In a message dated 98-02-28 03:16:05 EST, you write: << Perhaps I am not understanding this as it was meant, but it doesn't seem from your post that you have tuned many Boston pianos. The Boston scale designs are not at all the same as those in Steinway pianos, they are only designed by engineers hired by Steinway. The scale tensions and inharmonicity figures on the Boston pianos are very close to the Kawai scales. Some have higher tension, some have lower, but all are quite close.>> You're right, I have never tuned a Boston. I have only seen and heard them on display. It was my assumption that the scale design was closer to a Steinway's because of the remarkable similarity in sound. Because of my current method of tuning, I usually sample the inharmonicity a piano has before tuning to determine how wide or narrow to make certain intervals. I have consistently noted that a Steinway has much higher inharmonicity than a Kawai. The KG-2D models, which are very common, make a great parlor piano which is very easy to tune. The non-speaking legnths are all muted off so you don't hear any confusing resonances. This is in contrast to the Steinway and other pianos which have higher inharmonicity and open "duplex" sections. It remains the best advice for the buyer to make a careful choice. There are still differences between the two and a reason to choose one over the other based upon individual preferences and decisions. >>I must admit that whenever I have heard a Boston being played but could not see the piano, I thought I was hearing a Steinway.<< << That is quite interesting, and tells us a lot about you. >> If the scale designs of the Boston and Kawai are similar, what would you say makes the Boston have that Steinway-like sound that is clearly different than the Kawai's? Bill Bremmer RPT Madison, Wisconsin
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