Good evening to you, Luca and Simone,
thank you for your response.
@Luca
Goodness, you're "pre-flattering" me...
Your Kawai might be 13 years old, but the CA series remains superior to the CN series even today...
Of course, the progress made in the last decade in the field of electronics and mechanics in the sector has been significant, but I would not diminish your glorious Kawai at all.
Returning to my purchase, in Lombardy there are stores that offer excellent prices (for example LuckyMusic), but many of them - surprisingly - do not sell Kawai.
If I were to buy a Clavinova, I would have much more margin; on Kawai, much less.
As I mentioned, I had the chance to try out the CN-35 and I fell in love with it; I also simultaneously tried its same-priced Yamaha counterpart, the Clavinova CLP-535, whose keyboard seemed much more connected and heavier compared to the Kawai one.
Regarding the price, I will only tell you that my "trusted" dealer in Varese, from whom about thirty years ago I also bought my glorious Schimmel upright (on which I studied until my diploma and which I have never tuned), offered me a price 140 euros higher than Woodbrass, who moreover, besides free shipping from Paris (whereas from Varese I would have to pick up the piano myself or pay about fifty euros in fees!!!), also give me the deluxe bench in a matching color worth about 100 euros for free (this one)!
I have sent dozens of emails all over Italy (and beyond) trying to find a price that came close, but there was no way.
Best price from Merula, but we are still a hundred euros above (and without the free bench).
Crazy.
@Simone
Thank you for the feedback.
In fact, on Trustpilot (here) Woodbrass, which has been trading for about twenty years, has an average rating of 8.8 out of 10 on a total of 27,736 reviews.
Moreover, I was also contacted by a sales manager, very kind, who gave me all the information I needed.
Lastly, paying via PayPal would give me the certainty of being able to return the piano for free (PayPal would cover the return costs), which reassures me quite a bit.
As for the warranty, which I hope I will never need, I suppose that one could eventually use any authorized Kawai dealer in my area, although I would need to look into this further.
All in all, I feel fairly calm, but I wouldn't mind getting feedback from some Italian Woodbrass users as well before ordering.
And you have provided me with an additional reassurance, thanks a lot!
As for Thomann, indeed their price is lower compared to Italian stores, but the CN-35+bench set is still a hundred euros more expensive than the personalized offer I received from Woodbrass.
In any case, I considered Thomann as the second/third choice in case of an order.
I will keep you updated; in the meantime, let's see if anyone else gives us some feedback...
For now, thanks a lot, happy music and have a good evening!
Max
