Kawai Pianos

Kawai PianosFor 90 years, Kawai pianos have been at the forefront of piano innovation. In fact, Kawai calls itself “The Future of the Piano.” The company blends traditional craftsmanship with modern design techniques for a one-of-a-kind playing experience.

History

More than 100 years ago, in the tiny town of Hamamatsu, Japan, young Koichi Kawai designed a unique pedal-driven cart. As the son of a wagon-maker, he’d been encouraged to try inventive engineering techniques.

Seeing the design genius behind the cart, a local reed organ maker invited Kawai to become his apprentice. During the 1920s, Kawai gained extensive knowledge about organs and pianos and patented many new inventions related to the field. In 1927, he joined with seven colleagues to found a company dedicated to building the world’s finest piano.

Kawai pianos quickly revived a struggling Japanese piano industry, and Koichi Kawai was awarded the prestigious Blue Ribbon Medal by the emperor. In the ensuing decades, Kawai America Corporation and Kawai Canada Music have developed a loyal following.

Kawai Product Lines

Kawai makes grand pianos, upright pianos, digital pianos, professional keyboards, and innovative hybrid instruments that cross categories.

Grand Pianos

Ex Concert Piano: Fewer than 20 of these pianos are created each year, using a painstaking process developed in the Kawai laboratory. This piano uses scarce materials and time-tested methods to produce what the company calls “transcendent tone,” honoring Koichi Kawai’s mission of creating the world’s finest piano.

GX Blak Series: This series includes six pianos, each with a custom blend of qualities for specific playing experiences.

  • GX-7 – This top-of-the-line piano is specially designed for the rich, bold, authoritative sound that professional pianists prefer.
  • GX-6 – Tone and beauty combine to make a piano that’s perfect for concert halls and professional studios.
  • GX-5 – Adaptability is this piano’s key feature. It’s powerful, with a rich spectrum of tones, and suited for a wide range of musical genres and venues.
  • GX-3 – Slightly smaller in size, this piano sounds much larger than it is. It has solid tone and sensitive touch, perfect for the home of a devoted pianist.
  • GX-2 – This is an award-winning all-around piano famous for tone clarity. Schools, churches, studios, and other small to mid-size settings are perfect for this piano.
  • GX-1 – A pianist who needs a small piano can rely on this model for a superb sound beyond its size. It has the versatility and tonal variety for a range of musical expression.

GL Series: This series uses a patented Kawai system called CORE to provide outstanding power and sustain.

  • GL-50 – Teachers love this model for its adaptability and comfort for a wide range of piano students.
  • GL-40 – This popular piano is longer than most, for better resonance. It creates a rich sound that lingers in a room.
  • GL-30 – Smaller in stature, this model still has a very full-bodied sound and is perfect for homes and studios.
  • GL-20 – This baby grand sacrifices nothing in sound for its tiny size. It has all the features normally found in large grand pianos.
  • GL-10 – A more classic baby grand, this model has excellent quality in a size that can fit almost any room.

CR40A: This is Kawai’s famous crystal grand piano. Its exact components and design are a trade secret, but it produces exceptional sound with crystal-clear tonal quality.

Upright Pianos

K-Series Professional Uprights: These professional-level pianos combine tradition and innovation. There are five models in the K-Series, each with a different mix of component types, cabinet sizes, key lengths, and other qualities sought by professional players who need something that feels customized to them.

AnyTime Pianos: Kawai invented this unique style of hybrid piano to play with headphones or reduced sound. Use it where quiet is required, like apartments, retirement communities, near babies’ rooms, and spaces where people are sleeping.

Decorator Series: Pianos don’t have to be black. The decorator series has three pianos made of rich, natural wood for elegant interior design. It has the same sound as any top-quality Kawai piano.

Institutional Series: Affordable, playable, and durable, these pianos are perfect for institutional settings, like churches, schools, studios, and public spaces.

Continental Series: Made in the Continental style, these pianos are designed with superior responsiveness that rivals any of Kawai’s larger pianos.

Digital Pianos

Kawai makes a huge variety of digital pianos that come in many forms. Some are intended to reproduce Kawai’s traditional piano sound, and some step fully into the digital space for innovative soundscapes. Highlights include:

CA Series: This series shows how authentic a digital piano can sound.

CE/CL/KDP Digitals: Kawai calls these the world’s most innovative digital pianos.

ES Portables: This is Kawai’s line of fully portable pianos.

Virtual: It’s billed as the first virtual controller made by a real piano company.

Music Lab: These are Kawai’s cutting-edge teaching devices.