China or Japan? Where is the Yamaha U1H made?

This is a recurring question that is made worse by Yamaha’s own website. They state that if a piano serial number starts with an “H”, it was made in China.

Here is a screengrab of their guidance

If you follow that guidance, where would you say this Yamaha U1 is made?

Yamaha U1H 3546556

It’s understandable to think it was made in China—there’s an “H” right before the number.

Wrong! It was made in Japan.

I’m writing this because earlier today, a customer informed me that they no longer wanted to buy our professional-grade Yamaha U1H because Yamaha’s guidance and believed the piano was made in China, not Japan.

It’s incredibly difficult to regain trust once someone thinks we’ve misled them, especially when we’re a small independent shop asking people to believe us over Yamaha’s own website.

So here’s the key clarification:

  • If a Yamaha serial number has a prefix “H”, it was made in China, ie. H048590999
  • If a Yamaha model number has a suffix “H”, it was made in Japan, ie. U1H 2439885

It’s a subtle difference but very important.

Therefore, it’s my pleasure to confirm to you, dear reader, that;

  • All Yamaha U1H pianos are made in Japan
  • All Yamaha U3H pianos are made in Japan

If you need any final confirmation please try this;

  • Ask Google “Where was Yamaha U1H made?”
  • Ask ChatGPT “Where was Yamaha U1H made?”
  • Ask your local piano tuner “Where was Yamaha U1H made?”
  • Ask your local piano shop “Where was Yamaha U1H made?”
  • Ask on Facebook piano advice groups “Where was Yamaha U1H made?”

Everyone will tell you that the Yamaha U1H was made in Japan… because it was!


Here’s a bit more context to help clear things up:

  • The U1H and U3H were made from around 1970-1979
  • They were ALL made in Japan (Hamamatsu factory)
  • They typically have 7-digit serial numbers starting with “1” or “2”
  • U1 & U3 pianos made just before the U1H/U3H had a suffix “G”
  • U1 & U3 pianos made just after the U1H/U3H had a suffix “M”, and later it changed to “A”
  • Any piano technician will confirm: U1H and U3H were made in Japan — never in China.

Conclusion

Yamaha U1H and U3H pianos were made in Japan in the 1970s.

This is a fact. It is a 100% accurate fact.