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The Kawai Piano Company History
Kawai is a brand that has been producing quality pianos for over 90 years. Kawai is one of the most respected piano makers in the world, and had created an amazing range of instruments for musical professionals to beginners. Today we're going to look at some of the Kawai models and what sets them apart from other brands!
Kawai has been producing pianos since 1927.
Kawai as a company started in 1927 by Koichi Kawai in Japan, and the first ‘Grand Piano’ was made in 1928. The company was very much in a developmental era, they also produced ‘Reed Organs’. In 1937 Japan entered the Second World War and the company shifted to producing military supplies. In 1948 piano manufacturing resumed and went from strength to strength. In 1966 Kawai established a ‘Music College’, a ‘Gymnastics School’, and even made sporting goods. The company has gone through many changes in production techniques and design of pianos over the years, they have been innovators of ABS carbon action components with their award winning Millennium III action, and have firmly established themselves as one of the world leaders in both acoustic ‘Grand Pianos’ and ‘Upright Pianos’. Kawai have also taken their wealth of years of making acoustic pianos to now produce equally excellent digital pianos.
Where are ‘Kawai Pianos’ made?
Kawai acoustic pianos (Grands and Uprights) are made in Japan, and in their there Indonesian factory, digital pianos are produced in the Indonesian factory.
In upright models the Kawai K400 and above are made in the Japanese factory and the Grand pianos GL 20 and above are also made in the Japanese factory. The K200 upright, GL-10 baby grand piano and digital pianos are made in Indonesia.
Which Kawai piano should I buy? – Upright or Grand?
In looking for a suitable piano, consideration needs to be taken to the following factors: at what stage of playing you are at, are you a beginner or advanced? Do you have space in your home (maybe a factor)? What colour would you prefer? Do you need a digital or acoustic? And of course, how much would you like to spend on a piano?
Kawai K200 Demonstration
One thing to remember is that a piano, whether it is an ‘Acoustic’ or a ‘Digital’ piano, it is a piano no matter how much you spend on it. A digital piano will have 88 keys, a weighted action, and sound like a piano. In paying more money for a piano, with a real acoustic piano, you would get different sizes of pianos, different heights, a different style of cabinet and bigger, this will have an influence on the sound and performance of the piano, and of course if you choose a grand piano, or baby grand from 5ft to 7ft in depth, these will have a different sound and performance once again. As you move up the ranges of acoustic models, the woods used in construction may be maybe a better seasoned standard and again this would improve the sound experience. Digital pianos generally again improve in cabinet style, added features (extra sounds, recording feature, lesson features, Bluetooth etc) and also in volume, which again enhances the sound experience of the piano.
Should I get a digital or acoustic piano?
Choosing between a digital or acoustic piano can depend on some personal factors such as where you will put the piano in your home. If the piano will live upstairs, a digital may suit, but acoustic pianos can also be taken upstairs! Regarding practicing, if you prefer to practise with headphones on a digital piano would suit, but also now there are now ‘SILENT’ acoustic series pianos, which give you the best of both worlds, in being a real piano but with digital Technology built in, allowing you to play using headphones but with the real action and feel of an acoustic piano. One saying worth remembering is ‘a digital piano doesn’t sing like a real piano sings’. When you play a key on a real piano and the hammer strikes the string, the whole cabinet sound-box comes alive with tones and sound.
Kawai K300 Aures Piano Demonstration & Review
Kawai’s current – Newest piano models…
The current series of Kawai pianos are, in upright acoustic - the K series, starting with the K200 model. And the current Grand piano range is the Kawai GL Series, starting at the very popular GL-10. In digital pianos, the ranges are ES series of stage type portable models, KDP entry level furniture style, through to CN to CA and on to the Novus NV series, all offering a different playing experience, through piano action, sound features and sound experience.
Kawai CA701 Digital Piano Demonstration
The Kawai second hand piano market
A good second hand Kawai model can be a great buy! Providing it isn’t too old and has been regularly tuned and looked after. By not too old, if you can source one up to 25 years old, this would be a good buy, for a few reasons, providing it has been tuned, the strings will be stretched in and giving their best sound, the woods of the piano would have settled and matured, again adding to the sound of the piano and the action would have been played in.
How to Transport a Kawai Piano
With any Upright or Grand acoustic piano, it is wise to employ the services of a professional piano mover. They have the correct piano moving trolley for uprights and the wooden ‘Skid’ for moving grand pianos correctly. The legs of a grand piano are taken off the piano and the piano is transported on its side. They need to be handled correctly as not to cause damage to the casework, or indeed persons moving the instrument. If a piano is not tuned and prepared before delivery it would need re- tuning after it has been allowed to settle (acclimatise) in its new home, usually 6-8 weeks after delivery.
Do I need to have my piano tuned regularly?
The simple answer to this is ‘Yes’, you do need to have your piano tuned regularly every 6 months or so. For the same reasons you would have your car serviced each year or your home central heating boiler, to keep them in good order to give continued years of service. When tuning a piano the tuner slackens off the string firstly before tuning up, to keep movement and tone in the string. If a piano is not tuned for a number of years, you usually find the bass strings develop a ‘tubby type of sound’ with no real tone in them, and also the tuning pins settle and tuning can be very difficult, if not at all. Also if not tuned a piano would settle in tone, generally lower than concert pitch and after some years it would not be possible to tune up to concert pitch again.
To Conclude.
Kawai pianos are excellent instruments for both beginners and advanced players. The GL grand piano range offers a great combination of build quality, price and sound. If you want digital piano that will allow you to play music without having to tune it, then consider the Kawai KDP120, the Kawai CA range or the CN range.
Graham Blackledge - Rimmers Music
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