Yamaha B1 upright piano

The Yamaha B1 is a very small piano made in Indonesia. It is an OK starter piano, but most serious musicians may want to look at other options. If you have any technical info or corrections for this article, please email mgpianos@gmail.com.

The pros of buying a Yamaha B1

  • It is small enough to fit into most modern homes.
  • It is cheap

What are the cons of buying a Yamaha B1?

  • The Yamaha B1 is a very small piano which means it has shorter strings and shorter keys than the larger models. This means that the touch and tone may not be as good as a full sized upright piano such as the Yamaha U1 or U3.
  • It has a laminated plywood sound board. Most high quality pianos have “solid spruce” soundboards.
  • You may want to upgrade quite soon after buying.
  • It isn’t made in Yamaha’s best factory in Japan. It is made in Indonesia.

When was it produced?

I’m not sure when the B1 was first introduced (someone, tell me, please) but it is still being produced today.

Where was it made?

All of the B series pianos are manufactured in Yamaha’s factory in Indonesia where they are able to keep production costs low. Most people agree that Yamaha’s best pianos are made in Japan.

What are some similar models?

The Yamaha B2 and B3 are the next 2 pianos above the B1. Each of these pianos are slightly taller than the last, with the B2 coming in at 113cm, and the B3 coming in at 121cm.

Videos

Quotes

Don’t just take my word for it, here is a quote from a forum on Piano World…

‘Now, as for the Yamaha B1, I am not a particular fan of this piano and think there are far better pianos out there around a similar price range/size’
http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/3037407/re-yamaha-b1-for-abrsm-grade-8-recorded-performance.html#Post3037407

Will I need to upgrade at some point?

Yes, probably. We feel that the B1 is quite a basic model and you may want to upgrade before too long

Dimensions

Height:  109cm
Width:    148cm
Depth:    54cm

New and used prices.

You can buy a new Yamaha B1 for around £4000

Alternative models to consider similar to this.

An alternative model to the Yamaha B1 is the Yamaha U1, which we feel is a much better option for those who wish to progress to the upper grades and for those who want a high quality smaller piano.

Conclusion

The Yamaha B1 is a basic starter piano. The size and budget may tempt some people, however we feel that there are better options available. The U1 is the obvious upgrade to consider.

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