Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Kawai GE-30 or Boston GP-178?

Although I am new to the piano forum I have been reading some of your posts as I've searched for my dream piano and have seen that there is plenty of wisdom here and for that reason I would like to seek your advice. It has been some two months or so since I started looking for my dream piano. Originally I fell in love with the sound and touch of Boston GP-156 which got sold before I was able to come up with the money and lately I have came across Kawai GE-30 5'5 and Boston GP-178 5'10. Kawai is 2003 and can be purchased for low 8k where Boston is 1997 and can be purchased for $1000 more. Originally I stayed away from the Boston GP-178 because I just dared not spend that kind of money but soon realized that the only way I'll be happy with the instrument is if I buy a great quality instrument. I've played them both and loved them both still I'd like to know what would some you do in my place. I guess in this type of economy I'd also like to ask which of these two would hold their value best some 5-10 years from now in case I need to sell it down the road so to make my house payments. Thanks a lot. Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Bruno

I think the Boston is more piano for you money and will be more satisfying in the long run.
You need to play on it everyday so only your fingers and ears are the best judge...

Pianos are expensive, great pianos even more. If you buy the right one it will last you a long time. Otherwise you might change and that can in the end cost the most money!

Good luck

I like the GE-30, it's a fine piano and $8,000 for a 5-6 year old one is a pretty good price. However, the Boston is 5 inches longer. I've always found the sonic difference between a 5'5" instrument and a 5' 10" instrument much greater than the difference between 5'10" and 6'+.

To really know whether that's the case with these instruments play and listen carefully to the bass, especially the low bass. Which sounds tubby? Can either produce real oomph in that range. I suspect the Boston will outperform the Kawai in this. The age difference between the two isn't that great, the Boston has many of decades of life still in it. If the Boston sounds better buy it. If you can't hear a difference between the two buy the less expensive piano.

That is a great price for a 5'10 Boston and well worth the 1k difference from the GE-30 (assuming both pianos are in fair condition). IMO this is a no brainer.

The Boston will certainly wear and last longer.. of course this is what one would expect as its nearly twice the cost as the GE-30 new.

You can take this one to the bank . . . if you're a Steinway/Boston dealer.

This isn't a point of opinion. Even the Oh Holly Grail of pianos, says the GE series uses inferior materials compared to the Boston (or RX for that matter).

I'm not stating that it would be impossible for someone to prefer a GE-30 over a GP-178 either but if you think that the GE will last longer and wear better then a Boston or RX or C yamaha then you are kidding yourself.

I think this is a close call. The Kawai has the Millenium action, the lower price and is newer.

The Boston is a slightly better build, longer, but older and more expensive.

Play them both again. You won't be making a mistake either way.

Thank you on your replies. Although I did say that I've played both of the pianos the GE-30 I originally played was brand new at a local dealer's store and not the 2003 I went to see yesterday. After playing the 2003 which had a very beautiful sound in the upper register I've noticed that the difference between the two was rather big. The 2003, although having a very beautiful sound in the upper register was very mushy sounding in the bass. The action was very heavy, still very precise. The seller, who appears to be very anxious to sell as he is moving out of the country mentioned that the piano has been purchased brand new and barely played by his young daughter and has been tuned some two years ago last time and so I wanted to ask if lack of playing or lack of tuning could do this an instrument, that is make the bass sound week and make the action feel heavy? Also could a piano tehnician make the action lighter and how much would something like that cost?

Thank You

Bruno