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Hello. Does anyone have experience playing both the Boston 178PE2 and the Cunningham Parlour Grand? I have played the Boston 178PE2 and I liked it. I hope to play the Cunningham Parlour Grand sometime this summer. In the meantime I would welcome opinions from the citizens of Piano World. Thanks.

I haven't played a Cunningham Parlour Grand, but I did have an opportunity to play the Cunningham Baby Grand. Though I haven't played the Boston, I have to say that the Cunningham's action felt great, and the sound was excellent, especially for the size. I think you'll have a great time playing the piano. I'm excited to hear back. I was considering a Parlour Grand before getting the family piano instead.

Damien
Are you going to Cunningham Piano Company in Philly?
Rich Galassini, owner of Cunningham, is a member on this site, he will probably comment/help you

I have played the Boston 178PE2 - its very nice
but I have a suggestion, someone gave me and glad they did.

TRY THE KAWAI GX-2 or GX-3 - I almost purchased the GX - but I found an awesome 1912 Steinway A II that was rebuilt and I fell in love with.
I like the GX-2 far far better than the Boston

I totally trust Rich G - so i would definitely try the Cunningham before making a decision.

But my advice, trust me, the KAWAI GX played so so much nicer than the Boston.
and both the Boston & GX's are made by KAWAI

brdwyguy

I was chatting with Damien earlier, he didn’t care for the GX1 or the GX3. I personally wasn’t blown away by the GX line myself, though I did love the old RXs. I liked the Bostons more than the GXs. Weird, LOL.

To the OP, I love the Boston 178. That's basically the same size as the piano I ended up buying (used Yamaha C2) and had I been able to find a good used Boston, I might have purchased it instead of the Yamaha, but the new ones were waay above my budget.

Also, from what I've read here, I would jump at the chance to play a Cunningham! Maybe some day....



Yeah these things are so individual! I didn't find any Kawais in the GL or GX line that blew me away. There was an older RX one (is there one that's 5'10" or so, I think it was that one) that I did like, but not enough to give it a second play. And I disliked the action on all the new Kawai grands I tried.

Still, the advice to play as many different makes and models as possible is really good advice because it helps you narrow in on what your own preferences actually are.

Good luck and keep us posted!!

Since you are going to Cunningham, do check out the Yamahas. Rich is our resident Yamaha dealer. You might find a sweet used C2 that sings to you. Or an Estonia.

One of these days I really want to play a Yamaha C2X (or a C3X even) and see how different it is from my C2. I can dream....

I still think we should do a piano get-together in Philly and all storm Cunningham, LOL! 😍😂👍

Yessssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While I am at Cunningham’s I hope to try a Yamaha C2X, an Estonia 168, and the Cunningham Parlour Grand. I would also like to try a Yamaha YUS5, just to try it.

I envy your trip so much!! 😍😍😍

Try the Cunningham, and then come back to us and see which piano you like the best. The Boston is a fine sounding piano, but so is the Cunningham.

I've yet to play a Cunningham but I've been listening to them a lot on YouTube and I think the tone comes across as rather beautiful.

I can only put it this way: If both pianos were sat side by side, and both pianos were the same price, and prepared beautifully by the same technician, the reality is that you might not prefer one over the other.

I think one could say that about any two pianos whether their sound was similar or different.

It wouldn't be the first time I hosted a PW piano party. I would be happy to host something.


Damien,

Thank you so much for considering our pianos. I hope I get to meet you in person when you visit. If you have any questions, you can ask them right here.

You would not be the first person to choose our Parlour Grand over a Boston 178.

I look forward to a full report from Damien. I’m especially interested in the differences between the Cunningham, the C2X and the Estonia. The Cunningham is the most affordable by far. Hmmmmmm……. 😁

I will do my best to offer my opinion on the comparisons, but unfortunately my opinion might not be worth much. I am fairly new to this piano thing. I might only be able to state which I liked best, without being able to offer any intelligent reasons why.
Cunningham’s is about a five hour drive from me, one way, so I have to do some planning. Currently I am thinking about the middle of June.
I appreciate all of the encouraging comments from the Piano World denizens.

Well now we NEED to get something together, this year, if possible! I'm dying to travel again!


I played a Boston 178 (I'm pretty sure it wasn't a 163, but I didn't check; it was big) at the time I was trying to negotiate the Kawai GL20, same shop. They also had 2 used Steinway S's and a Mason & Hamlin A. I can easily say that my 5'4" Cunningham Studio outstripped the competition no problem, LOL.

Now granted, the situation was such that I didn't know this at the time. I had already investigated the Cunninghams online and it was absolutely on my list, but didn't think I could afford one. The 5'4" Studio is about $3000 more than the 5'2" GL20 and that was the top of my budget, plus it would have needed shipping. But I couldn't negotiate a reasonable price for the GL20, and I certainly wasn't going to be able to negotiate one for the Boston, which was why I was so massively disappointed. Luck was on my side that day, though, and I had a great outcome!

If my situation had been a little different, and I was able to play them all and compare them, Cunningham included, I would absolutely have chosen my Cunningham anyway. Its sound is magical and, to me, it's the better piano by a LOT, build-wise and performance-wise. It's WAY more power than any of those that I played that fateful day even though it's 5'4", LOL. It's a wonderful instrument.

I apologize for promoting my piano. I love it and all I want to do is share what a great instrument it is. ❤️❤️❤️

Your opinion is all that matters in the situation, gut instinct is what most of us go by.

I visited Cunningham Piano this morning. Tim, Rich and Hugh were all there. It seemed odd seeing these guys live after watching them in all those YouTube videos, although Hugh insisted that he was just a hologram.
I tried the Boston 178PE2, the Kawai GX1 and GX3 before I visited Cunningham’s, and today I tried the Yamaha C2X and GC2, and the Cunningham Parlour Grand. They did not have an Estonia 168 available today. Long story short, I bought the Cunningham Parlour Grand, polished mahogany. I was surprised that I liked the Cunningham best, even more than the Yamaha C2X. Full Disclosure, I am not experienced with pianos, but I am happy with my decision. I was impressed with the finish on the polished mahogany. It looked much better than any photos that I had seen.

Congratulations! 🎉🎊🎈
That’s super exciting! I’d love to interact with a hologram of Hugh Sung! When does your piano get delivered?!?