Responsiveness. Precision. Intuitive grace. A superior musical instrument can be recognized by the degree to which it allows the player to express vision without interference — with nothing coming between the fingers on the keyboard and the music in the air.

Such is the experience of playing a Boston. Designed by Steinway & Sons, employing the unique patents and expertise that have made the name Steinway synonymous with excellence, the Boston line of grand and upright pianos represents a singular achievement in instrument building: a superior playing experience at a price level never before thought possible.

The Boston grand piano offers a larger soundboard in comparison to other pianos of the same length, due to its innovative “wide tail” design. This wider construction of the case means that a 5′ 10″ Boston grand has the same soundboard area as a typical 6′ 2″ grand piano, creating the power, richness, and feel of playing a much larger piano.

Each Boston grand piano soundboard is crafted of Sitka spruce, long proven to be the most resonant material available. Boston soundboards are solid (not laminated) and precisely tapered, which allows them to vibrate more freely. In conjunction with a number of special technologies — unique patents of Steinway & Sons — the result is a powerful, sustained tone.

A low tension string scale design gives a fuller, richer, warmer tone by allowing more of the lower partials to sing. It also has more sustain, is more powerful, has more dynamic range, and provides warmer and more mellow tones.

A Boston Performance Edition exclusive, eleven layers of hard-rock maple (used for its superior hardness, grain and stability properties) are glued in different grain angles of 60 degrees, keeping the tuning pins tight but allowing for fluid motion and enabling better quality and longer lasting tunings.

All-wood action parts, solid spruce keys, synthetic ivories and ebonies, and excellent action geometry work seamlessly together to move the hammers to the strings and create an excellent action-touch. The beautiful tone produced by the steinway–designed Boston hammers enhances the action touch by rewarding the player with a beautiful tone.

Dimensions

Length: 178 cm (5′ 10″)
Width: 151 cm (59¾”)
Height: 102 cm (40″)
Net Weight: 333 kg (733 lb)

Encasement

Cabinet Style
Classic

Finish
High Polish: Ebony, Mahagony, Walnut
Satin: Ebony, Walnut

Inside Rim
Pomelle Sapele (on Ebony pianos)
Matching Mahogany & Walnut Veneer on Mahogany & Walnut pianos

Hardware
Solid brass — polished and lacquered.

Technical Specifications

Rim
Hard Rock Maple inner rim — this is the foundation of the Boston’s tone. Besides providing superior structural integrity to the piano, it enhances tone by being a rock hard foundation for the soundboard. A Maple rim is found only in the finest pianoss. Continuous bent rim. 11 outer rim laminations, 17 inner rim laminations. 23 mm (⅞”) outer rim width, 38 mm (1½”) inner rim width.

Braces
Radiating braces solidify the piano’s structure. Their triangular layout provides more support than parallel designs. This rigid system improves  tuning stability and soundboard crown retention, and lengthens  3 braces.

Pinblock
Octagrip pinblock made of 11 layers of Hard Rock Maple — glued in different grain angles of 60 degrees — affording the tuning pins greater stability under tension and enabling the piano to stay in tune longer.

Soundboard
Close and straight-grained solid (not laminated) Sitka Spruce. Minimum 3 annual growth rings per cm (minimum 8 per inch). Tapered from treble to bass, allowing a greater freedom of movement in the bass, and stiffness in the treble, thereby creating a richer and more lasting tonal response. Tapered from 8 mm to 6 mm. Vibrating area: 1.30 m² (2,020 in²)

Ribs
Made from durable spruce to assure strong and constant support of the strings bearing down on the soundboard. Ribs are fully let-in to the inner rim to support the important soundboard crown and prevent the piano from losing its tone. Number of ribs: 11

Bridge
Treble: Vertically laminated (alternating maple and mahogany) with a solid maple cap, curved to fit the crown of the soundboard. Bass: Solid maple mounted to cantilevered base.

Scale
Overstrung; combination of agraffe, with front and rear duplex. Rescaled bass and treble for lower tension scale for increased sustain, better tone clarity, and deeper clearer bass. 16,073 kg (35,360 lb.) tension.

Plate
Cast from grey iron, bronze-painted and lacquered. Vacuum cast.
Tuning Pins Nickel-plated steel, cut threaded.

Strings
Treble: Highest grade steel (in half size increments). Number of sizes: 12. Lowest tenor note: 27. Mapes Bass Strings: Steel core wire wound with solid copper. Made by Mapes in Tennessee, U.S.A. Note 1 speaking length: 135.9 cm (53.5″).

Hammers
Premium wool topfelt over premium wool underfelt. Weight of topfelt: 9.5 kg (20.9 lb). Compression-wired to retain permanent shape. Mahogany moldings. Tapered hornbeam hammershanks. Computer-designed pear-shaped hammers with reinforced shoulders result in superior tone, increased durability and greater voicing ability.

Action
Solid maple and hornbeam (all wood, no plastic) for all moving parts. Steinway profile-shaped flanges, extruded aluminum action rails for increased stability and less frequent regulation. Steinway action geometry provides superior touch.

Keys
Genuine spruce, individually balanced and weighted. Synthetic ivory and ebony key covers. New synthetic ebony has ebony-like surface texture and appearance that absorbs perspiration from the fingers. The fine synthetic ivory of the white keys has the same properties of friction, porosity, conductivity, and appearance as ivory.

Pedals
Heavy solid brass castings. Soft, full sostenuto and damper (sustaining).

Architecture

Classic case design. Coved toplid and keyslip, square arm shape with matching square fallboard shape, and wall cornice detail are all classic and beautiful. Violin-shaped topstick.

Other

• Fallboard: Soft fall fallboard.
• Casters: Heavy-duty double-wheel solid brass casters.
• Locks: Fallboard and top locks.
• Prop Sticks: Double top prop sticks.
• Bench: artist, adjustable bench (cushion, adjustable height) for all ebony finish pianos.
• Black Felts for Plate, under Fallboard, and around Pedals on Lyre.