Different pianos

[piano4me]

I am looking into buying a new piano for a reasonable price and was wondering which would be the best out of the pianos I chose for the poll. Anyone's ideas please?

[alzado]

Probably any and all of them would be fine.

I could do well on any quality piano.  Brand is not crucial.  Appears that there are no "el cheapos" included in your choices. 

So, any of them.

[piano4me]

no, I guess there aren't really any 'el cheapos'    I am buying my first piano so I guess I figured I mise as well get a good one and then have it for a long time. thanks for the reply

[fiddes]

I find all the pianos are well built instruments, but what would swing it for me is the 10 year promise steinway have with the boston range

[quantum]

I was really attracted to Boston when I first played them.  The pianos sound larger than they are.  However as I began to play more, and examine their response in more detail I found them lacking in singing power, especially in the trebble.  You really have to work to bring out a melody from an accompaniment.  The fullness of the bass is what initially covered that up and made the initial impression.  Also the sustain could be better.  If you like Boston why not go Kawai, they make Boston anyways. 

Have you tried Shigeru Kawai?

[piano4me]

I was really attracted to Boston when I first played them.  The pianos sound larger than they are.  However as I began to play more, and examine their response in more detail I found them lacking in singing power, especially in the trebble.  You really have to work to bring out a melody from an accompaniment.  The fullness of the bass is what initially covered that up and made the initial impression.  Also the sustain could be better.  If you like Boston why not go Kawai, they make Boston anyways. 
~ thanks for the tips- I'll make sure to check that!

Have you tried Shigeru Kawai?
~no, have never tried a Shigeru Kawai, info please?

[tradge]

I don't know why Kawai Pianos are so unpopular, I find the touch and sound of the baby grand at my school really nice

[rach n bach]

I agree with tradge.  I tend to find that the Kawai's have a mellower sound than the yamaha's... and I like it better for classical playing.  BUT the Yamaha's brighter tone is great for jazz and the like...

[gfiore]

None of the listed pianos.  You can do better. Try the Estonia 190, or the Bohemia 185.

[thalberg]

Schimmel!  Lovely.

[invictious]

i HATE kawais. All the Kawai's I have tried, whether grand or upright, damn man.
The touch is absolutely horrible. It's so..clunky
The tone is just..so 'contained' and 'confined', I can't get much dynamics out of it.
In fact, when I was playing a kawai to accompany a singer, it was pretty damn horrible.

Schimmel was my vote.
I like Yammies too though.

[piano4me]

kinda sounds like each person defintately has their own opinion on these pianos    I am going to a piano store in a couple days to see which I like- I'll be sure to let you all know what I like best!!

[richard black]

Kawais seem to be tougher than the others. I've seen many Bostons, quite a few Schmmels and coutless Yammies in absolutely dire condition after not very much time in various conservatoires.

[piano4me]

I've checked out some pianos and I really like the Schimmel. Because of money I might end up going with a Kawaii=cheaper.  Haven't made any sure decisions yet but am going between a Schimmel 122series or Kawaii K-3 or K-5. We'll see

[amelialw]

it depends where the Kawai piano is made at. If you had a bad experience playing a Kawai that means it's probably made in China. The grands are usually made in Japan. I have a Kawai Grand and it's much better then a Boston or Yamaha.

[Bob]

Best one? 

The one that feels right in the store after going there and trying it a few times. 

[Barbosa-piano]

      I love the 6ft Yamahas- It would have to be my favorite on the list.
      I really like the sound of the Schimmel, but i've only heard it.
      The Boston doesn't really strike me, it is a generic Steinway- not as good- I think the Essex is better for some reason.
     Now the Kawaii- I'm tired of playing Kawaii uprights. It seems that every high school in Texas has one- ALL of them have different actions- one extremely stiff, and the other has barely any resistance.

     The Kawaii Concert Grand that I played for a talent show (it was random, they just decided to do it that day) at Baylor University sounded beautiful, but several things disappointed me. (I played two of the Chopin Nocturnes; The Op. 9 n. 1 and the C #minor)
     The keyboard was too low- I'm 6'2, but I can usually sit confortably at any keyboard.
     The change in the timbre when using the soft pedal was bad.
     It ruined part of my performance- when returning to the main theme on the first nocturne, the middle B flat never went down, so I played it with a little more pressure, trying to fix the passage by adding a rubato, and it came out FF. The Nocturne sounded dreamy, but that sure woke me up.

[prongated]

...Schimmels indeed are nice instruments - very warm tone, just a touch on the bright side. If money is no objection, in your situation, I'd take the Schimmel instead of Kawai. If you do go with Kawai, I suggest K-5 instead of K-3. On top of my head, the K-5 has some features that K-3 doesn't have, aside from size differences.

Build quality wise, I think Yamahas are better built than Kawais in a way...many new Kawai (grand) pianos rattle after a while, whereas Yamahas don't seem to exhibit this problem. Apart from such craftmanship things, the sound quality really depends on how the pianos are treated and maintained. Otherwise, I find Yamahas tend to turn brighter and coarser than Kawais overtime...

Me personally, I like Kawai grand pianos very much for their tone and responsive touch. Doesn't necessarily translate to their uprights...nonetheless, I can feel more depth in the keys and I can do more with dynamics and tone on Kawais than on Yamahas. Schimmel grand pianos are very nice, but for the money, I'd get a Shigeru Kawai and perhaps some change...or I'd save it up and buy a D...