Kawai Bl 31 Serial Number

KAWAI NS-10 Black Upright Piano- Excellent Condition, Stool + Tuning Implements. Inspections welcome. Comes with stool with music storage and tuning implements (see listing photos). Dimensions = approximately 118cm HIGH, 58cm WIDE, 151cm LONG. Piano serial number is K1532172 which I believe indicates it was manufactured in 1984.

1. Kawai Model Numbers

Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (株式会社河合楽器製作所Kabushiki-gaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho, TYO: 7952) is a musical instrument manufacturing company headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. It is best known for its grand pianos, upright pianos, electronic keyboards and electronic synthesizers. The company was established in August 1927.

• 2Products
  • 2.3Upright pianos
  • 2.4Hybrid pianos
  • 2.5Digital pianos
  • 2.7Portable pianos

History[edit]

Koichi Kawai, the company founder, was born in Hamamatsu, Japan in 1886. His neighbor, Torakusu Yamaha, a watchmaker and reed organ builder, took him in as an apprentice. Kawai became a member of the research and development team that introduced pianos to Japan.^[1] Yamaha died in 1916, and in the 1920s the piano industry faltered in Japan. New management took over control of Yamaha's company, Nippon Gakki Co. (later renamed the Yamaha Corporation), and began to diversify its production line. This led Kawai to leave Nippon Gakki in 1927 and found the Kawai Musical Instrument Research Laboratory. ^[1]

After Koichi Kawai's death in 1955, his son, Shigeru Kawai became company president at 33 and expanded production facilities. In 1980, he opened the Ryuyo Grand Piano Factory. Shigeru Kawai was president of the Kawai company from 1955 to 1989, chairman from 1990 until 2002, and a company consultant until his death in 2006 at 84.

Shigeru Kawai's son, Hirotaka Kawai, was appointed president in 1989. He integrated advanced robotics into the manufacturing process, established Kawai manufacturing facilities around the globe, and oversaw the introduction of several new series of grand, upright and digital pianos.

The Kawai Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company distributes acoustic and digital pianos to over 80 countries. Furthermore, Kawai occupies the second largest share of piano sales in the world.^[2]

Products[edit]

Pianos[edit]

Since the 1970s, Kawai has pioneered the use of alternative materials to improve the consistency and stability of piano performance. In 1971, the company began to use ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), a composite material, for parts of its piano actions to overcome the problems associated with the use of wood. Kawai design engineers reasoned that the tendency of wood to shrink and swell significantly with changes in humidity made it less than ideal for use in a piano action, where exacting tolerances must be maintained to ensure stable piano touch. So they gradually replaced selected wooden action parts with ABS parts that they believed would remain more stable, particularly over time as their pianos age.

According to Kawai,^[3] scientific tests^[which?] conducted by Professor Abdul Sadat at California Polytechnic University in 1998 found that Kawai's ABS action parts to be stronger than comparable wooden parts and far less susceptible to shrinking and swelling due to humidity. Kawai advertises^[4] that its use of composite parts makes its piano actions more stable and consistent than those made by other manufacturers.

In 2002, Kawai introduced its Millennium III grand piano action with ABS-Carbon,^[5] a new composite material that combined ABS with carbon fiber. The new material (dubbed ABS-Carbon) increased the strength of Kawai action parts, reducing their weight, which made the overall action operate faster (very important for control when playing repeated notes or trills). The addition of carbon fiber also increased the stiffness of ABS-Carbon action parts, allowing the action to produce more power for the player with less effort. Kawai contends that these advances in materials and design help its Millennium III action respond more accurately to the player's intentions with greater consistency over time.

Grand pianos[edit]

Kawai Model Numbers

Kawai grand pianos have evolved steadily over the decades from the Model 500/600 built in the 1960s and 1970s, to the KG Series in the 1980s and early 1990s that became popular among teachers and institutions. During these years, Kawai grand pianos earned a reputation for long-term, stable performance even in heavy use. In 1996, Kawai introduced the RX Series grand pianos featuring the Ultra-Responsive ABS Action. The RX Series continued to evolve with the introduction of the Millennium III Action with ABS-Carbon in 2004. In 2009, the RX BLAK Series debuted with a new Acoustic Resonant Solid Spruce soundboard and the addition of Phenolic Stabilizers on the hammers that further enhanced the precision of the hammer strike for improved tone and consistency. The RX BLAK Series pianos also incorporated many cosmetic changes. In 2013, Kawai introduced its latest high-performance grand series: GX BLAK. In Japanese, the word kuro (black) suggests wisdom, experience and nobility.^{[citation needed]}. Improvements include a stretcher-overlap integrated design (SOLID) and Konsei Katagi blended rim design for improved tone projection.

The current Kawai grand piano line consists of the following models (excluding Shigeru Kawai):

• EX Concert Grand Piano - 9'0'
• GX-7 BLAK Semi-Concert Grand Piano - 7'6'
• GX-6 BLAK Artist Grand Piano - 7'0'
• GX-5 BLAK Artist Grand Piano - 6'7'
• GX-3 BLAK Professional Grand Piano - 6'2'
• GX-2 BLAK Classic Grand Piano - 5'11'
• GX-1 BLAK Baby Grand Piano - 5'5'
• GL-50 Grand Piano - 6'2'
• GL-40 Grand Piano - 5'11'
• GL-30 Grand Piano - 5'5'
• GL-20 Grand Piano - 5'2'
• GL-10 Grand Piano - 5'0'
• CR-40A Crystal Grand Piano - 6'1'
• CR-30 Crystal Grand Piano - 6'1'

Upright pianos[edit]

Kawai upright pianos are divided into four classes–K Series Professional Uprights, Furniture Consoles, Institutional Uprights and Continental Uprights. Kawai K Series Professional Uprights range in height from 44' to 52'. All have Kawai's Millennium III Upright Action with ABS-Carbon.

Kawai Furniture Consoles range from 44-1/2' to 46-1/2' in height. They are bought primarily for home use. The line starts with the simple 508 with French legs and becomes increasingly ornate as one moves through the 607 and 907 variations.

Kawai Institutional Uprights are built for heavy use at school. The UST-9 includes a reinforced bench, thicker backposts and side panels, a sturdy toeblock and double rubber casters.

The Kawai K-15 is the lone Continental Upright designed without toeblock for a streamlined European look.

Hybrid pianos[edit]

Digital pianos[edit]

Stage pianos[edit]

Portable pianos[edit]

MIDI controllers[edit]

Synthesizers[edit]

Kawai started manufacturing synthesizers at the start of the 1980s under the brand name Teisco. These instruments were all analog and included the models: 60F, 110F, 100F, 100P, SX-210, SX-240, and SX-400. At some point, Kawai stopped using the 'Teisco' brand and so some of these products can be found labelled either Teisco or Kawai.

During the second half of the '80s, Kawai developed and released a number of digital synthesizers. The most known of these are the K series: Kawai K1, K1m^[6]K1mkII, K3^[7] (SSM2044-based filters), K4 and K5.^[8] These machines follow different synthesis approaches. The K4 use subtractive synthesis based on sampled waveforms, the K1 and K5 are additive synthesizers. The K1 is one of the first popular synthesizers that has no filter whatsoever; all sounds are made by stacking wave samples and applying frequency modulation. The K3 is hybrid in the sense that it does employ additive synthesis for waveform generation, but these waveforms are static and cannot be modulated as in a true additive synthesizer; instead, waveshaping is done using a low-pass filter, therefore characterizing this machine as a subtractive synthesizer. Uniquely for their price range, all instruments feature aftertouch. Kawai also manufactured rack versions of most of these instruments, Kawai Q-80MIDI sequencer (1988),^[9][10] and an external MIDI programming device, MM-16 MIDI Mixer (MIDI processor with slider controllers).^[11]

Later developments resulted in Kawai Spectra KC10 (1990)^[12] based on the K4 engine, along with a group of original multitimbral instrument including Kawai PH-50 Pop Keyboard and its half-rack version PHm, and XS-1 sound module(1989),^[13] and a group of General MIDI (GM) compatible instruments including Kawai KC20 GM Sound Keyboard (early 1990s), GMega sound module (early 1990s)^[14] as an update of previous XS-1, and K11 (1993)^[15] based on GMega and K1, etc.

In 1996 Kawai released the K5000, an advanced additive synthesizer that greatly improved on the K5 and is now regarded as one of Kawai's very best instruments'K5000 at Vintage Synth Explorer'.. It was manufactured in three versions: K5000S, which had 16 knobs for real-time control and an arpeggiator, K5000W which added a sequencer but lacked both the knobs and the arpeggiator, and the K5000R, a rack version with an arpeggiator, but no sequencer and no knobs. A Knobs Macro Box was sold separately for use with the W and R models. Kawai originally planned to release K5000X, which would combine the features of the S and W models with a 76-key keyboard and enhanced memory, but this was cancelled in the late '90s due to bad sales. Shortly thereafter the company stopped producing synthesizers.

Drum machines[edit]

The Kawai R-100 and R50 drum machines were both manufactured from around 1987.^[16][17] The Kawai XD-5, a drum synthesizer based on the K4 engine,^[18] was produced in 1989-1990.

Organs[edit]

See also: ja:ドリマトーン

Kawai produces a line of electronic organs under the name 'Dreamatone'.^[19] Kawai also owns Lowrey organs.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^ab'Koichi Kawai Founder: Inventive Genius'. www.kawaius.com.
2. ^Yomiuri TV 'secret Kenmin SHOW' 2011 February 3an
3. ^'The Truth About ABS - The Evidence Part III'. www.kawaius.com.
4. ^http://www.kawaius.com/PDF/ABS_Superior.pdf
5. ^'Kawai America Corporation: Kawai Canada Music'. kawaius.com.
6. ^'Kawai K1 Synthesizer'. Sound On Sound. June 1988. pp. 49–51. ISSN0951-6816. OCLC925234032.
7. ^'Kawai K3'. Sound On Sound. December 1986. pp. 74–6. ISSN0951-6816. OCLC925234032.
8. ^'Kawai K5'. Sound On Sound. December 1987. pp. 36–41. ISSN0951-6816. OCLC925234032.
9. ^'KAWAI Q-80 [Digital MIDI Sequencer]'. Y.M.M. Player (in Japanese) (August 1988). archived on: 'New Product archives - KAWAI'. Player ON-LINE. Tokyo: Player Corporation.
10. ^'Fighting Hard!'. Sound On Sound. February 1989. pp. 68–70. ISSN0951-6816. OCLC925234032.
11. ^KAWAI 16ch MIDI Mixer MM-16 Owner's Manual(PDF). Hamamatsu: Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
12. ^'KAWAI Spectra KC10'. Y.M.M. Player (in Japanese) (December 1990). archived on: New Product archives - KAWAI
13. ^KAWAI XS-1 16bit Synthesizer Module Owner's Manual(PDF). Hamamatsu: Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
14. ^KAWAI GMega Synthesizer Module Owner's Manual(PDF). Hamamatsu: Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
15. ^'KAWAI K11'. Y.M.M. Player (in Japanese) (May 1993). archived on: New Product archives - KAWAI
16. ^'Kawai R100 Drum Machine'. Sound On Sound. June 1987. pp. 74–6. ISSN0951-6816. OCLC925234032.
17. ^'Kawai R50 Drum Machine'. Sound On Sound. September 1987. ISSN0951-6816. OCLC925234032.
18. ^'Kawai XD5'. Music Technology. May 1991. pp. 66–8. ISSN0957-6606. OCLC24835173.
19. ^'Kawai Dreamatone' (in Japanese). Kawai Musical Instruments. Archived from the original on 2015-05-05. [In English: 'DT Series - Kawai Dreamatone is an electronic organ to realize your ideal music']

External links[edit]

• NAMM Oral History Interview with Hirotaks Kawai November 14, 2011.

After a year of practicing on a weighted digital keyboard (Casio CDP-120), I find myself itching to have an acoustic piano. I would prefer to buy new, because all of the stores offer a 100% trade in and a 10 year warranty on new pianos. I've gone to three piano stores in the area. It has been a bit confusing as far as what to trust. I searched for a thread similar to this, but I did not find anything discussing Yamaha vs. Kawai in past posts or the FAQ. So, if I missed it, that sucks please direct me to it. Here is a summary of what I was told from each store.

Store 1: I was most interested in a new upright Baldwin (they did not deal new kawai or yamaha pianos). The sound of it was nice. I didn't start to ask very specific questions as I had just started to do my research.

Store 2: This store sold used Yamahas and new Kawais. No new Yamahas were sold here. I found what many people say to be true regarding Yamaha vs. Kawai. Overall, the tone the Kawai emitted was a bit more warm and dark sounding while the yamaha came off as more Bright. Sound wise, I think I favor the Kawai. But don't get me wrong, the Yamaha sounds great too. The action was very similar as well. But I found that my hands felt more agile while playing the Kawai. I told the owner I went to store 1 previously and he told me that I should never buy a Baldwin because chinese made pianos are made by machines and the quality does not compare to Yamaha or Kawai which are made in Japan. According to him, the primary difference between a Yamaha and Kawai is that the Kawai's head felt is more fluffy while the Yamaha's is more compact.

Store Three: This store was the only store that dealt brand new Yamahas. The salesman here told me that Yamaha and Kawai are very comparable however the main difference is that the yamaha's action is built with wood while the kawai's is built with plastic. The felt head of a Yamaha is more compact and over time will soften, while the kawai's felt head is punctured with holes and over time will harden. So, the yamaha's bright sound may lessen over time because the felt heads will become softer. The Kawai's will become more bright because over time the heads will become harder. The repeated hitting of the Kawai's heads against the string will harden the softer heads (I am not sure this makes that much sense really, unless the felt material is different). I mentioned that the used Yamaha's at store 2 did not sound less bright. His criticism was that store 2 repairs the used Yamaha's with non-Yamaha parts which is why the sound is not as representative of what a used Yamaha replaced with Yamaha parts would sound like. He too said that Baldwin is crap, and to not bother buying that brand either. His argument against Baldwin pianos was the same as store 2, that chinese made pianos are not worth it.

I went home and did my own research and found that stating that Kawai's action is made with plastic is somewhat accurate but really it is made with ABS styrene which is more durable than wood and does not respond to changes in temperature or humidity as wood does (which is the selling point that kawai makes). Most non-sales oriented forums stated that overall it is best to just go with whichever sound you prefer. The debate of the Kawai vs. Yamaha is ongoing. But, I found far more players who prefer Yamaha to Kawai.

Specifically here are the models that I played: -Kawai K-400 (leaning towards this) $4,000 -Kawai K-200 $3,200 -Yamaha B-1 $4,100 -Yamaha B-2 $5,600

• The Baldwin model I am not sure of, but it was priced at $3,500.

Lastly, a few additional things to note. Store 3 which was the only store that dealt new Yamahas also requires me to pay for delivery...which kind of sucks since I would already be BUYING the piano. Also if I ever wanted to trade in the piano, I would have to purchase a piano that is at least double the cost of the model that I bought before. Each store seemed as though they harbored intense dislike for each other. I've also read that all entry level pianos are crap? Not sure about this assertion.

Alternatively, if you have any other information I should consider before I make a purchase please educate away. Not sure how important this is but I am an intermediate level pianist who for now is quite motivated. It's my primary hobby. I practice on average 1 hour a day.

TLDR: Yamaha vs. Kawai which is better? Or is it more so a matter of personal preference?