I am new to the paino world and the pricing game seems to be a bit behind the times. In the age when you can buy cars online, piano dealers will not show their prices per 'company rules'. Strange phenomenon. What a boon it will be for consumers to benefit from open online pricing for new pianos and delears have to differentiate themselves on service.
Anyways...can someone in the know tell me what I could expect to pay for a brand new Kawai RX1. The Kawai dealer I went to tried to sell me an RX2 for 22K plus tax($25k out the door) which was beyond my budget. The GM10 did not sound close to the RX2 so I am hoping that an RX1 will be a good compromise. Any insight will help.
Any recommendation on who to buy from would be great. I am in California but am open to buying from any dealer who will ship the piano to me.

Look up the details in Larry Fine's Piano Buyer, including what MSRP and SMP indicates. That's the most accurate information you will find.

Have you looked for private sales in the ads for used Kawai grands? Once in a while an RX shows up.

RX pianos have gone up in price. My dealer quoted me a higher price. If I talked him down I doubt it'd be better than what you got quoted.

People here will probably tell you otherwise, but I find Kawai RX pianos to be extremely consistent. If there was one piano I'd feel comfortable buying without seeing it, it would be the RX - assuming you're really set with the sound after trying out more than one in person.

Yes it makes me a bit sick to see how high the prices have gone. Is Kawai aiming to reduce their market? Anyway, hence the suggestion to look for used at private ads or even dealers.

Upgrading to the "Blak" model was disappointing. It's like they were looking for a way to justify charging more money.