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0:00 - Intro
0:57 - Opening Playing Demos
2:16 - Video Overview
5:00 - Piano Sound/Tone
8:31 - Piano Differences
15:10 - Bass Range Demos
18:21 - Treble Ranges
#Kawai #Boston #UprightPiano
Hi everyone and welcome to Merriam Pianos on KZfaq. Today we’ll be comparing two 52” uprights built in the exact same factory as we compare the Kawai K-800 with the Boston UP132.
Despite the fact that they’re the same size and both are built by Kawai in the same factory, the Boston is designed and sold by Steinway, and they actually offer quite different musical experiences.
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Background
The Kawai K-800 and the Boston 132 are the largest upright pianos in each brand's upright lineups. Now, Boston’s are actually built by both Kawai and Samick, with Kawai handling the more expensive Boston uprights and all of the grands, with Samick covering the entry-level Boston upright.
What’s interesting here is that the K-800 and UP132 are literally rolling off the same assembly line and are hand finished by the same craftsmen.
Boston’s however are designed by Steinway, so it’s not fair to simply refer to a Boston as a Kawai with a different badge as some people claim. On the other hand, some folks claim that Boston’s are built by different employees in a sequestered section of the Kawai factory, but that is certainly not true either.
Ultimately though, despite originating in the same factory and being built by different people, these two pianos are quite different musically, and really do have their own distinct characters.
Piano Sound & Design
Let’s start with what’s in common between these two pianos. They both use mahogany core hammers, feature duplex scaling and use the same gauge treble wire.
Now some differences. They use very different back post-construction, a totally different bridging system, and of course, the actions are very different with the K-800 using an extended length keystick for greater control and Kawai’s Millennium III Carbon Fiber action.
The trade-off with the keystick length is greater control and wider dynamic output range but slightly slower repetition speed on the K-800, whereas the UP132 has faster repetition speed but offers less control and a narrower dynamic range.
Now, the tonal differences between these two pianos are apparent, just like they are between Boston GP-178 and the similarly sized Kawai GX-2.
Ironically, the K-800 actually reminds us more of the classic NY Steinway with a ton of mid-range power and warmth. The UP-132 has more high harmonics on each note and less of a direct sound.
Let’s move through the ranges. By the middle of the bass register it gets very resonant on the K-800 and it’s a considerably bigger and clearer bass sound here, while the UP-132 has a more even and warmer bass register.
Moving into the upper octaves, the differences start to disappear and we’re left with two very similar sounding instruments.
The biggest differences are in the mid-sections of the pianos. The UP-132 is brighter, less direct, and beautifully blended, while the K-800 feels more direct and powerful, and is very mid-range heavy in terms of harmonics and warmth.
Other Features
The K-800 comes with an oversized grand piano music rest that would be perfect for composers, while the UP-132 has a more traditional smaller upright music rest.
Both pianos have slow-fall piano covers, and a sostenuto pedal is available on the K-800.
Thank you for watching!
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