Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Kawai GX2 vs C Bechstein B190 original?

Hello everyone. I need some experienced help to make a tough decision.
I am 38 years old and consider myself a good pianist. I feel it is the time in my life to buy a grand piano. At the beginning of my search I was focused on buying only a Steinway, model O as far as possible for a question of dimensions of the place where the piano is going to be located, and for the valorization that Steinway has and had in time as a brand.
Trying different pianos in different dealers I found the Kawai. They made me try a GL50 first and then a GX2. I loved the GX2, I wasn't in the same room as the GL50, they were 200 meters away from each other so I couldn't make a fair comparison, but I felt the difference and know I would fo for the GX2 between those two.
When I arrived at my house, I researched about Kawai and reading this forum I heard about the SK2, I would have loved to try it but the dealer does not have it and it costs almost double that the GX2 (50k vs 30k), although everything is negotiable in my country .
I continued with my search, I went to a smaller but very respectable and recommended dealer who told me on the phone he had a jewel very difficult and strange to find. It is a C Bechstein 1939 model B190. The piano supposedly has almost no use. The ivory keys are white and they look new, the hammers also new and original according to him. The iron cast plate shines, but there is like a square where the serial number is printed, which caught my attention. The square where the serial number is printed does not have the same roughness as the rest of the plate.
I’m attaching pictures to know your opinion. Do you think the iron cast plate has been repainted or that the piano is restored in some way?
I am in a dilemma, the C Bechstein has a more robust sound, the bass sounds better, to be fair, size matters. The Kawai GX2 measures 180cms or 5'10¾ ”and the C Bechstein measures 190 cms or 6’3”. In favor of the Kawai i feel it responds better when I play pianissimo.
Which one would you go for? Thank you all

[img]https://1drv.ms/u/s!Aj2w1JQiLZ7ih3VBE4YZ9Soxohx4[/img]
[img]https://1drv.ms/u/s!Aj2w1JQiLZ7ih3R1r5G7j43E2KGt[/img]
[img]https://1drv.ms/u/s!Aj2w1JQiLZ7ih3MOL5fx6qcISZSn[/img]

https://1drv.ms/u/s!Aj2w1JQiLZ7ih3JWIBaUpDEpcIxC?e=1WvltD

The older Bechstein B is 203 cm.

I've never seen black felt under the strings before. The blue felt under the fall-board looks strange. Bechstein blue is turquoise, and they had switched to green by the Twentieth Century.

I got my GX3 in May, and I am very satisfied with my purchase. My dealer had GX3, GX5, SK-3, and SK-5. 6-foot was the max size I could do, so I went for GX3. SK-5 was really nice and exquisite, but so was the GXs. The lower registers of GX are very powerful, rich, and strong, and I didn't see much quality difference between GX and SK, perhaps SK has more color in tone, therefore would produce more expression and color in your performance?? SK's touch was slightly better and easy to maneuver. I also considered some limitation of the room where piano would be placed, and determined SK would be too luxurious to me at this point of my musical endeavor (but perhaps someday, why not??) After playing with GXs at the dealer, I didn't much care for GLs. Good luck with your piano search, I am not familiar with Bechstein, but I am sure you will like GX, if you decide to go with it.

Do you mean that with that serial number this piano is a B203 and not a B190 as the dealer told me so? Would you say the piano has been restored or rebuilt? That would have sense taking in account it looks like new. Do you find anything strange in the part of the plate where the serial number is printed and how the ink is blurry when the whole plate is shining as gold? Or maybe that happens sometimes? Thanks for your answer.

Buy the piano with the action and tone that appeals to you the most.

I write from personal experience. In 1986, I bought my dream piano - a new Grotrian 186. A beautifully made piano of superior quality. However, it had a heavy relatively unresponsive action that I could not fix. I put up with it for far too long.

Four years ago, I came across an early 80's Yamaha C7. Beautiful rich tone (better than the Grotrian), a wonderful action that suited me and in great condition.

It doesn't possess the same build quality and is even a bit older than the Grotrian.

But it is simply so much more fun and satisfying to play.

So, after looking at the condition of the pianos you are considering, pick the one you enjoy playing and listening to the most.

I would go for the Bechstein as those of you who know me would guess! If you do, let me know and I will give you details of the Bechstein owners' club.

Do you think the C Bechstein is original? Has the plate been painted? Do you know if in 1938/1939 the made the model B190?
Thanks for your answer!

It's not the serial number, but the length. I assume the dealer told you the wrong length. 190 cm should be the model A. The plate appears to have been resprayed.

I thought the A was a 1.8 metre, but I wouldn't argue with you as you might, well, be right. The B was 2 metres as far as I know. My B is a 1924 and is 2 metres.

They would be producing Bs in 1939. Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Travers Harris, 1st Baronet, GCB, OBE, AFC arranged for production to be stopped, but that was some time later.

from Roberts in Oxford, a recap of the Bechstein grand models and their lengths - -

https://www.robertspianos.com/top-makes-of-piano/bechstein-pianos/bechstein-grand-pianos/

It gets complicated... The A and B varied in size over the years. My B is 203, but possibly that includes the overhang for the lid. As go from 175 to 192. The old ones vary in size. There seem to be pianos from the changeover from Roman numerals (and the newer designs) that vary a bit. The A also changed slightly when it got 88 notes. This gets complicated by the older pianos being sold with the name of the newer version.

The D seems to vary quite a lot. That's the old D, and not the current one that's really a replacement for the Model E concert grand.

Besbrode is a good place to compare these models and see how some of them are different from their expected size. They recently had two Ds that were different sizes.

Go with the Kawai. No need to take risk.

Go with a Kawai rather then a C Bechstein?

No comment.

I was thinking the same thing...

Me three.

Wow.. you let me thinking a lot. I’ll try both again but what kawai says on this video made sense to me. I tried lots of steinways also and couldn’t feel with none of them the key response i found with Kawai
https://youtu.be/1O7_MtFbnWI
I’ll go again today and try them both with my piano teacher, even if this must be a personal desicion. Thanks al for your help. I sent the details of the piano to bechstein to see if they can tell me if it is a restored or rebuilt one but they didn’t answer yet

Unless the restoration was done by Bechstein, they are unlikely to know anything about it.

The plate finish only looks original where the serial number is. At least, it looks the same as on my Piano, and any unrestored Bechsteins I've seen. I assume this part was taped over when it was resprayed.

While I think plastic actions parts have clear advantages over wood, traditional actions are not inherently inferior to Kawai ones.

Does anyone know where the Kawai Gx series are built?

Japan. I'm considering this make and model as well.