Availability changes. Ask for the current selection and a quotation before visiting.
What it is
The short version.
Yamaha’s current CX series makes the lengths easy to compare. By Yamaha’s own specifications the C1X is 161 cm, the C2X 173 cm and the C3X 186 cm. Older C series grands on the used market follow the same idea, with the number rising as the case gets longer.
Length is what changes the sound. A longer case takes longer bass strings and a bigger soundboard, so a C3X has more bass and carries further than a C1X. The two Yamaha grands photographed on this page were taken on our viewing gallery floor at IMM.
A home where a grand of around 161 to 173 cm fits the room
A teacher moving the studio up from an upright
A hall, a school or a studio that needs a grand around 186 cm to carry
Anyone who grew up on a Yamaha upright and wants the same maker in a grand
Buying one used
Four things to check, in order.
The same four we check ourselves before an instrument goes on the floor. Every instrument is an original used piano. Not reconditioned, not rebuilt. Ask us about any of them on a specific piano and you get a straight answer.
The serial numberIt dates the instrument precisely, which is the first thing to know about any used grand.
The actionA grand should repeat evenly across all eighty eight keys. Uneven touch is a regulation job, which can be done, but it belongs in the price.
Soundboard and bridgesLook for cracks, and for bridge pins that have pulled. This is the part of a grand that is expensive to put right.
Where it has livedAsk about its service history and previous room conditions. Air conditioning alone does not establish the condition of an instrument.
Filmed on a phone at IMM, so this is close to what the room sounds like rather than a studio recording. Press play, with the sound on.
A Yamaha grand, lid up
The other one to hear
Against the Boston.
A Boston is a Steinway design built in Japan by Kawai, a Yamaha grand is Yamaha’s own. Both are Japanese built, and the difference is felt under the fingers far more than it reads on a specification sheet.
Both, back to back, in the same room on the same afternoon. That is a fifteen minute job at the viewing gallery and it settles the question far better than any page can.
For most homes, a grand of around 161 to 173 cm, the length of a C1X or a C2X, is the practical choice. A 186 cm grand such as the C3X wants a larger room to be heard properly. Send us the room measurements and we will tell you honestly.
How much is a second hand Yamaha grand in Singapore?
It depends on the model, the year and the condition, so a single figure would be a guess. Ask about a specific instrument and you get a specific price.
Is a used Yamaha grand better than a new smaller one?
Often. A well kept used grand of a longer length will usually sound fuller than a new short one at the same money, because length decides the sound. Condition decides whether it is a good buy, so play it first.
Can a Yamaha grand go into a condo?
Usually. Grands are dismantled for the move and reassembled in the room, and the lift and the corridor decide the route. Tell us the building and the floor and we will work it out before a date is set.
The rest of the range
Other grands people ask about.
All grands
Around six feet
180 cm and up
The size people ask for by name is around six feet. It is long enough to behave like a proper grand and short enough to place in a home or a small hall, which is why it is the most requested length we see.
A 166 cm grand from Kawai’s GX BLAK series, photographed at our IMM gallery. Confirm the available instrument, its manufacture year and quotation before visiting; the photographs are not a live stock list.
A German grand from a maker that has built pianos since 1885. The one we photographed carries Made in Germany on its keyboard and the Schimmel crest inside the case.
Message us with the model and we will tell you what is in, what condition it is in, and what it costs. If we have nothing suitable we will say that instead.