IN STOCK: Boston 218 7ft 2in short concert or long domestic grand piano c1998.

[@marksmale827]

I tried new Bostons some 30 years ago when buying my first grand. I liked them a lot and thought them very good value for money, but not quite in the same league as top-tier pianos. Tried my first Shigeru Kawai recently and was blown away by the sensitivity of the touch. Didn't have time to assess tone quality properly but the little I heard was pleasingly warm and full.

[@RobertsPianos]

Thank you for your useful comment. According to our Kawai rep, the materials used on the Shigeru Kawai are the same as those used on the standard Kawai; the only difference is that it’s the top technicians who work on the Shigeru, also doing much more refinement of the touch and tone so as to make it extremely sensitive and even. It doesn’t make sense for the materials used on the Boston to be inferior, so it’s a matter of refining the touch and tone. 

You may read elsewhere that the Shigeru Kawai uses higher quality strings and hammers. However, this makes little sense as the price difference between lower and higher string and hammer quality is very small compared to the price difference of the instruments. When we restore pianos we also always use the best materials available. I hope that helps. Comments welcome! Marcus

[@marksmale827]

@@RobertsPianosThank you Marcus.

[@viktorpianist]

Wow, that brown Blüthner sounds amazing!

[@RobertsPianos]

Thank you for your comment about the Bluthner which is definitely one of the best we have had. I also made this video of some improvisation on it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a32zd4ykjp5siLc

[@mzimmerman90808]

I had one of these and now have a Shigeru Kawai SK7. Absolutely no comparison. The SK is leaps and bounds superior.

[@RobertsPianos]

Thank you for your comment. I haven't played this length of Shigeru so will try to find one to play soon. Marcus

[@CharlesLangSamuel]

Shigeru is the pride of the whole factory, bearing the founder’s name, and Boston is a contract job with different tonal and performance intentions for a country on a different continent and so I don’t see it making sense, nor do I see a need, to put them on equal footing. I think Steinway is wholly responsible for quality control and tonal intention as it is their product, but with Kawai they chose a manufacturer who is likely to meet their expectations for Boston as Steinway’s second brand. With a lot of the second brands, like Bechstein’s Hoffman etc, I have concluded that the tone is different not due to much lower manufacturing cost, but rather intentionally aimed toward a whole cultural milieu or way of thinking, but also to preserve the prestige of the top brand. The name Boston suggests they are giving a less internationalized American tone, maybe making sense for customers inclined toward certain sentimentalities or regional associations. I think maybe they could make the Steinway tone at the same price point but those same customers might think it’s harsh. I don’t mean to affect what price you might get for it and I don’t think I could, given that the Steinway family of products has a cult following (like really a cult . . . )

[@RobertsPianos]

Thank you for your comprehensive comment. As the above comment had some similarities I've left a reply there which I hope will help. Marcus