If you’re looking to purchase a new baby grand piano, the choices out there are vast and varied. Some brands are familiar and some are pretty obscure – but they all claim to be the best in their relative price points. It’s impossible for me to make a blanket statement about which brand or model may be best for you because we’re dealing with two things – Facts and Emotion. Facts are universal (objective). They can be tested and proven. Emotions are just as real, but they aren’t universal (Emotions are subjective). So – since we can’t comment on an individual’s feelings – let’s take emotion out of the equation for a moment and focus on the facts surrounding Yamaha‘s most popular baby grand piano: the Yamaha GB1K.
Let’s start with this factual statement: Yamaha is globally recognized for making superior musical instruments in a large variety of categories.
Yamaha has the world’s largest artist roster – with over 3600 members, including Norah Jones.
Yes. There are other great brands, but none more recognizable or universally respected than Yamaha. Around the world, more performers require a Yamaha piano than any other brand because they know that Yamaha can deliver the sound and touch they are looking for. With over 10,000 musical instrument patents (more than 2000 related to pianos alone), Yamaha has done more than any other manufacturer to further the develop and refine the music industry. Each instrument in their lineup is specifically designed and meticulously crafted to deliver a specific performance profile to the musicians most likely to use it. At times, this might seem confusing as Yamaha will use different designs and materials for different models simply to create the specific sound and touch they are looking for. Thus, Yamaha instruments require broad consideration when compared with other brands. You can’t just pick out a component or two. You have to compare the overall intent of the instrument and it’s ability to deliver that intent to a potential buyer. …and this brings us to the Truth about the Yamaha GB1K Baby Grand Piano:
It’s the best designed, best engineered, and best built five foot baby grand piano on the market.
Clearly, that’s an opinion, but let’s look at the facts I use to reach that conclusion…
Yamaha has maintained a state-of-the-art piano factory near Jakarta, Indonesia, for over 40 years. The machinery, designs and training for this plant all come from Japan.
Yamaha’s 40-year old piano factory in Indonesia (located just outside of Jakarta) is state-of-the-art. They use the same machines as the factory in Japan and cross-train their workers to maintain the highest level of quality. Remember, it’s the company of origin and not the country of origin that makes the most difference. Yamaha makes the soundboards for all of their pianos (including the GB1K) in Japan and then ships the GB1K soundboards to Indonesia to be installed with the rest of the components made in their Indonesian plants. Think about that for just a moment. Yamaha’s construction process is so precise that wooden components can be made in one factory and installed in another without modification. Because Yamaha is 100% vertically integrated (meaning they own and control everything from the forest to the factory), they can take advantage of local woods and labor in Indonesia without compromising the quality or performance of their pianos. This is one way Yamaha can make a superior baby grand piano at a very competitive price.
In order to achieve it’s designated sound profile, the Yamaha GB1K uses very specific, high-quality woods. Again, because they have a plant in Indonesia, Yamaha has access to many great woods at a much lower cost. In fact, as of March, 2022, Yamaha has switched the wood they use to make the GB1K’s rim. Both the new rim and the old rim are made from high quality hardwoods (part of Yamaha’s formula to produce a specific sound in their five foot baby grand piano), but the nyatoh wood Yamaha used to use isn’t as available in the quantity or quality Yamaha needs so they have begun using sapele (a wood often found in acoustic guitars) in its place. The sapele woods have a darker, richer look, but produce the same sound Yamaha wants for its GB1K.
Here workers from Yamaha Indonesia build a grand piano rim – exactly to Yamaha’s global specifications.
Other manufacturers like to criticize Yamaha’s decision to use nyatoh or sapele rims when other manufacturers have chosen maple. They might criticize the GB1K’s rim thickness or music rest… but doing so misses the larger point: Yamaha made the GB1K this way on purpose. Unlike other manufacturers who simply design one large piano and then use the same features (with different scale designs) on all the smaller models, Yamaha takes the time and care to build a specific tonal recipe for every model. Every aspect of the piano was specifically designed to work in harmony to make this smaller grand perform like a much larger and more expensive instrument. For example, the sapele rims give a warmth and richness to Yamaha’s GB1K. With a maple rim, the piano would be louder and brighter – something today’s baby grand buyers won’t appreciate. The rim thickness is perfect for this piano as well. It provides the sound transfer, power and stability that Yamaha is known for around the world – without requiring overly thick and rigid rims. The GB1K is perfectly designed for its character and purpose – whether playing classical music or jazz. It gives you the control to make any kind of music really shine!
Yamaha designed this piano to have the richness of a piano that is six or eight inches longer. The bass is full and resonant with clarity (even in the extreme lower register!) while the mid-range has a beautiful singing quality. The upper register is bright with a wonderful sustain, but not choppy or harsh. Overall, it’s a clear and balanced sound that allows for unlimited expression.
Made to fit a certain sound and customer profile, the purpose-built Yamaha GB1K is a magnificent baby grand piano.
In the many years I’ve been selling Yamaha pianos I’ve seen people shop around for less expensive pianos but end up spending more for a Yamaha because, quite simply, they are worth it. Yes, the GB1K costs more than some other brands and may have a feature or two that someone else can argue about, but the fact is: Yamaha purpose built this piano to sound and feel exactly the way it does… and – considering it’s one of the most successful selling baby grand pianos we’ve ever seen – I’d say they did a pretty good job!
As for you, for something you are going to have as long as a piano – I always say it’s better to spend more than you wanted than less than you should. Reward yourself. You never regret getting the best. Check out the Yamaha GB1K online or – better yet – stop in and see one for yourself. There’s nothing like the real, in-person Yamaha Experience. See you soon!
Does, or how does, Yamaha climatize (high humidity) a GB1 piano made in Indonesia for a high desert climate (low humidity) in a home in America? I know this is considered, but I’m interested
in learning the details of how this is accomplished. Thank you.
Hi, George, and thank you for this great question. It’s a common misconception that “Seasoned for Destination” refers to different climate zones (deserts, tropics, etc.). That’s not what the process is designed for. Yamaha (and others) don’t prepare their pianos to exist outdoors – they prepare their pianos to thrive indoors… and that’s where we Americans often get confused. See, in America, we heat and cool our homes with forced air. …and one built-in side effect of forced air climate control is dryness. Thus, the air inside American homes is considerably dryer than the air inside homes in Europe or Asia where they use convection heating (radiators, etc.) or evaporative cooling systems (“swamp coolers” and the like). This is why Yamaha had such a hard time breaking into the US during the early 70s. At the beginning, Yamaha was drying their wood to 13% moisture content (just as they had for their European and Asian clients). It was a disaster. The pianos immediately had problems with tuning stability, soundboard cracks and a myriad of other service issues. …and they weren’t alone. Japanese-built pianos quickly earned a reputation for being problematic in the US. It wasn’t until the late 70s that Yamaha took their cue from Steinway (who dries their piano wood to 6% moisture content) and began to season their pianos for American homes. “Seasoned for Destination” was born. I know there are a ton of less informed (or less-than-honest) piano retailers out there who love to mock this important process. …but you don’t have to take my word for it. Yamaha has written about this as well. Click here to read that article. I hope this answers your question. Thanks for stopping by!
Also, Yamaha has written quite a bit about their piano wood processing. Click here to read more about that. Click here to read about tonewoods for Yamaha pianos.
Thanks for the explanation, James. It should be said that, despite being manufactured from wood presumably dried to 13% moisture for the Japanese market, our 1970 G2 has never had a crack in the soundboard, nor separation of any kind from the frame. Despite its more than a half-century of use, our piano still has all of its original components, and sounds very good, considering. Some worn bushings, sure, but that’s to be expected. I highly recommend Yamaha pianos, and when we finally replace ours, it will again be with a Yamaha.
Hi, Kurt, and thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your point of view, but I think it’s very important for anyone else reading your comment to understand a few things. 1) You live in Massachusetts. I live in Arizona – the 49th dry-est state in the Union. Part of the reason you may have been able to get away with a grey market Yamaha all this time is because your state has a much more moderate climate. 2) Another reason you may have been able to get away with having a grey market piano so long is because of the way you maintain your home’s internal climate. 3) You could just be lucky. Nobody says that every grey market piano will have major problems, but many of them do. That’s why Yamaha created their “Seasoned for Destination” program. They wouldn’t spend the money to do this if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. Yamaha has written about this extensively and it’s important that we understand your situation is the exception – not the rule. That said, I am thrilled you love Yamaha pianos as much as we do! Thanks for stopping and best wishes!
Does the GB1k S3 have the same action as a GC1 and GC2 ?
Hi, David. Thank you for your question. The answer is no. Though the actions are similar, the GB1K, the GC-1 and the GC2 are designed with different hammers and other action components that create a unique sound profile for each model. Would the average player notice much difference in the action itself? Probably not. …but – unlike other manufacturers – Yamaha designs each model to have a specific sound profile that appeals to that model’s target client. Other piano builders just build one design and scale it down (from the largest piano to the smallest) with the same feature set. Yamaha’s approach is more targeted (and expensive). Hope that helps! PS – If you meant to ask about the GB1K-SC3 Silent Piano, it also has a very slightly different action. You can learn more about that in our video: https://youtu.be/oPHivfs6ov0?si=O5AHEk1AUZihtz4l Yamaha Silent Pianos are designed to automatically compensate for the lost motion that happens when you engage the stop rail. This just means they play as expected with or without the silent system engaged. This is where Yamaha’s “Quick Escape System” comes into play. Otherwise, they have the same action as their acoustic-only counterparts.
Thank you James for this fast reply
James, I own a stunning ing 1987 Yamaha C3 in NYC and sit in a smalls jazz club and was at Emmet Cohens apt on 141 recently for his Monday blazing jazz. –
I picked up a second home in Naples and do to size of room went with the GB1K J with S3 silent system – The piano is an incredible feat for yamaha regarding the action and sound for 5 feet, with the headset the sound is mind-blowing. For a jazz player who needs a beefy action like my NYC C3 I would recommend this piano to any new or serious player who will be doing hours.
Since it was a tree 4 years ago it will obviously take a year or 2 to settle, but for 18k this is imho the steal of a deal for anyone who needs a stunning look, feel, small footprint workhorse
When I upgrade it will be with you – Thank you!!!!
Hi again and thanks for this info! That’s awesome! If you ever get to Phoenix, let us know. We’d love to hear you play! (We’re huge jazz fans here. I play 20s and 30s style swing piano and my coworker plays blues and southern rock.) …but yes. The Silent GB1K SC3 system is truly fantastic. It’s fast and controlled, but surprisingly beefy for a small piano. Of course, we’d all prefer a C3, but – with limited space – you can’t go wrong with your Silent GB1K! Thanks for stopping by and best wishes!
Can you recommend someone to check and tune my Yamaha 1/2 grand. I recently moved to a new location
Thank you very much!!
8240 Manderville lane
Dallas, 75231
Hello and thanks for stopping by. We don’t have any recommendations for specific technicians, but you might check the Fort Worth chapter of the Piano Technician’s Guild. They should be able to help. Best of luck to you!
Dear Riverton,
Would you be so kind as to explain to me what are the differences between the Yamaha GB1 and GB1 K pianos?
Thank you for your kindness and best regards
Jose
Hello, Jose. Thanks for stopping by. The GB1 is an older version of Yamaha’s GB1K baby grand. They were the same size and targeted the same buyer. Over the years, Yamaha has changed a number of design features based on consumer feedback. One good example is that the inner rim was recently upgraded to a superior breed of mahogany. They also upgraded the hammer cores, improved the hammer tails and changed the felt formula. …but none of this stuff is definitive. All of these changes are minor improvements. Yamaha doesn’t give us an exact list of upgrades so I’m afraid we can’t give you a comprehensive answer. We can only say that the GB1K is an upgraded version of its predecessor made for the modern baby grand piano shopper. Hope that helps!
Hi James,
Thank you for the great explanation about the Yamaha GB1K. I wondered if you could tell me how it compares to the slightly larger styles, the C1X and the GC1? I am leaning towards the GB1K mainly due to space and budget, but wondered if I’d be disappointed not to go a little larger? Would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you!
Hi, Britney! Thanks for stopping by. I can tell you some differences between the three pianos, but the real difference will be which one you prefer. The GB1K is built in Yamaha’s 40+ year old Indonesian plant (the GC1 and C1X are built in Japan). Some folks like to make a big deal out of this, but I don’t. Yamaha has been building great pianos here for decades and the Indonesian craftspeople are regularly cross-trained with their Japanese team. To me, this isn’t a big deal… especially since ALL Yamaha grand soundboards (including the GB1K’s) are built in Japan. In fact, the differences between the GB1K and the GC1 are subtle. The GC1 is 3″ longer – giving slightly more tone (especially in the bass). Because of it’s larger size, the GC1 has a thicker rim, longer string lengths, duplex scaling (for extra depth of tone), and small lid brace. These are great features to talk about, but they exist on the bigger piano primarily BECAUSE it’s bigger. These features would be largely lost on a 5′ baby grand. That’s why Yamaha chose not to include them. The GC1 also has a full sostenuto pedal instead of a bass sustaining pedal… but – since nobody uses this pedal anyway, I think this isn’t a huge deal either. The one important difference between the GB1K and the GC1 is the music rest. The GC1 offers a traditional, adjustable music rest. The music rest on the GB1K is fixed. That is something you’re likely to use, but is it worth the entire upgrade price? Absolutely not. In short, the GC1 is a nice piano, but I don’t see much value in it. We stock the GB1K and the GC2… because that’s where you really start to see the upgrades make financial sense. As for the C1X, this is Yamaha’s concert version of the GC1… and, again, it’s a hard sell for me. Yamaha lists the following “upgrades” from the GC1: “X-Series Scale” (This just means the C1X is designed to have a different sound profile than the GC1 – You’ll have to decide which one you prefer.), “Ivorite Key Tops – White Keys” (This is a textured synthetic ivory. The G-Series grands just use a resin key top.), “WPC Black Key Surfaces” (Wood Plastic Composite black keys don’t scratch and wear like wood does. …and, unlike standard plastic black keys, they are textured to prevent finger slipping, etc.), “Locking Lid and Fallboard” (You’ll never use this once.), “Vertically Laminated Treble Bridge” (This is supposed to transfer sound more a little more efficiently than solid wood.), “3 Lid Prop Positions” (vs. 2 on the other grands), “Lid Prop Safety Top” (This helps prevent having someone put the lid prop in the wrong place and having it slip out and crash down – something that almost never happens anyway.), “German Piano Wire” (…instead of Asian.), “German Hammer Felts” (This is the one feature that will change the piano’s tone a bit. This felt combo was chosen specifically for the C1X to maximize it’s performance.), “0.5-Inch Longer Strings” (I’m not kidding. They actually list that.)… so you can see that these features – while honest “upgrades” from the home series – don’t make a huge difference in the way the piano plays (with the exception of the hammer felts and MAYBE the German piano wire). Considering the price differences between these models, I think you’ll be hard pressed to justify the upgrade. As always, though, we recommend you play a few pianos and find the one that most speaks to you. Technical differences like these are easy to talk about, but – depending on your taste, style and budget – they can mean very little in the final scheme of things. I hope that helps! Thanks again for your question and best of luck to you!
So much great information, James! All valuable insight that I haven’t been able to find anywhere else, so thank you very much for taking the time to break each option down. It sounds like you feel you can’t go wrong with the GB1K, as far as getting the biggest bang for your buck. Is that an accurate statement? One last question. Can you tell me how you feel about the “silent” GB1K vs. the regular GB1K? Is the silent option considered a hybrid? I love the idea of being able to plug in headphones and cancel the sound when needed. Any other great features you think are worth this upgrade with the silent piano? I believe you can record your playing to listen back. Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you so very much!
It’s my pleasure! We always enjoy helping people sift through the overload and find the *important* considerations in their piano search. As the GB1K is Yamaha’s best-selling grand piano (by far) – followed by the GC2 – I would say you definitely can’t go wrong with a GB1K. It’s a Yamaha. Of course it’s going to be great! As far as the Silent feature goes, we are HUGE fans here at Riverton. Silent pianos are, technically speaking, hybrid pianos as they include components from acoustic pianos and digital technology. As a student, I used to struggle to find practice time at home (my mom had a home office, my dad worked outside the home and I was in about every extra-curricular activity you can imagine) so I would have given my left arm for a Silent Piano! Hahaha. Here’s a video we did on the technology (It features an upright piano, but it’s the same system): https://youtu.be/oPHivfs6ov0?si=H1bMn4G58m8CzBE8
Wonderful. Thank you for all of the great information!
Hi James, your comments on yamaha grands are always extremely useful and insightfull, many thanks!
I was wondering if you could please tell us as well a bit more on how is the feel with the GB1 action versus the ones of the more expensive and larger GC1/GC2?
We expect the GC action to feel more satisfying overall the GB for being the superior models. Are you please able to express with some words that improvement or difference? Is also the action of a quite larger yamaha grand always somewhat heavier than the one of a much smaller yamaha model?
Many thanks!
Hi, Vincent, and thank you for contacting us. First, you should know that Yamaha is different than every other piano builder in the world. Due to their massive R&D budget – and the huge team of folks they have working on piano designs around the world – Yamaha doesn’t build their models the way others do. Other manufacturers start with their biggest grand piano first. They design the heck out of it and put all the best features on it. Then – as they scale down to smaller pianos – they “cut corners” to achieve the price point they want their smaller pianos to reach. Yamaha, on the other hand, designs and builds a specific sound and touch profile for every model grand piano they make. With over 150 years of research and development under their belt – and the largest artist roster in the world – they have access to performance feedback on every model they make… and they can afford to engineer each model to fit the sound and touch profile that most appeals to the customer who typically buys that piano. Thus, the GC-1M and the GC-2 have completely different sound profiles. They perform quite differently. This is also true of a C2X and a C3X… or an S5X and a S7X. There’s no single “Yamaha Sound” or “Yamaha Touch.” It’s different on every model. Thus, yes. The GB1 plays slightly differently than the GC-1M or GC-2… but that’s by design… and the GC-1M and the GC-2 play differently as well! …and the most satisfying piano to play will always be the biggest, highest-tier Yamaha you can afford. However, the GB1K plays beautifully and feels just as good as a GC-1M. I think the GC-2 is more fun to play… but it should be… it’s twice the price (and 8″ bigger)! I tell my clients this: “If we had our way, we’d sell everyone a 9′ Bosendorfer grand. …but that doesn’t fit everyone’s home or budget… so we have to compromise. The trick is to find a piano you will love to play for decades at a price that doesn’t break the bank. Be prepared to spend more than you might want…. but never less than you should. Chances are, you’ll only buy one.” I hope that helps! Thanks for your question!
Great James, thanks again for your detailed feedback.
You said that GC2 is expectedly even more satisfying to play than GB1, as it should for the great price difference. Soundwise it is easy to understand: GC2 is much bigger than GB1.
As per the action touch, how would you please explain that better fun? GC2 action might be lighter, more fluid, and maybe making it also even easier to control the strength? Would this properly describe your experience?