The Essex EUP-123 is the flagship, tallest professional studio upright piano within the Essex Piano Lineup. Marketed under the tagline "Designed by Steinway & Sons," Essex represents the most budget-friendly, entry-to-intermediate gateway into the Steinway brand family. 

To combine Steinway's design patents with accessible pricing, the EUP-123 is manufactured through an OEM partnership by the Pearl River Piano Group in Guangzhou, China, under the meticulous, on-site quality control of Steinway-trained technicians. Standing 48.5 inches (123 cm) tall, it serves as a direct competitor to the industry-standard Yamaha U1

 

• • Flagship 123 cm Scale Design: Standing at 48.5 inches tall, the EUP-123 provides a generous soundboard surface area and extended string lengths. This physics advantage allows it to project a deep, rich acoustic volume and strong bass presence that easily fills residential spaces and educational studios. 
  • Tapered Solid Spruce Soundboard: The heart of the piano is built entirely from high-grade, straight-grained solid spruce. Borrowing from Steinway’s legendary acoustic principles, the soundboard features a special tapered profile (varying in thickness). This allows the wood to vibrate much more freely at the edges, resulting in a stronger, fuller, and more resonant tone. 
  • Steinway Low-Tension Scaling: Unlike the highly rigid, punchy high-tension wires used in many Asian factory builds, the EUP-123 implements a Steinway-designed low-tension scale layout. Lowering the tension allows more lower harmonics to sing, giving the piano a distinctively warm, round, and European-inspired tone profile. 
  • Massive Staggered Back Posts: Looking at the rear of the cabinet reveals 5 massive solid spruce back posts. Instead of being placed equidistant apart, these posts are mathematically staggered—clustered tightly together where internal string tension is at its absolute highest. This provides superior structural longevity and phenomenal tuning stability. 
  • Traditional All-Wood Action: Rejecting the use of composite plastics or carbon fibers, the internal mechanical action is made exclusively from premium natural hardwoods bound to Steinway-specified geometry. This delivers a fast, responsive, and predictable touch weight favored by traditional classical players. 
  • The Steinway Promise: Purchasing a new or certified used Essex unlocks absolute financial security. If you decide to upgrade your EUP-123 to a brand-new, premium Steinway & Sons grand piano anytime within 10 years of purchase, Steinway will credit 100% of the original invoice value toward your new instrument. 

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