Boston Pianos

[Elwood Doss]

I'm sure the carbon composite parts have gone through extensive R & D
that will show they will last longer than traditional wood parts, but I
wonder if in 50 years the carbon composite parts will crumble in the
pianos and some poor piano technician will have to tell a piano owner
that the piano will have to have all the CC action parts replaced.  Wood
parts have proven their durability and I'm partial to them.  They may
not be as stable as CC parts but they've proven their worth.  As far as
I know the only major brand of vertical piano that truly uses all wood
parts is the Baldwin Studio Upright.  The Boston uses some aluminum in
rails, etc.

Joy!

Elwood

 

Rev. Elwood Doss, Jr., M.M.E; RPT

Piano Technician/Technical Director

Department of Music

145 Fine Arts Building

The University of Tennessee at Martin

Martin, TN  38238

Office:  731/881-1852

Fax: 731/881-7415

From: Rob & Helen Goodale [mailto:rrg at unlv.nevada.edu] 
Sent: Monday, November 19, 2007 11:39 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: Boston Pianos

 

The Essex is no longer made in Korea, it entirely a Chinese product.
Boston is 100% built by Kawai but is not 100% Kawai's specifications.
For example, Kawai is now exclusively using the carbon composite actions
which have shown to be far more stable.  The Bostons have traditional
maple actions.  A while back I had the opportunity to ask one of the
Kawai marketing executives why that was.  The explanation was simple.
Kawai sunk huge amounts of capital in research, development, and putting
into production the fully carbon composite action, (Yamaha is using some
of these type parts but mostly just flanges right now).  When an
agreement was reached for Kawai to manufacture the Boston, a condition
was they flatly refused to share their efforts in developing the new
components with a competitor.  I also asked why they had agreed to build
them at all for a competitor.  The bottom line was that it keeps the
factory busy and boosts their production numbers.  Given the choice many
are not particularly excited about it, but business is business.

 

Rob Goodale, RPT

Las Vegas, NV

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