Bosendorfer 214 CS - Early report card and a conspiracy theory

[tomcam]

This will probably be the most unsatisfying piano review you've ever read, but it's the least one can do after so much help from folks such as j_menz and pianoparent2013. 

The 214CS lists for $113K. Purchased it new for $75K out the door, a number that includes sales tax, delivery, bench, and initial tuning. Sales tax in this part of WA state is 9.6%. After decades of working two or three jobs at once, and practicing until recently on a severely undersized stunt piano (some kind of itty bitty 5 octave thing), it is, of course, a joy.

Didn't plan to buy it. The wife wanted to get me a bang-up 20th anniversary present. My thought was something like a night out with the kids at Spaghetti Factory. She wanted something more... durable and dragged me to a few local piano stores. Had played Bosies before but had not connected with them, so this seemed like a safe plan.

She had me try a bunch of American Steinways and other high-end brands, but was not moved by those either. She was across the room and didn't see what brand it was when I sat down at the 214 and she immediately just knew. Was hoping she wouldn't--because I did also, but had no intentions of telling her. She had never heard of Bosendorfer (more precisely, didn't remember the name--I had told her about playing my teacher's decades ago). However, she has an eerily good sense of quality.

For those who, like me up until a week ago, don't shop for pianos priced like Porsche 911s, 214 is the piano's length in centimeters, which translates to 7'. The Imperial is 9' long. The CS part means Conservatory, and apparently that just means Bosendorfer's cheapest finish. If I understand correctly the piano mechanisms are all identical, but only the exteriors differ. The finish on my 214 CS is a matte black, sort of a deep gray really, and its Achilles heel is that scratches or other damage to the finish just can't be fixed easily.

By the way, I played a $199K Imperial and a few other Bosies. The Imperial sounded second best but I did not like it as much as the 214 CS. Nor did I particularly want to take home any of the others. On the way home she couldn't stop chattering about the 214. This never happened with any other piano she's heard me play.

She immediately became an expert on pianos and within 2 hours of that visit could recite chapter and verse about why Bosies are so good. She was concerned about the Yamaha buyout. This was fine with me. Maybe I could use it to talk her out of the Bosie.

There's not much impartial information published regarding Bosendorfer quality since the Yamaha buyout in 2009.  Luckily someone pointed me to Eric Johnson's spectacular High End Piano Guy blog (https://www.highendpianoguy.com/). Read this blog even if you don't plan to buy a Bosie, because he's just plain good. It's very well written, not religious about any particular brand, and endlessly informative. Eric's experience with Bosendorfer before and after the acquisition was instructive. He also made the counterintuitive but inconvertible point that Kimball, which owned Bosie for 30 years, was a superb steward of the brand. Ironic, since Kimball itself did not survive as a piano brand.

The more I looked into it, the more I speculated that since the buyout that maybe the influence is going opposite what my wife expected. It looks to me like Yamaha's newer handmade pianos appear to be influenced by Bosendorfer, not the other way around.

My wife asked around on one of her favorite sites (a massively popular Chinese-language blog) and found someone who has toured both factories, and that person agreed with my theory.

There were no excuses left not to buy it. We pulled the trigger.

Where did we come up with $75K cash, you ask? Well, I make more than average but frankly, we dipped into the retirement fund. We save A LOT and while she is a massively gifted money manager, making this gesture was more important to her. She is not a woman one says no to. Plus, I like to work, and at my age she figures I only have another 20 or so years to enjoy the Bosie.

It came today. Obviously no tech has got to it yet but it's in surprisingly good tune. It sings. Action is great. Softer than I normally play (I happen to love Yamahas, largely for the action), but the sound is delicate and sounds like angels singing and tastes like pudding and stars and baby skin. Low end is more defined and crisp than I thought possible.

For those of you who haven't played a 7' grand in your house, it can be loud. Duh, I know, but I am used to a sub 5' Yamaha. My wife's ears were still ringing after I lifted the lid and played a not terribly loud Bach prelude. It doesn't sound too loud to me when playing. I just sort of envelope myself in the sound. In fact, I claim that its sound is intimate. So does my wife, temporary deafness notwithstanding.

Here's the conspiracy theory, courtesy of my wife. The 214 CS has a weirdly familiar sound to both of us. She suspects that many recordings aren't done with the brand of piano listed, but that they are in fact uncredited Bosies. I have no way to back this up. Not a single drop of evidence, but the second she said it, I felt to my core that this happens more often than one might think. 

So that's my report card after three or so hours experience with a new Bosendorfer 214 CS. I doubt I deserve an instrument this magnificent, and I was more than a little queasy writing the check, but I know that I will never suffer buyers remorse for even a microsecond. It's a keeper.

[savvygal]

Congrats!  I'm no expert but that is a great piano!  Enjoy for many years for you and your family.  I'm happy for you!

[quantum]

Congratulations!  Conspiracy or not, you've got yourself a great piano. 

Only three hours and you had the frame of mind to write such a detailed anecdote.  That's impressive.  When my grand arrived, I played it all night long. 

Me thinks this thread is missing some pictures, and maybe an accompanying sample in the audition room 

[hfmadopter]

Congratulations, should be a great piano!

[pogmoger]

Hi Tomcam,

First of all, congratulations on your new piano! I've played a lot of Boesendorfers recently, and none of them have ever disappointed me - fantastic instruments.

Now, I have a question - how on earth did you get your CS 214 for $75000!? I'm not familiar with Boesendorfer pricing in the North American market, but that is about 1/3rd less than prices I've been quoted for a 185 in Europe (various dealers in a couple of different countries.) Was there anything particular about this piano that helped you in the negotiation eg. slight cosmetic damage, or it had been hanging around the dealership for a while and they wanted to get rid of it? Or is it normal to be able to negotiate such big discounts from initial list prices? I know prices are negotiable, but always though 10-15% was a more likely discount, not as much as 33%.

Anywa, enjoy your instrument! I'm sure it will bring you many years of pleasure.

[indianajo]

Congratulations.
I'd love to hear a real Bosendorfer.  One of my favorite piano albums, Winter has a characteristic PING to the sound, and when I got a computer that would do video in December, sure enough, George Winston is playing a Bosendorfer grand.  I heard him play the song on Kentucky Center for the Art's Steinway, which was good but not the same. 
Maybe I can get a trip together to take the wife visit the Rock & Roll venue in Seattle, and BTW, the Bosendorfer dealer.  I checked around Nashville a little, I don't think anyone has one there. Maybe they would let me touch the keys once or twice, instead of listening to their demonstrator play the wrong pieces better than me.   
My wife's idea of a splurge is this $1000 1941 Steinway console I bought in 2010. I've played it 6 or more hours a week since then, one of the best entertainment bargains I ever spent.  But I hope to be playing mine 40 more years.  The cool thing about retirement is having time to work out & keep your heart in shape.  Hope you find time, too.   
Glad to hear Bosendorfer is influencing Yamaha instead of vice versa.  All the churches around here have bought Yamahas; I find the sound very bland. I much prefer Steinway to Yamaha.  I even prefer Kawai to Yamaha.   
Good to hear Kimbal didn't affect Bosendorfer.  Since they are local (Clark County Indiana) they get a premium on the  used market around here, but having played a few in the Officer's club etc, they didn't hold up very well to lots of use. 
As far as your conspiracy theory, the miking and room acoustics affect recorded sound a lot.  I'm personally convinced consoles sound better than grands in a small house. The convenor of the AGO here has just had built a house with a studio suitable for a grand piano; a high ceiling room with about 40' x 30' main area and an ell off that is about 25' x 30'. 

[tomcam]

Sorry it took so long to respond. Was preparing for a recital that went, it turns out, disastrously. This is not false modesty. Then went immediately to see "Rigoletto", which is not a cheery way to end the night, though the cast wore Seahawks jerseys when they took a bow.

savvygal, what a lovely community this is. Thanks for the kind words.

quantum, will try to post pictures. Trying to figure out how to get good sound to my iPhone.

hfmadopter, it surely is a great piano.

pogmoger, I don't visit Bosendorfer dealers regularly so I don't know if this had been kicking around for a while. Funny you should mention that because I was thinking of dropping a comment to just that effect, but decided against it. Probably a good move, because they have at least 2 new ones in this week. No cosmetic damage I could find. I think what got me the price was a firm cash offer, and the mental readiness to walk away from the deal.

indianajo, I bet miking and acoustics do go a long way toward explaining the sound. I had not given that the thought I should of. Plus your description of the PING is one I would never have come up with, but it feels very right for me. Surely Nashville has someone carrying Bosendorfers? Lot of music money sloshing around down there.  Admittedly, there's a lot more high tech money sloshing around up here.

[polishookm]

To can,

That's an amazing about how you came to your 214.

I just today posted an interview w/James Bacon (recording engineer) who began his Bosendorfer journey w/a 214 but a couple of years ago moved up to an Imperial. James specialises in solo piano recordings on the Imperial.

It was just several months ago that my Steingraeber was delivered. It's an amazing day! I thought that the move would totally ruin the tuning. But no, it didn't. Like you, I played on a "lesser" piano for years.

I'm in the UK now but I used to direct the music composition program at Central Washington U. I'm guessing you're on the "other" side of the Cascades where the Bosies live and roam!

That was a GREAT GREAT review on your piano. Thanx for sharing the story!
 

[pianoparent2013]

Congratulation!

Hope those first three hours of "young" love lasts 30 years!

We get to play my nephew's 214 about once or twice a month and it is a magnificent instrument. The touch is precision-crafted and the sound is rather unique and absolutely wonderful. My children love the opportunity to play that piano but they have to maintain its cleanliness :-); that is the price.

Enjoy!