Random thoughts on results of piano search, some comments on internet shopping. - 10/03/07 06:54 PM
Forum,
Sold my briefly owned but much beloved AF 215 to fund Jr's freshman year at college, so found myself on the street once again. Search ended with the purchase of a Boston 193 (6'4"). Some (I hope useful to somebody) opinions formed through the search:
1. Boston vs. Kawai
The same company operates the Kawai dealership and the Steinway store in this market (Houston), so I was able to compare Kawai and Boston at my leisure, interrupted only by the drive of a few blocks.
-Kawai (RX-5) tone seems a bit brighter.
-Actions seem almost identical. The much ballyhoo'd Millennium Action in the Kawai doesn't seem to deliver any different feel than the Boston, at least not to this hacker. A real pianist might notice some variation, but I'm thinking there isn't much.
-Kawai, surprisingly, was more expensive in this market.
-Boston offered an satin black finish, which is what I wanted, and I don't think Kawai gives you that option.
I have owned an RX-5 in the past, thought it was a great piano, and considered this decision pretty much a coin flip, with price and availability of satin black finish being the deciding factors.
2. Internet vs. local dealer
I ran the Ebay traps, the Piano Mart traps, etc. and talked to the usual suspects who sell used pianos on the internet...Rick Jones, etc. My impressions:
-There is an ocean of used Japanese pianos out there. I could probably identify 20 reputable sources on the internet. The three I talked to specifically were all professional, cordial and eager to be of service.
-But there does not seem to be any industry standard of how these used pianos get "refurbished" when they're taken out of the cargo container. Some guys appear to do no more than buff the finish and tune them. Others appear to do a major restoration, changing strings, pin blocks, etc. It is not easy to discern the difference just by looking at web sites, and the sales guys I talked to were nice but not exactly fonts of detail regarding what had been or was going to be done to a particular piano...they all could confirm that "it's just like new" however.
-So, in my opinion, a purchase through the internet involves an element of risk that I wasn't willing to accept. I didn't have the budget to fly around the country looking at used pianos, and I would take only a little comfort from a local tech's inspection. What's he going to be able to say? He'll tell you it's a nice 20 year old Japanese piano or one that needs work, but his opinion about the sound and touch are not going to be as useful as really playing the thing.
-And although these considerations are personal to me, I needed some financing in the deal, I wanted a local service organization behind the warranty, I had a small Boston upright to trade up, I have known the Steinway salesman, Bill Johns, for a long time and have a great deal of respect for him, and I wanted a chance to play the heck out of the piano I would eventually buy. So those considerations all dictated a local purchase from the Steinway/Boston dealer.
Anyway, be careful out there. PLay well and often. I'll try to post pictures when it comes. TGG
Sold my briefly owned but much beloved AF 215 to fund Jr's freshman year at college, so found myself on the street once again. Search ended with the purchase of a Boston 193 (6'4"). Some (I hope useful to somebody) opinions formed through the search:
1. Boston vs. Kawai
The same company operates the Kawai dealership and the Steinway store in this market (Houston), so I was able to compare Kawai and Boston at my leisure, interrupted only by the drive of a few blocks.
-Kawai (RX-5) tone seems a bit brighter.
-Actions seem almost identical. The much ballyhoo'd Millennium Action in the Kawai doesn't seem to deliver any different feel than the Boston, at least not to this hacker. A real pianist might notice some variation, but I'm thinking there isn't much.
-Kawai, surprisingly, was more expensive in this market.
-Boston offered an satin black finish, which is what I wanted, and I don't think Kawai gives you that option.
I have owned an RX-5 in the past, thought it was a great piano, and considered this decision pretty much a coin flip, with price and availability of satin black finish being the deciding factors.
2. Internet vs. local dealer
I ran the Ebay traps, the Piano Mart traps, etc. and talked to the usual suspects who sell used pianos on the internet...Rick Jones, etc. My impressions:
-There is an ocean of used Japanese pianos out there. I could probably identify 20 reputable sources on the internet. The three I talked to specifically were all professional, cordial and eager to be of service.
-But there does not seem to be any industry standard of how these used pianos get "refurbished" when they're taken out of the cargo container. Some guys appear to do no more than buff the finish and tune them. Others appear to do a major restoration, changing strings, pin blocks, etc. It is not easy to discern the difference just by looking at web sites, and the sales guys I talked to were nice but not exactly fonts of detail regarding what had been or was going to be done to a particular piano...they all could confirm that "it's just like new" however.
-So, in my opinion, a purchase through the internet involves an element of risk that I wasn't willing to accept. I didn't have the budget to fly around the country looking at used pianos, and I would take only a little comfort from a local tech's inspection. What's he going to be able to say? He'll tell you it's a nice 20 year old Japanese piano or one that needs work, but his opinion about the sound and touch are not going to be as useful as really playing the thing.
-And although these considerations are personal to me, I needed some financing in the deal, I wanted a local service organization behind the warranty, I had a small Boston upright to trade up, I have known the Steinway salesman, Bill Johns, for a long time and have a great deal of respect for him, and I wanted a chance to play the heck out of the piano I would eventually buy. So those considerations all dictated a local purchase from the Steinway/Boston dealer.
Anyway, be careful out there. PLay well and often. I'll try to post pictures when it comes. TGG