UP-118E Performance Edition

46.5" Upright

Finance as low as $187/mo*

UNIFORM PRODUCTION

Unlike any other similarly-priced brand that we know, ALL BOSTON PIANOS ARE MADE THE SAME. The features, materials, and craftsmanship remain constant from model to model and are not reduced or altered to meet lower price points on smaller pianos.

#1 COLLEGE PIANO

Inch for inch, Boston pianos are upwards of 50+ lbs. heavier than competitor’s pianos. More material is used in their construction, ensuring you get a piano that will stand the test of time and maintain peak performance longer. Today, over 250 top colleges and universities use Boston pianos exclusively in their practice rooms. In the 300 year history of the piano, no manufacturer has won such favor among the teachers of the finest pianists in the world.

THE USED STEINWAY ALTERNATIVE

A fine alternative to purchasing older used Steinways, Boston pianos outperform pianos in their class and beyond, even outshining many hand-made European pianos.

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Premium features.

5-Post Backframe
A 5-post backframe is the first indicator that a manufacturer has taken the design of a piano seriously. However, the thickness of the individual back posts matters. A cross sectional surface area of 400cm2 or more provides massive support year after year for the the soundboard’s crown and the nearly 40,000lbs of tension from the strings. The CSA is calculated by multiplying the width and depth of a post, times the number of posts, and it is a good indicator of an upright piano’s structural integrity. The cheapest pianos will have very small backposts or no center backposts at all.
Nosebolts
All grands have them, but nosebolts are generally only found on premium uprights. Nosebolts anchor the cast-iron plate to the backframe, providing ridgid support for the soundboard crown. In addition to added tuning stability, pianos with nosebolts can be expected to last longer and perform better later in life.
One-Piece Bridges
Bridges conduct the vibrations from the strings into the soundboard. This piano has bridges made of one piece of wood and may have a maple cap. Most uprights and entry-level grands have one-piece bridges. Nearly all performance grands include vertically laminated bridges to improve tone, sustain, and dynamic range.
Premium Spruce Soundboard
All the finest pianos have premium solid-spruce soundboards, but spruce soundboards are not created equal. A premium soundboard will be made of straight-grain solid spruce (not laminated) with a minimum of 8 grains per inch and be free of knots and irregularities. These qualities ensure overall structural integrity and even distribution of vibrations. Most manufacturers do not specify anything beyond solid vs. laminated, allowing for a wide variance in wood quality.
Tapered Soundboard Construction
To promote flexibility, the soundboard is sanded down to be thinner from treble to bass. Because the board is able to vibrate more freely, bass notes sound richer and fuller and overall tone and dynamic range is improved.
Underfelted Hammers
Dense under-felt is applied before the white hammer felt is glued and fastened to the hammer molding. This reinforcement will help the hammer retain its shape through years of impact with the strings and adds mass to the hammer to deliver more energy to the string. Often overlooked and not something that will cause an issue right away, this is a feature many manufacturers will eliminate in order to cut costs.