Better than the NASDAQ
Written: Sep 19 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: excellent quality, consistent scale, satisfying tactile and aural response
Cons: Expensive--shop carefully
|
|
|
| GoodDad's Full Review: Yamaha C5 - 6' 7" Conservatory Collection Grand Pi... |
Twenty years ago, shortly after my first child was born, my wife and I bought a Yamaha C3 Conservatory Grand--before we had a couch, as a matter of fact. It was important to us that our son hear music at a young age, and perceive very early the process required to make music.
Twenty years later, it is clear that the choice we made was the right choice. All five of our children have learned to love music, and for most it has become an avenue of study and self mastery...and it all started with a Yamaha Conservatory Grand Piano.
I now own both the C3 and a C7 Yamaha--the C5 sits in my brother's home. Because these pianos were purchased at various times, from various dealers, and at several price points, perhaps I can offer some unique insight into these instruments:
1) The Yamaha Conservatory Grand is a wonderfully consistent instrument--all three pianos have different personalities, but all are high quality--manufactured with great care and precision. The 20 year old instrument only gets better with age. Unlike other brands I've played, the Yamaha grands are consistently excellent piano to piano, instead of the highly variable quality of some American and Korean instruments.
2) The C3 can have an intimate sound that can take your breath away with its una corda--a pure, almost bell like sound. When played at normal volume or above, it has a well-balanced, open sound in all but the frequency extremes. After twenty years, it still manages to stay in tune, even with the humidity extremes we experience in New England. (A good dehumidifier for summer months does help the tuning stability).
3) The C5 has a more robust tone than the C3, but still very consistent with no hot spots or stridency as you ascend the scale. The last octave on both ends of the keyboard is very satisfying. This is the newest piano of the three, but the finish and aural quality is very high--I would expect it to remain a satisfying instrument for many years.
4) The C7 has been a part of the family for about 10 years. This piano is very satisfying to play and rewards the pianist with excellent tactile and aural response. The sound is "showy", in a German Steinway sort of way, with a brilliant character throughout the scale melded to a full bodied low end. This piano's only vice is that the octave below middle C must be tuned twice per year. That octave becomes sour relatively quickly when compared to the other pianos in this report.
5) The Yamaha pianos and other fine musical instruments generally are becoming increasingly expensive. The first C3 cost $5000, the C7 ten years later cost $15,000, and the C5 purchased recently came in at $19,000. By any standard and at any income level, this is a lot of money. One must consider one's priorities carefully to invest this kind of money, but an investment it is, one which cannot be quantified entirely by dollars and cents. The good news is that the Yamaha pianos are much less expensive than the hand made German and Austrian pianos, which, in my opinion, are the only other examples that are truly comparable instruments, and a single investment will reward the owner with tremendous satisfaction over a lifetime.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
GoodDad
|
|
Location: Newburgh, Indiana, USA
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 2 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.