Yamaha M500S - Acoustic Upright > Reviews > IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE, PLAY ON.

Author's product rating:   

Appearance	5
Quality of sound	superb
finish and cabinetry	excellent
Playability	very playable
Value for money	excellent

Advantages:	Craftmanship at a reasonable price .
Disadvantages:	None .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I thought that I would extol the virtues of the Yamaha 500S as I have been a proud owner and player of this piano for some time, and feel that it merits a good word.

DIMENSIONS.

This piano is 44" high which is less than standard pianos but is more aesthetically pleasing to the eye, 58" wide, and has a depth of 23 inches.

WEIGHT - 475 LBS.

FINISH - The finish on mine is Sheraton Mahogany, and instead of the ply finish that I have experienced with other pianos, the wood is seasoned timber and solid, and built to last.

LOOKS

From a looks point of view, this piano is a little shorter than European standards, but to my mind is far more pleasing to the eye. It has a music stand that is beautiful, shaped almost like an open book of music, although more rounded, and it has three pedals. I always joke about the middle pedal being the "go faster" pedal, although this is one of the nicer features of the piano, and as for looks, well the pedals are a nice shiny brass. The looks of the keyboard are standard ones, although here it is interesting to note that Yamaha have used spruce for their keyboard instead of the old traditional ivory, and having done their homework, found that the lightness of the wood means that the touch is light and that intricate music can be played with ease.

STRINGS

The base strings are solid copper wound strings and hard maple bridges have been used. I find the whole action of the strings to be better than traditional pianos and certainly the man who tunes the piano was impressed with their ease of tuning.

SO HOW DO YOU CHOSE A PIANO AND WHAT MAKES YAMAHA A GOOD OPTION.

When I chose a piano (and I have chosen three in my lifetime), i play both the bottom and top key on the keyboard to see if they produce a live sound, rather than a dead nothingness. Having established this, I then try playing the piano. All pianists have a different touch, and it is really a case of comfort. For me, I was a little dubious about buying a Yamaha as opposed to traditional makers that were well know, although on trying the keyboard, I was surprised to find myself totally comfortable with its touch and performance.

Yamaha have done their homework. They have improved on many of the setbacks that other pianos have had like their work on an aluminium alloy action rail which eliminates the differences in sound quality in differing temperatures.

SOUND

My piano is impressive, and the sound is light and classical, not at all tinny. To describe such richness of sound is like describing the difference between a player who has just learned Music School Technique and plays perfectly without putting emotion into their playing, and then listening to someone who uses their schooling but adds that little vitality because they have a passion for playing. It's like the difference between bland and superb. The Yamaha sounds superb.

UPKEEP OF PIANO

I have had my piano retuned only on moving house. It does seem to keep its tune rather well and although I used to tune it yearly, I am a little lazy and now only tune it when I feel it needs it.

To keep your piano like new, it really could not be simpler. Instead of building up a huge layer of wax on the piano, a damp cloth is sufficient for wiping the surfaces of the keys and the wood. I find that wax build up on a beautiful piece of furniture leaves a layer after years that hides the beauty of the wood. The lacquer finish does not need that hideous layer of polish on it, and looks good for always.

CONSTRUCTION

Yamaha have been in the business a long time. They take into account the kind of useage that a piano will have and their construction is second to none. Solid panels that keep their newness and last and last.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

I am impressed with the playability of the Yamaha, with the quality of construction, with the forethought that has gone into making this piano a leader in piano manufacture. Put all that together with good looks and style, ease of key use, and range of tones throughout the keyboard, soft pedal and sustaining pedal movement is first rate, and the practice pedal gives a wonderful dampered effect so that people in the same house do not have to suffer the noise of piano practice. This feature is particularly useful for practicing scales because there is nothing worse than listening to them for someone who does not play the piano. Press the silencing damper pedal into position, and the player is still able to hear sufficiently well to practice without the noise carrying.

I have no complaints with this piano at all and the keys are amazingly light to the touch without being too light, almost as if the piano were balanced especially for my touch, and I felt this from the first time that I played it.

Priced at £1,600 this may seem expensive to non musicians, although when you consider that the average life of a piano is over 50 years !!! this is not a bad price to pay.

To me the Yamaha sounds wonderful, plays superbly and compares favourably with other more well known makes.

Thank you for reading.