other models.
Yamaha C6 (6' 11", $31,390 list)
After much hand-wringing, this is the piano I bought.
Anyone who thinks that a 4-inch difference can't amount to much should
play a C5 and a C6 side by side. The C6 is good leap in performance
over the C5. Subjectively, the C6 looks and feels positively huge next
to the C5, already a large instrument in its own right. Bass notes have
that nice, tight slam to them, and the rest of the scale is impressively
even and smooth. The tone is rich and pleasing. About the only thing
I don't care for is a slight wooden-like quality to the lower treble, and
some "metallic" sounding low bass notes, both of which I plan to get
voiced down.
I played many C5 and C6 pianos in showrooms before making a decision.
These are wonderful pianos, but still have a bit of that bright sound
that one associates with a Yamaha. They also play much louder than
comparable units from Kawai (the RX-6) or Schimmel (the CC208) and
even the Steinway B (a gorgeous piano.)
When I started out shopping for a new piano, I had "decided" beforehand
to get the 6' 10" Schimmel, based largely on the enthusiastic comments
in Larry Fine's book. While I found that I liked the Schimmel, the
Yamaha wasn't far behind. In fact, in certain ways, the C6 was actually
a little better, and better in typically "Japanese" ways -- the QC was
tighter, and the pianos are more consistent. In the end, I was willing
to give up a little in tone quality (something many German pianos possess)
for this consistency and tightness of the QC.
The C6 is a relatively new model. It has its bass break somewhat unusually
placed at G23, and shares the action assembly with the C7 (the action on
mine is actually stamped "C7.")
(Read more about the C6)
Yamaha C7 (7' 6", $35,790 list)
The C7 is 7 inches longer than a C6 and represents another healthy leap in
performance. As a concert hall-class grand, it's too big and too expensive
for most homes and budgets (at least mine!)
They are a blast to play, however, for those of us who are used to smaller
grands. At the climax to the op. 27 #2 Nocturne, I felt an enormous rush
as I tapped into a seemingly endless reserve of power on this piano. I kept
thinking of Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor ("More Power, Argh, Argh!") when I
pounded on the deepest bass notes.
Early versions are 7' 4" and have designations like C7D and C7E. There is
some debate as to the merits of these older C7s. Many technicians and
pianists don't like them. I did play on a couple of these 7' 4" C7 units
and found the tone pleasing. They seem warmer and more diffuse-sounding
than the new 7' 6" models. I liked the ones I tried.
7' 4" C7s are currently a great bargain in the large grand arena. I've
seen pristine 15-20 year old samples for sale in the $14K-$17K range.
They're worth checking out if you must have a large piano. You can
recognize these older C7 grands by the large wooden brace inside the
piano's lid (new C7s don't have the brace.)
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