Best Keyboard Stand Reviews

So you have purchased a keyboard synthesizer, 88 key keyboard, 76 key keyboard, or 61 key keyboard, and now you are wondering what to do next!

What you are going to need is a best keyboard stand! You will learn about the best affordable keyboard stands and also the best quality keyboard stands. The keyboard stands featured here have carefully been selected, with regards to pricing and quality. The keyboard stands will have a price range from only 15 dollars to roughly 100 dollars.

What is also great about these stands is that they can easily be mailed to your home for a relatively low price, so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy reading about these best keyboard stands.

What you need to know about Keyboard Stands

Support – The strength of the keyboard stand is an important factor to consider. Say for example, you have a heavy keyboard synthesizer such as the Roland Fantom G8, you cannot just by any keyboard stand.

This bad boy weighs over 80 pounds! On top of that, it costs thousands of dollars for a high quality keyboard such as this. You do not want to have a wimpy keyboard stand that crushes underneath the pressure of this musical instrument.  Not only will you lose money from a broken and unusable keyboard stand, but you will also damage your beautiful keyboard synthesizer. You do not want that to happen!

For a keyboard such as this, you will need a sturdy keyboard stand that may be a little bit pricey, but it will definitely be a great investment.

A lighter and very affordable digital keyboard , such as the Yamaha YPG 235 keyboard that only weights 25 pounds, does not have a need for a very strong and expensive keyboard stand.

The keyboard stands at the price range of 15-30 dollars can support this keyboard very well.

Standing or sitting – Keyboard stands have adjustable heights, and you want to make sure you choose a keyboard that can easily change height and lock into place to maintain its position.

Keyboard stands tend to rock more when they are in a standing position, because of the distribution of weight with the shortened distance between the legs of the keyboard stand. If you plan on performing more often while standing, it is important to choose a more sturdy keyboard stand.

The keyboard stand can handle weight easier while in a sitting position because of the strength of the center of gravity that is created from having maximized space between the keyboard stand legs.

Here is a picture of legendary musician Jordan Rudess standing while playing on the keyboard.

Here is a picture of a musician playing the keyboard while sitting.

Durability – If you are constantly gigging, your keyboard stand will be traveling a lot! Also, it will face some wear and tear from the constant adjusting of height and resetting the keyboard stand position for packing. You will definitely need to purchase a strong keyboard stand if you are going to perform with it often.

If your keyboard stand will just stay at home in a fixed position, you can purchase a more affordable keyboard stand that will be able to carry the needs of your keyboard.

Best Keyboard Stands from $15 to $100

The keyboard stands featured in this page are single tier keyboard stand. Do not confuse these keyboard stands from double tier keyboard stands or table top keyboard stands.

Stellar Labs Portable Keyboard Stand

This best portable keyboard stand is great because of its strength and low pricing! At only 15 dollars, you can have your very own keyboard stand that can carry your keyboard as you are playing.

Weighing at about seven pounds, this is also a best lightweight keyboard stand. If you plan on traveling light while gigging, then this keyboard is perfect for you!
With a length of 39 inches, this keyboard stand can adjust to heights that are comfortable for playing while standing and sitting! This keyboard stand can also be adjusted to a height of 26 inches for optimal seated playing.

Made from tube steel construction, this keyboard stand is very strong and durable. The Nonskid rubber floor protectors make sure that your floor will not be damaged by this keyboard stand.

With the many happy customer reviews on Amazon.com, you will be ascertain that this keyboard stand is a great purchase!

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

ChromaCast CC-KSTAND Double Braced X-Style Pro Series Keyboard Stand with Locking Straps

This ChromaCast keyboard stand is the absolute best selling keyboard stand on Amazon.com! It only cost around 25 dollars too! This product has received many purchases and an incredible number of happy customer reviews!

This best portable keyboard stand weighs only 6 pounds! This allows for easy transportation and light travel.

With the double bar support, this keyboard stand contains great strength and support even though it weighs so little. This affordable keyboard stand can hold up to 150 pounds.

With the bullet nose proof knobs, you can easily change and adjust the height of the keyboard stand.

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

Neewer Black Folding Solid Iron Double-Braced X-Style Keyboard Stand

This best digital piano stand from Neewer is made from 1-inch solid tubings made from iron. Weighing 5 pounds and with double x bracing, this product can hold up any reasonable sized keyboard with ease.

The non-slip rubber caps located on this keyboard stand help this product to lock in place and resist movement. 

The height adjustment uses a disk clutch, which gives this product 5 different quick height adjustments to choose from.

This product costs at around 30 dollars.

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com! 

Yamaha YKA7500 Professional Double X Style Keyboard Stand

The Yamaha YKA7500 is a 100 dollar stand (as can be seen from Yamaha’s website). However, on Amazon, you can purchase this amazing best keyboard stand for only 60 bucks!

This product weights 10 pounds is can adjust from heights 26 inches to 38.5 inches.

With the spring action hand lever, you can change the height of this keyboard stand to six different positions with ease!

The layout on the top of this keyboard stand provides extra support and grip of your keyboard, so you can rest assured that your keyboard will stay in place.

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com! 

Ultimate Support IQ-3000 X-style Keyboard Stand

If you have a professional workstation such as the Roland Fantom G8 (mentioned in the beginning of this article), then this is the best keyboard stand for you!

The Ultimate Support IQ-3000 can hold up to 300 pounds. Weighing about 20 pounds, this product can easily hold the heaviest keyboard synthesizers that are out there!

With the memory lock knob, this keyboard stand can remember your preferred height for the stand and can open to that height each time.

This best portable keyboard stand can also adjust to nine different height positions!

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com! 

Reasons to buy a digital upright piano

Digital upright pianos imitate the look and feel of an acoustic upright piano, such as this one:

They also had added features, such as different sound effects, internal metronome, and transposition, that are not featured in an acoustic upright piano.

The newest models of digital upright pianos are superior in the fact that they feel and sound just like a real piano! There are also certain reasons to look at for purchasing a digital upright piano. By reading the following, you will gain an understanding of the good reasons to buy a digital upright piano.

Cost  – Generally, a good quality upright piano usually starts at around 3000 dollars. With the additional cost of maintenance fees, such as tuning and key repairs, you will also spend extra money to keep an acoustic upright piano in shape. The best upright piano featured in this article costs a little more than 3000 dollars, but is in many ways superior to an acoustic upright piano. You also will not have to spend so much money on repairs and maintenance fees. It is also an excellent decision to buy a digital upright piano if you are a beginner, and you can experiment to see if you would later want to invest more money into buying a high quality acoustic piano.

Privacy – Acoustic pianos are loud, and can be frustrating for neighbors to hear! If you live in a setting where you need to practice in silence, then a digital upright piano is the right type of piano to purchase. You can use the headphone jack in the electric upright piano so you do not disturb others as you are playing!

6 Best Digital Upright Pianos

These best electric upright pianos were chosen based on price, affordability, quality, and customer satisfaction. Please take a thorough read through each best electronic upright piano to learn more about the digital upright piano you may purchase!

Roland 

As of 2019, Roland has 5 different series of digital upright pianos. Let’s take a lot at each of them!

Roland LX Series

The Roland LX is the most expensive Roland digital upright pianos.

Features:

• Authentic feel of a real piano with ebony/ivory feel and superb keyboard action
• Bluetooth speaker system
• SuperNATURAL Piano Modeling technology – sound is created by the instrument and not from a sample

Personally, I feel that this feels like a real acoustic piano, and has superb sound. I really enjoy this piano!

You can see a recording of Liszt’s La Campanella on the Roland LX 17 here:

Roland HP

Features include

• Headphones 3D Ambience – special audio setting for optimal headphone experience
• Wood sides on weighted keys
• Bluetooth capability

You can see a comparison between the Roland HP and LX here:

Roland DP

Roland really outdid itself with this high quality digital upright piano.

The keyboard on the Roland DP 90SE has Escapement, which really gives it an authentic piano feel. Other digital piano keyboards that do not feel quite realistic usually do not have the escapement feature. The escapement is the heart of piano keyboard action, and without it, you are left with a clumsy feeling keyboard. The keyboard also has a Ivory Feel, so your fingers will really have the sensation of playing on an authentic piano.

With Note Voicing, a controller in the Roland system that allows you to change volume, pitch, and tone for each piano key, you will have supreme control over the instrument.

This keyboard is also compatible with Roland’s Apple apps.

By clicking on this link for the Roland DP – 90SE, you can read more about this excellent digital upright piano and even watch video performances on it from the Roland website.

You can also watch this demo of the Roland DP – 90SE –

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

Roland RP

This Roland digital upright piano has teaching functionality! With its low pricing, this digital upright piano is very good for beginners!

The Roland RP series is the most affordable Roland digital upright piano.

Features:

• Use with Piano Partner 2 app with bluetooth connection.
• Weighs around 80 lbs.

Click here for Reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

Roland F

The Roland F Series digital uprights are the most compact uprights in the Roland series.

Features include:

•  Progressive Hammer Action (PHA-4) Keys and feel of Ivory.
• SuperNATURAL Piano sound engine
• Bluetooth connection

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

Yamaha Clavinova

The Yamaha Clavinova series of digital upright pianos are a classy and luxuries series. In comparison to the Arius Series, these upright digital pianos are of a higher quality and are pricier.

There are 3 type of Clavinova pianos, the CLP, the CSP, and the CVP.

Let’s look briefly at each group!

Yamaha CLP

It features GrandTouch Keyboard action that has similar keyboard weights used in Yamaha grand pianos for a very realistic feel.

Uses 300W Spruce Cone speakers. Yes, the speakers contain Spruce Cone Wood, the same wood used in Yamaha acoustic pianos.

Yamaha CSP

The Yamaha CSP are trainer pianos. This means they are built with instructional aids, such as light up keys.

The CSP 170 is the higher quality of the two. It has wooden keys, more powerful speakers and amplifier.

The CSP 150 is the most affordable Yamaha CSP Clavinova. The keys are made of plastic.

You can see a review of the Yamaha CSP here:

Yamaha CVP

The CLP is the most quality of the Clavinova series. The reason why it is placed at the bottom of the Clavinova series is because of the pricing. At this price range, I personally recommend going for an acoustic piano.

This piano series

Some key features are:

• NWX  or Natural Wood X keyboard. The keyboard has escapement as well!
• Keys made of synthetic ivory for realistic feel

Yamaha Arius 

Yamaha offers a few different series of digital piano uprights. We will be looking at the series set at intermediate pricing and is the most affordable.

The Yamaha Arius is a very well known and popular digital upright piano. The Yamaha Arius is the most affordable digital piano series of Yamaha. As of 2019, there are 10 different models of the Arius digital upright pianos.

The YDP stands for “Yamaha Digital Piano”.

Consider looking at these digital uprights if you were originally planning for a used acoustic upright.

Yamaha Arius YDP 103

The Yamaha Arius YDP 103 is the most affordable Yamaha Arius. Consider buying this if your budget is under 1000 and you really want a digital upright piano.

Features include:

• Graded Hammer Standard Keys. These keys are weighted and the weight is different depending on the note.
• Half sustain pedal

With a 6W Amplifier, this best digital keyboard will not produce much sound. I recommend using headphones with this keyboard.

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

Yamaha Arius YDP162B

The Yamaha Arius YDP-162 has Graded Hammer action that is weighted to emulate the action of a real acoustic piano. The Synthetic Ivory keys also gives this best digital upright piano the feel of a high quality acoustic piano.

With Yamaha’s PureCF Sound Engine, this digital piano reproduces a very realistic piano sound. Yamaha created this sound engine by capturing audio from their concert grand pianos.

The Acoustic Optimizer in the Yamaha Arius enriches the overall sound by adjusting frequency and resonance. The 128 polyphony also helps with creating a rich and powerful sound.

You can read more about the Yamaha Arius YDP-162 on Yamaha’s website.

Watch this expert review by Adam Berzowski of the Yamaha Arius YDP162

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com! 

Artesia DP-7 Deluxe Digital Upright Piano

The Artesia DP -7, a best digital upright piano by Virgin Musical Instruments has a beautiful cabinet finish design.

Virgin Musical Instruments has several other digital upright pianos that may be worth your time to look at.

This Artesia digital upright piano has weighted keys with excellent response so you can have sensitive playing with this musical instrument.

The internal metronome in this digital piano allows you to choose from many time signatures, such as 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, etc and many different tempos for quality practicing.

There is a USB port to plug in other devices such as a phone.

This device also has a keyboard split function, in which one side of the keyboard can have one sound effect, and the other side of the keyboard has another. The transposition feature allows you to easily change keys while playing.

The power safe mode is another excellent feature. If you forget to turn off this instrument after playing it, the instrument will turn itself off, which allows you to save a large amount of money from energy costs.

Watch this video to see a demonstration of the Artesia DP-7

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

MEDELI DP760K

The Medeli DP760K is superior from other digital upright pianos with its complex interface. With a LCD Touch Screen, you will be able to easily navigate through the 600 different sound effects that this instrument has to offer! There are also many features on the interface, such as transposition and drum effects, which gives this digital upright piano the same features of a high quality keyboard synthesizer!

You can see close up pictures of the Medeli DP760K here:

The Medeli DP760K also has an excellent recording feature, which allows you to record with a 16 track sequencer and make a large number of recordings. This is most ideal for serious musicians who wish to record their performances on this quality instrument

With the weighted keyboard K Tri Sensor Piano action and superior interface, you have a combination of a digital upright piano and synthesizer with the Medeli DP760K!

You can see a demonstration of the Medeli DP760K with this following video:

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

Williams Rhapsody 2

The Williams Rhapsody 2 digital piano is the most affordable digital piano on this list! This is an excellent starting piano for those who are beginning on the piano.

The Williams Rhapsody 2 has everything to need to play the piano – weighted keys, sustain and soft pedals, music stand, stereo speakers, and 64 polyphony. In addition, there are vibrato and modulation features which gives you more options to play with.

You can also choose from 12 different sound effects for a more interesting musical experience.

Also included is a USB/MIDI connection for phones and mp3 players, quarter inch jack, and head phone jack for private playing.

You can see this demonstration of the Williams Rhapsody 2 with this YouTube video:

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

Reasons to Buy a Digital Grand Piano

With the advent of technology, digital music instruments are becoming closer and closer to imitating the sound and feel of an acoustic instrument. While electronic music instruments offer some obvious advantages over acoustic instruments, such as with various sound effects, pitch bend, and other digital features, these instruments also has other not so obvious advantages.

With a digital grand piano, you will be able to have an affordable and beautiful grand piano in your home, workplace, or wherever you decide to place this digital grand piano. Some advantages of having a digital grand piano over an acoustic are as following:

Advantages of Having a Digital Grand Piano

• Affordability – According to Steinway and Sons, a good quality digital grand piano starts at around 2000 dollars, while a high quality, used (key word here is used) grand pianos start around 5000 dollars.
• Maintenance fees – From PyrSeas, the average cost of tuning an acoustic piano is about 100 bucks per hour. Piano tuners also recommend tuning pianos 2 – 4 times a year! Restringing a piano can cost up to 1500 dollars (Source). For inquiries about other repairs, such as soundboard, hammers, keys, etc, you can visit this website.

• Mobility – Grand pianos can weigh from 500 – 1200 pounds (Source). Also, grand pianos weighing more than 800 pounds should be moved by professionals. Grand pianos also need to use a piano dolly, which costs at least 200 dollars, to be moved. A digital grand piano weighs between 150-250 pounds, and can be moved with the help of a strong friend.
• Privacy – You can attach headphones with a digital grand piano, so you can practice without disturbing the people near you. This is excellent for those that live in apartment settings.

With this is mind, purchasing a grand piano is not only more expensive, but also comes with other fees to maintain the instrument.

For a digital grand piano, you will only have to make a one time payment (except for the occasional maintenance fee for a broken key, speaker, etc. which may or may not happen). You will never have to tune a digital piano, or worry about replacing the sound board.

5 Best Digital Grand Pianos

Kurzweil CGP220W 3-Foot Mini-Grand Piano

The CGP220W by Kurzweil  is the best digital piano you can find!

Of the thirteen series of digital grand pianos Kurzweil offers, the CGP is part of the Concert grand piano series, the highest quality digital grand pianos that this company offers.

It has authentic wooden Italian hammer keyboard, which allows this instrument to have the feel of a real grand piano.

It also has a midi recorder which can store up to 20 performances of your own playing.

While there is not a video review of this excellent model, there is a review on another of Kurzweil’s digital grand pianos, the MPG 200 (a high quality digital piano, but not as high quality as the CGP220)

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com! 

Suzuki MGD Series

Suzuki’s Digital Grand Pianos come in 4 different series:

MDG 300 – 2 – 4 feet in depth. The most affordable digital grand pianos of this series by Suzuki. This is good for smaller spaces. Speakers can connect wirelessly via bluetooth and can even be used as a stereo speaker system. Contains 6 speakers, 2 bass, 2 mid range, and 2 treble, which allows for a full and rich sound. Comes with accessories such as USB cable and matching bench.

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com! 

MDG 330 – Has an LCD Color Screen for easy navigation and 128 note polyphony synthesizer. Contains wheels as well for easy mobility.

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com! 

MDG 400 – This best electronic grand piano is larger in comparison to the MDG 300 and MDG 330. Consider buying this over the other digital grand pianos for aesthetic purposes.

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com! 

MDG 4000 – the highest quality digital grand piano that Suzuki has to offer. This is intended to be a serious instrument for performers to use. It has the feel of a real acoustic piano for a fraction of the price.

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

Each successive series is a larger digital grand piano and is of higher quality.

Watch this performance on a Suzuki MDG 300 digital grand piano:

Medeli Digital Grand 1000

Medeli Electronics was founded in 1983 in Hong Kong. They specialize in making acoustic pianos, keyboards, digital pianos, and digital drums.

Medeli offers 2 great different digital grand pianos, the Grand510 and the Grand 1000.

The Grand 1000 is the largest and highest quality digital grand piano by Medeli. It weights about 310 pounds. It has the real feel of an acoustic piano with its weighted keys and realistic pedals. It also has a 7 inch touch screen for displaying features.

Watch this video to see a demonstration of this Medeli digital grand piano:

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

Virgin Musical Instruments – Artesia AG-28 Micro Grand Digital Piano

Artesia is now owned by Virgin Musical Instruments.

The Artesia Ag-28 is great for its realistic features and low pricing.

With the built-in teacher feature, you can actually learn how to play the piano from this digital piano!

It also has play along accompaniment, so you can have a band playing with you as well!

Watch this expert review on the Artesia AG – 28 –

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

Williams Symphony Grand Digital Grand Piano

The Williams Symphony Grand  is a very affordable digital grand piano that is stylish, has weighted keys, and comes with a matching piano bench!

Williams makes 5 other digital keyboards, and this is their only digital grand piano.

This digital grand piano weights 270 pounds. Make sure to buy piano caster cups with this best electric grand piano as well!

Observe an extra review on YouTube of the Williams Symphony Grand here:

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

Choosing which piano to buy can be a hassle. There are many factors to consider such as size, acoustic vs digital, pricing, and upright vs. grand. If you want a piano that can fit in a relatively small space and is not too expensive, then an upright piano is the right way to go!

Quick History on the Upright Piano

According to musicologist Cesare Ponsicchi, the first known upright pianos were invented by Domenico del Mela (Source). The first upright piano is estimated to be made in 1739 (Source). It was essentially a grand piano with the strings and soundboard placed in a vertical direction instead of a horizontal direction.

Here is a picture of one of his original upright piano:

Notice how the strings do not run below the keyboard. Because of this, the Domenico pianos would reach very tall heights.

In Philadelphia in 1800, John Isaac Hawkins made drastic improvements to the upright piano. Calling it a “portable grand,” these instruments would cost around 250 dollars. In modern times, this would cost around 4,717 dollars (Source).

What made his pianos unique, in comparison to other attempts at making a solid upright piano, were the strings going all the way to the ground, use of iron in the frame of the piano (Alpheus Babcock would later make improvements on the frame of the piano using steel in 1825), and a suspended sound board which allowed for better resonance of sound.

Here is an example of one of his pianos:

7 Best Upright Piano Brands

Today’s upright pianos are made from steel frames, which are heavy but provides for a quality instrument. Good upright pianos generally start at around 3,000 dollars (source). If you are looking for a good upright piano that costs less, either look for a used upright piano or a digital piano.

The Best upright piano brand list include: Steinway Essex, Yamaha, Kawai, Wurlitzer, Kimball, Wurlitzer, and Baldwin.

The top 5 upright piano brands, in terms of popularity and quality, are mentioned in detail here.

Yamaha

Yamaha was founded by Torakusu Yamaha in 1897. He built his first reed organ ten years prior to the finding of this company. Since 1900, Yamaha begin its production of upright pianos. They have now been building quality upright pianos for over a hundred years, so you can be ensured that purchasing a Yamaha upright piano will be a great decision.

Yamaha is well known for building quality instruments for all levels of musicians, from beginning to concert artists. Their beginning instruments are well built and are made to be very affordable for the starting musician. They are among the best affordable upright pianos.

Yamaha upright pianos come in 6 different series :

B Series

B Series – Includes the b1, b2, and b3 upright pianos that cost between 4000 – 8000 dollars. The b1 is the smallest, and the b3 is the largest. These pianos are affordable and best suited for smaller spaces.  Click here to see the B1 piano

Watch this exclusive video by Yamaha for the B Series upright pianos:

Also, watch this video to see an excellent demo of the Yamaha B series pianos:

SU Series

SU Series – the highest quality of upright pianos offered by Yamaha. The SU7, currently the only upright piano for this series, can cost up to 40,000 dollars. This is around the same price range for a decent grand piano. Click here to see the SU7 piano.

Watch this video of a pianist on the SU7 piano of Yamaha:

YUS Series

YUS Series –  A very high quality series of upright pianos made by Yamaha. These pianos can cost between 15,000 to 20,000 dollars. There are 3 pianos in this series, the YUS1, YUS3, and YUS5 (why aren’t they just called YUS 1, 2, and 3, I do not know). Click here to see the YUS1.

Watch this expert review on the YUS Series upright pianos with this video:

U Series

U Series – Ideal for educational environments and advanced musicians. These pianos are durable, has an extra wide stand for holding sheet music, and produces a large amount of sound. Prices are usually between 11,000 – 15,000 (notice that the price of this available on Amazon is much cheaper!) The U1 and U3 upright pianos are a part of this series. Click here to see the U1 piano.

Watch this expert review on comparing the Yamaha U series upright pianos with each other:

P Series

P Series – Notable for its craftsmanship and wood design. These pianos cost between 7000-9000 dollars. The P22M and P660 upright pianos are a part of this series. Click here to see the P22m piano.

Watch Yamaha present their P series upright series with this video:

M Series

M Series – The best upright pianos for the money that Yamaha has to offer. A brand new M series piano can cost around 7000. The m560 is the only piano in this series. Click here to see it!

Watch a demonstration of this best upright piano here:

Steinway Essex

The Steinway Essex series includes 9 different upright pianos. These best acoustic upright pianos are made by the esteemed Steinway and Sons company.

The EUP-123S stands out from the rest of the Essex pianos, as it is more suited for professional use. Personally, I believe the difference between the other brands are very subtle, and decisions for choosing one of these pianos may only be based on aesthetic qualities.

These best sounding upright pianos are very affordable. From what I found online, there is not one upright piano that cost more than 10,000 dollars from the Essex series (please comment if you found an Essex upright that costs more than this). Unfortunately, Steinway’s website does not show the pricing for each individual instrument.

Watch this video to get an overall view of the Steinway Essex pianos:

EUP-123E

Click here to read more about the EUP-123E

Watch a demo of this best sounding upright piano here:

EUP-123FL

Click here to read more about the EUP-123FL

EUP-123CL

Click here to read morea about the EUP-123Cl

EUP-123S

EUP-123S – This model is recommended for those who plan to have performance with their upright pianos. This is the best professional upright piano by Steinway.

Watch a great expert review of this best acoustic upright piano with this video:

EUP-116FF

EUP-116FF – Formal French design. Includes an open rack and closed rack series.

EUP-116EC

EUP -116EC – English country design

Watch this professional review of the Steinway Essex upright piano here:

EUP-116QA

Click here to read more about the EUP-116QA

EUP-116CT

Click here to read more about the EUP-116CT

Kawai

Founded in 1927 by Koichi Kawai. This company has been producing fine pianos for over 40 years.

There are four different series of upright pianos with the Kawai brand. They are as following:

K Series Professional Uprights

K Series Professional Uprights – Includes 5 different pianos. The K-200, K-300, K-400, K-500, and K 800 (Why does Kawai skip 600 and 700, I do not know). The K-200 is estimated to cost around 6000 dollars, and each successive piano (K-300, K-400, etc) is of a higher quality and costs more as well.

Watch this great comparison of the K Series upright pianos:

Institutional Uprights

Institutional Uprights – Includes the 506N and and UST – 9 institutional pianos. These pianos are made to be of superior quality and affordability. The 506N generally cost around 3,500 (Source).

Watch an expert review on the UST 9 upright piano here:

Watch a pianist play on the 506N Upright piano:

Furniture Consoles

Furniture Consoles – or Decorator series.  Includes the 508 Decorator, 607 Designer, and 907 Designer pianos. These pianos are valued for their design.

Watch this expert demonstration of this best vertical piano here:

Continental Uprights

Continental Uprights – The Kawai K-15 is a part of this series. This upright piano has received a lot of attention for being the best priced upright piano in terms of quality. This best upright piano for beginners costs around 5000 dollars. Click here to read more about it.

Watch this great video with the Kawai K 15 here:

W. Hoffman

Hoffman upright pianos are made by C. Bechstein. Bechstein is a reputable German piano manufacturer that makes some of the best pianos. These affordable upright pianos are meant to not be too expensive, and are made in Germany.

T Series

The upright pianos in the T series are the T122 and the T128.

T128

The MSRP for a Hoffman T128 is around 16,000 dollars (source).

Features include:

•  Back made from medium hard pine
• Soundboard made of solid spruce
• Multiplex beech
• Sand cast plate
• Hardware of solid brass

In this video, you can watch Rachmaninov being played on a Hoffman T128:

T122

This upright piano by Hoffman is essentially the same as the T-128, but is smaller in size, and produces less sound.

MSRP of around 14,000 (source)

Here is a review of the Hoffman T122 upright pianos:

Baldwin

This company started in 1862 by Dwight Hamilton Baldwin. It is currently owned by Gibson.

Baldwin’s vertical pianos come in 3 series – The B, BH, and BP. All together, Baldwin produces 9 different vertical or upright pianos. These pianos cost between 8500 – 12500 dollars. You can see these prices here.

B Series

B series – Includes the B342, B442, B243, B49, and B252 vertical pianos. This series is the most popular series of Baldwin. The B243 is the most popular piano sold by Baldwin, with over 500,000 sells! The B252 is the best vertical piano of this series.

Watch a demonstration of the B342 upright piano here:

BP Series

BP Series – Includes the BP 1, BP 3, and BP 5. This series is known for the large amount of sound that they can produce. The BP 1 is known for being the smallest and most affordable of all the Baldwin upright pianos.

Take a listen to the BP 1 upright piano here:

BH Series

BH Series – The BH 122 is the only vertical piano of this series.

Watch a demonstration of this best upright piano here:

Zimmermann

Zimmermann is an upright piano brand made by C. Bechstein. They were acquired by Bechstein in 1992. Main production site is in China.

These upright pianos are meant to be inexpensive. They are more affordable than the W. Hoffman upright pianos, which are also made by C. Bechstein. In my opinion, the quality of these pianos are less than the W. Hoffmann. If your budget can’t handle a W. Hoffman, then I would recommend looking at these (or a Yamaha).

HZ 126

MSRP of around 9000 (source).

Features:

• Spruce soundboard that is laminated
• Solid wood ribs
• Laminated beech & maple pinblock
• Cast iron CNC
• Roslau strings
• Spruce & beech key frame
• European felt hammer

HZ 120

MSRP of around 8000 (source).

This piano is just like the Zimmermann HZ 120, but smaller and produces less quality sound.

Here is a review made by C. Bechstein on the Zimmermann pianos:

Wurlitzer

While being a well-known upright piano brand, most pianists will not recommend buying one of these pianos. The key action is either extremely light or horrendously heavy, and the sound that these pianos produces is quite awful.

This company began in 1853 by Rudolph Wurlitzer, a German immigrant. It was about thirty years later that they began to produce their first pianos.

Wurlitzer was bought by the Baldwin piano company in 1988. In 2009, Wurlitzer stopped producing pianos. The Baldwin piano company itself is currently owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation.

See a demonstration of a Wurlitzer upright piano here:

5 Piano Reviews from Amazon.com

These upright pianos can be bought on Amazon.com. It is highly recommended to physically test these pianos out at a local piano retailer before purchasing. Chances are, you will find a better price for these pianos on this page than at any piano store.

Yamaha U1

Being one of the earliest manufacturers of quality upright pianos since 1900 (Source), Yamaha has a long history of producing fine instruments.

This Yamaha upright piano features good key action and sound that is suitable for both beginning and advanced pianists. It is a solid instrument to build piano chops on.

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

Steinway Essex

This upright piano is made by Steinway, the world’s leader in producing quality pianos.

Words alone are lacking in describing this musical instrument. Watch this video to see a great demonstration of this fine instrument:

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com! 

Schiller Special Edition 45

This is one of the best upright pianos that you can find that costs under 4000 dollars when bought new.

Take a look at the other models of upright pianos that Schiller offers.

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

Suzuki

Suzuki is well known for making quality instruments for educational purposes.

Costing around 4000 dollars, it is quite affordable. Its beautiful and simple design makes this piano suitable for any environment.

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Kimball

Kimball has a long history of creating pianos. They were founded in 1857, and stopped producing pianos in 1996. You can read about some of their history here: https://www.chuppspianos.com/kimball-pianos/. They produce low to middle tier pianos that are very affordable.

While being well known for producing upright pianos, I personally am not a big fan of Kimball pianos. The key action is way too light and unresponsive, it goes out of tune very quickly, and does not produce a good sound.

This Kimball upright being features is a used upright piano, and is recommended for young beginners who wish to purchase an acoustic piano.

Here is an video example of a Kimball piano:

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!