Hailun 150SE vs Yamaha GB1K
Buying an affordable piano from a famous piano brand is similar to buying an affordable German car. Cheaper pianos from Yamaha look like Yamaha pianos because YAMAHA in gold lettering is proudly stamped on the fallboard. The GB1K says “Yamaha Pianos” on the soundboard, vacuum-processed plate, and even has a vague similarity in sound compared to other Yamaha models. This is where any resemblance quickly ends. Yamaha does not offer a quality cheap piano, despite being priced significantly higher than pianos of comparable size and build quality from entry-level companies, such as Pearl River or Samick. Many customers have no clue that a venerable brand, such as Yamaha, would choose to build their cheapest piano at a significantly lower standard than any other piano model in their product lineup. Going back to the car analogy, Mercedes-Benz is famous for their motto “the best or nothing” but they compromised significantly in producing the laughable entry-level CLA; a vehicle sporting more road noise than a Honda Civic, with front real drive and sloppy handling. Today, Yamaha is very comparable to Mercedes-Benz. Neither company is the cheapest nor most exclusive, yet both retain an elite status in their given industry. But is a prestigious name worth purchasing an expensive lackluster product? We’ll be comparing the Yamaha GB1K to the Hailun 150SE. Without slinging mud by saying “This piano sounds more amazing to my ears” or “This piano comes from a company with an unbeatable reputation” we will simply compare the cold raw facts: the actual materials, design, and construction of both pianos.
The Hailun 150SE
- Hard Rock Maple Inner and Outer Rim
- Röslau music wire
- German hammer felt (cold pressed hammer heads)
- Under-felted hammers
- Duplex scaling with brass aliquot bars
- North Austrian Alpine solid spruce soundboard (solid with a spruce meniscus coating for durability)
- Thick, sand-cast iron plate
- Solid brass pedals with middle pedal sostenuto
- Fully adjustable music rack
- All European hardwood case construction (no particleboard anywhere)
Yamaha GB1K
- Luan mahogany inner and outer rim from the Philippines (rim is noticeably thin)
- Middle pedal is a useless “bass sustain”
- Hammers are not under felted and chemically treated, not cold pressed like quality pianos
- Vacuum-processed plate is super thin and creates unwanted overtones
- No duplex scale
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Particle board (lid, front rail, and music desk/rack assembly
