[CAUT] becoming an All Steinway School

[Richard Brekne]

Just a point on the Boston line. (I don't have any experience with Essex 
yet)  Bostons are through and through a Steinway product. The only thing 
they really have in common with Kawai is that Kawai makes them... for 
the present.  There are a few superficial things like trap work 
solutions in uprights that you find in Bostons... but I have never heard 
anything like the Boston sound from any Asian piano.  I was at Sherman 
and Clay when the Bostons were initially released and found them to be a 
curious blend of sounds that was reminiscent of old central European 
piano sound.  And I stand by that position today.

The whole idea that Boston is just a cheap Kawai in disguise is a very 
handy anti-marketing technique for those in the industry not interested 
in seeing Boston succeed.... but thats about as far as any truth to that 
matter goes IMHO.  In Europe, they have become rather hot sales items 
these past couple years.  Personally... I like very much the 215G and 
the 178G.  Very nice big round bass, fine balance and a beautiful chime 
like treble.  And they compare quite favorably indeed with Yamaha and 
other Asian instruments.  In all regards.

Cheers
RicB


    Hi folks,
    thanks for your responses thus far. It is indeed a
    great marketing ploy,  the idea of becoming an All
    Steinway School. My recommendations to Faculty and
    administration however would never be to recommend the
    instruments that S&S use as ''filler'' to compliment
    the inventory to become an  All Steinway School.
    namely Boston pianos of any variety,   Essex [ouch],
    and 1098's. In the Boston piano price point, I would
    undoubtedly prefer having Yamaha and Kawai on
    inventory. What I have always found intriguing is that
    S&S  have assumed that we  as techs. would have have
    the same amount of respect and admiration, for  every
    subsequent piano they have  designed and  produced.
    This trickle down theory is flawed. Yes ,for the most
    part, Steinway grands are majestic instruments to have
    on inventory, BUT Boston pianos  were introduced to
    compete against Yamaha, in that  price point, and
    Essex pianos were introduced to compete against
    initially Korean pianos, now because of global  shift,
     it is  Chinese pianos in that same price point.
    We have 180 pianos on inventory,  120 grands and 60
    uprights. The grands are  S&S [60] mostly from the
    1970's .....Baldwin's from the mid 1980's [40], and
    Mason and Hamlin  model A's and BB's from not the
    greatest vintage . the 1970's. The  remainder of the
    inventory is Baldwin Hamilton, M&H,  and Sohmer
    uprights. The grands have  almost all been rebuilt and
    refinished over the years, the uprights refinished and
    re-conditioned
    My recommendations to Administration and Faculty for
    20 years, has always been to  invest in our current
    inventory. At this juncture I would much prefer to
    purchase from the marketplace those pianos that best
    meet our more pressing demands. As we ''trickle down''
    pianos through the tiers of the inventory from  
    1..Performance...2..Teaching
    Studios...3...Classrooms...4...Practice Rooms, it
    greatly extends the  longevity of  these well made
    pianos. It is time to replace some instruments at the
    top tier, the Performance pianos.
    I am wondering also if S&S has more success in selling
    the All Steinway School  idea to those institutions
    that do not have a  technician on staff , but who work
     on a contract  arrangement  with local techs. I'd
    welcome  all input..........