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
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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?
Interesting topic, thanks for bringing it up.
First, debunking a few things as a piano technician:
Yamaha's action is built with wood while the Kawai's is built with plastic.
They are both effective systems. There was a time when the plastic used in pianos was inferior and led to problems. That is no longer an issue. In the future, everything will continue to move toward carbon fiber as it continues to get more consistent and more economical.
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.
The felt is going to harden on both brands of hammers. They will both continue to brighten over time. You're repeatedly slamming a piece of fabric into hard, high-tension steel strings. The felt fibers will become more and more compressed as the piano ages.
A few things to keep in mind:
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Most piano salesmen know very little about pianos. They are there to sell you pianos, but they aren't technicians and they LOVE to repeat things that makes their brand seem better than the competition.
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If you have any concerns about a piano, hire an independent piano technician to look it over (will cost you $50 to $100). You can judge a dealer by how they react to this. A worthwhile, trustworthy dealer will welcome your tech and give him/her free-range over the piano you're interested in.
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Prices are negotiable. Always. Don't want to pay for the delivery cost? I guarantee you can talk him down and get him to throw in a couple of free tunings.
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Beware of "100% trade in." You're probably not going to trade in the piano you purchase and it probably only applies towards much more expensive grands. They want you to trade in your $4,000 upright for a $40,000 grand. If you can see yourself doing that, it's something to consider. Most of the time, it's just not something you'll use.
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Go off of the manufacturer warranty, not the store warranty. I've done warranty work for both Yamaha and Kawai. It's often best if the local dealer is cut out of the deal entirely and the technician acts as a go-between between the manufacturer and the customer.
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Entry level pianos can be okay. It's good that you're looking at Yamaha and Kawai and not their sub-brands or off-brands. The most recommended uprights are Yamaha U1s (or better) or Kawai K-2s (or better). The taller the piano, the longer the strings, the better the piano.
Where you've already made up your mind and you don't need us to settle the Yamaha vs Kawai debate for you:
Sound wise, I think I favor the Kawai.
But I found that my hands felt more agile while playing the Kawai.
Happy hunting!
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I just bought the Kawai GL-10 model, released back in September 2015. The touch is exquisite. I really think the Carbon fibre action parts are the future for the piano. I was hoping that Kawai would go all the way make the shaft of the hammer also carbon-fibre, but alas, they haven't gone in the direction of Mason & Hamlin.
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The Yamaha Corporation, in my opinion, has become complacent with its piano department. Their dealers—I went to both a Kawai and Yamaha dealership to compare prior to my purchase—smear Kawai's technology, also using Kawai's older models to unfairly compare with Yamaha's latest models. This is what a monopoly of high-volume piano manufacturing will do instead of innovating and creating better pianos. The dealer at the Kawai shop was, in contrast, confident and honest, telling me to compare them both carefully—which, to me, showed that he was confident with his product. No smearing, no unfair comparisons, just decency all the way.
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Kawai's longer keysticks and carbon-fibre action parts gives the touch an extraordinary level of leverage and directness: Because the key is longer, one has to push the keys down further to get the same distance as a shorter keystick, which gives the pianist more levels of control. And because the action parts are practically immune to bending or environmental distortions, your pressing the keys feels like you're actually caressing the strings of the piano. I really believe Kawai is the better piano at this moment compared to Yamaha.