Yamaha b1 upright piano evaluation: What’s it?
The corporate’s most inexpensive entry-level upright, Yamaha’s b1 is among the world’s best-selling acoustic pianos – take a tour spherical any music faculty or college music division and also you’re more likely to end up tripping over at the very least 5 of them. However does it deserve its place on the high of the bestsellers record? We visited Yamaha Music’s flagship retailer within the coronary heart of London’s West Finish to search out out.
A compact, foreshortened cousin of the much-revered and pricier U1 full-size upright, the b1 is precisely what you’d look forward to finding subsequent to the dictionary definition of a contemporary upright piano – classical and understated when it comes to cupboard design, with minimal frills. Premium upright pianos are costly gadgets, in order such the b1 represents distinctive worth for cash as a starter piano.
The standard of the fixtures and fittings is clear, from the brass hinge-work on the folding fallboard to the folding music desk that spans roughly half the size of the keyboard throughout the centre. The cupboard end is as top quality because it will get – we examined the polished ebony model, which shone like a mirror underneath the showroom lights, however polished mahogany, walnut and white finishes are additionally obtainable, in addition to an ebony model with chrome furnishings as an alternative of the usual brass.
Yamaha b1 upright piano evaluation: Efficiency & verdict
In distinction to their digital piano counterparts, acoustic pianos solely have one sound, so with only one job to do it’s necessary that it’s carried out nicely. Contemplating that the b1 is the shortest piano within the b-series vary at 109 cm (eclipsed in dimension by its 113 cm b2 and 121 cm b3 stablemates) the sound it produces is remarkably rewarding. Inbuilt Yamaha’s Indonesia manufacturing facility, the b1’s comparatively small stature implies that it has shorter strings and shorter keys than a few of its bigger siblings, and it additionally contains a laminated plywood soundboard to maintain manufacturing prices down and thus preserve its affordability. Regardless of this, the tone is splendidly clear and vibrant with wealthy, resonant bass, glowing highs and a large dynamic vary that rewards enthusiastic enjoying with a boisterous, room-filling voice, whereas a gentler contact attracts out correspondingly softer, extra delicate tones.
As a result of the b1 has been designed primarily with newcomers in thoughts, the keyboard has a comparatively gentle motion which could be very simple for newbies to become familiar with however on the similar time completely appropriate for the extra intermediate or superior pianist. It feels exceptionally responsive underneath the fingers, and as an acoustic instrument it reveals precisely the diploma of pure expressiveness that digital pianos strive so laborious to emulate. Speedy enjoying of repeated notes is definitely facilitated by the built-in single escapement motion discovered as customary on an acoustic upright – no faking it right here.
Silence is golden
Our above assertion that acoustic pianos solely have one sound is turned on its head considerably by Yamaha’s SILENT Piano know-how, a standout function on the choices record for not simply the b1 however for nearly any Yamaha acoustic piano.
Additionally strive
Kawai E200 Studio
Equivalently-priced acoustic upright from Kawai with glorious tone and contact appropriate for pianists of all ranges
Yamaha U1
Yamaha’s extraordinarily fashionable and dearer premium full-size upright
It really works by putting a bodily barrier in between the hammers and the strings, which prevents the strings being struck and brings into play a row of optical sensors situated beneath the keys. The sensors detect what you play and route the data to an inside digital sound supply, which within the b1’s case is what Yamaha calls the SC2 module. This successfully turns the piano right into a digital instrument, muting the strings and permitting you to play via headphones with out disturbing the neighbours. Not like different producers who supply an analogous function, Yamaha builds its silent pianos as standalone devices on the manufacturing facility, fairly than retrofitting the system to an current customary piano.
Switching to silent mode is finished by pushing the center pedal down and switching it to the left. This positions the shank stopper in such a manner as to keep up the utmost quantity of bodily hammer motion, thus preserving the pure enjoying really feel of the keys. Weirdly although, on the instance of the b1 SC2 that we tried, the keys one way or the other felt ever-so barely stiffer than these on the common model, though there shouldn’t be any actual motive for this as the inner acoustic piano mechanisms are similar.
In acoustic mode, the b1 SC2 sounds wealthy, vibrant and full, similar to the acoustic mannequin. In the meantime, the SC2 module’s ten onboard sounds are glorious, with sampled variations of Yamaha’s flagship CFX and Bosendorfer Imperial grand pianos to select from, plus a collection of electrical pianos, organs and presumably the very best harpsichord emulation we’ve ever tried. With the ability to revert from what is basically a top-notch digital piano again to the total acoustic on the flick of a pedal is a joyous expertise. You do pay one thing of a premium for all this further performance, with an RRP greater than a thousand kilos increased than the usual model of the b1, but when you actually need the very best of each worlds that is undeniably an efficient resolution.
Yamaha b1 upright piano evaluation: Arms-on demos
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Yamaha b1 upright piano evaluation: Specification
- Keys: 88 Keys
- Pedals: 3 Pedals
- Dimensions (H x W x D, mm): 1090 x 1480 x 540
- Weight: 174 kg
- Contact: Yamaha (opens in new tab)
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