Reliable Upright (Vertical) Pianos

by admin

When shopping for a new piano, you’ll be subject to the noisy ballyhoo of all the area’s dealers telling you that they sell the best brands (“We have Steinway!” “We have Yamaha!", "We have the best prices, so just pass by the other dealers and come right here.”) Ignore all that, just compare, compare, compare and hone in on the piano that feels and sounds best to you, regardless of the hype around any particular brand name. Here’s a secret: There is no one "best" piano brand. There are many excellent piano makers, and we’ll list some of them below, but, like cars, the most expensive or prestigious brand name isn’t always the best. You have to "test-drive" a bunch and find the best for you.

First you must decide if you are buying an vertical upright piano (the kind that fits against the wall) or a grand (the kind that stands on three legs.) Obviously, space & price considerations will come into play, but remember the #1 rule from our last post…buy the biggest piano you can afford and have space for. If you really don’t have the space for even a baby grand, there are tall uprights – 48” to 54” – who strings are as long or longer than some petite grands, and they sound wonderful, though they don’t have the repitition-action of a grand (covered later)

Of course, as a piano fanatic, I’m partial to grand pianos, and space considerations simply don’t apply. I once lived in a single-wide trailer with my wife and son, and when it came to the question of whether we could fit my 6’ grand in the “living room”, well, there simply was no question…in it came. Sure, we had to eat on it sometimes…

But for those who are fully satisfied with the sound of an upright piano, or simply cannot squeeze in a grand, here’s some of your best choices:

Yamaha – any of their taller uprights, like the U1, U3 or U5 models, are fine pianos
Schimmel – the uprights by this great German piano-maker are exceptionally beautiful and superb quality!
Steinway – their full size upright is legendary, and expensive, but well worth it if you appreciate their quality and sound
Kawai also makes good uprights, though their sound quality is a bit below Yamaha
Knabe, a grand American piano name, is back in business, and even though they are now being made in Korea, their larger uprights are well-made and stunningly beautiful
Charles Walter is an American company that makes fine uprights

Here’s what some of them look like:

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