Kawai or Yamaha piano

[whitelies]

Which piano is better ? Comparison between kawai k5 and yamaha u1 or u3 .

[thierry13]

Hmm I usually like yamaha better to tell you the truth, i've never found a completly "displeasant" yamaha ... wich I can't say is true for kawaii ... tough if you get a good kawaii, they can be really great.

[lostinidlewonder]

I own both a Yamaha and Kawai concert grand. I find the Yamaha works much better with classical music and lighter touches where the Kawai is a more warm sounding instrument and is better suited for "Jazz" style.

[richard black]

Neither's up to much. However, they will both serve reasonably well if you have regular servicing from a good technician.

[whitelies]

oh . As for that 3 model, kawai k5, yamaha u1 and u3, do you guys have any suggestion ?

[frank_48]

oh . As for that 3 model, kawai k5, yamaha u1 and u3, do you guys have any suggestion ?

i have the U1 and my teacher has a U3, both very fine instruments. and very nice tone quality. however, i have to put a heavy blanket on my piano as in a small room the sound is extremley over bearing.

[pianistimo]

I have a Kawai UST-7 upright studio piano which my parents helped me buy in 1983.  Only in the past 2 years has the soundboard gotten a very slight crack.  It has had a good tone, stayed in very good use (as a practice piano), and stayed in tune very very well (pins were set well).  It is a good practice piano -b ut the touch is heavy.  That is what I wanted because sometimes the touch will lighten on some pianos.  It never really did on this one (which I liked) because you can control your touch if you come across a heavy piano elsewhere.  I've never like 'blow the keys down' pianos - but am finding that artists typically prefer them.  why?  certainly becaue they are better at control - but also it keeps you from getting hand/wrist conditions.  I don't care - i'm relaxed when i play and i like the beethovenish sounds.  Also, bach sounds very good on it.  overall, i would buy it again in an instant.  It was from an estate sale where someone used this new piano for furniture.  It was a good deal. No sales tax at the time.  Only moving expenses - which were probably terrible for my parents as we had to get it up over a banister and into a skinny door.

[pianochick93]

I haven't played a Yamaha but my piano teacher and school both have kawai pianos and I quite like them. Agreed with Pianistimo, the touch can be a little heavy, but you get used to it.

[gyzzzmo]

Eventually its all about taste and what you want to do with it. So if you want to buy one of them, just play them alot and try to figure out wich You one prefer.

[whitelies]

How do we hear and feel whether the tone and the touch is good ?

[gyzzzmo]

How do we hear and feel whether the tone and the touch is good ?

By playing pieces on it and enjoying the result (or not)

[lynno]

well, at school we have Kawai ...its great but Iv  tried Yamaha and its great too
Anyway I think Steinway is better than both if you think that they are the best
I mean the Japaneese Pianos like Yamaha arent always the best 

[1032]

I am selling my Steinway B because it is too big for our house.  I am considering purchasing either a Steinway A, or a Yamaha CF IV.  I have no contact with the Yamaha, but have read positive comments about it.  If anyone can shed some light on the merits of these two instruments, it would be most helpful...

[john90]

If you fancy buying a new piano anyway, and are downsizing 'for free', then OK. If you have a perfect Model B, then is less than a couple of feet such a big deal? I would say it is not easy or cheap to swap. Even a 5"1' Model S is a big piece of furniture to have in a space challenged environment. New Steinway uprights are pleasant, and you get a lot of space back.

[invictious]

It just seems to be my luck, but I always seems to get a Kawai grand for piano exams or competitions! I dislike them. In my opinion, and mark my words, in my opinion, I find their action rather 'clunky', and unnatural to play. It is not a matter of heaviness, but rather how unnatural it feels to me.

I always preferred Yamahas over Kawais. There are many comments about the touch of Yamahas being too light, or that the tone is too bright. It would be prudent to test the pianos beforehand.

[rocklandpiano]

A perennial favorite among discerning pianists, the Yamaha U1 offers outstanding musical performance, setting the standards by which many other upright pianos are measured.

[perfect_pitch]

I own both a Yamaha and Kawai concert grand. I find the Yamaha works much better with classical music and lighter touches where the Kawai is a more warm sounding instrument and is better suited for "Jazz" style.

I agree with that statement as long as it's a Shigeru Kawai Grand piano... some of the cheaper Kawai grands are clunky and awful as crap.

[lisztrachmaninovfan]

I don't know about you guys, but I prefer Kawais a lot more over Yamahas. I mean, Yamahas are definitely good-quality pianos, and are especially good for beginners. Even though I don't agree with people who say they have a light action (their action is medium-soft to medium, usually), I think that they do have a somewhat light and thin sound. This might be excellent for a Mozart sonata, but they don't fare well against modern pieces (jazz, especially) or even romantic and 20th century classical music (such as the heavy stuff by Liszt or Rachmaninoff).

It could just be my tastes in music, but I prefer Kawais because of their rich tone and pristine action (I seem to prefer harder action pianos, and that could be because my piano teacher had one of the stiffest pianos ever). Nevertheless, they're quality seems less consistent (the K. Kawaiis at least; Shigeru Kawais are a totally different story  ) than with Yamahas, which are always *great*, but not exceptional. However, that's definitely not saying Yamaha makes bad pianos, which is a totally untrue statement...

[wizgard]

I prefer Yamaha piano, because to me Yamaha sound crisp and louder. But if you like soft tone then Kawai is for your choice. Overall both is ok.

[carolinemusic]

I have a Steinway grand but am always being asked by piano students what upright is best, so I asked my Steinway technician. His opinion is that Kawai are the best. (He did give a few technical reasons but I cannot remember what they are, sorry...) From a personal point of view I find that Yamahas get very tinny and thin-sounding after quite a short time. They only sound any good if they are very new. Also some people have mentioned the heavy touch on Kawais, but in my opinion heavy is better than light, for your playing, especially if you are ever going to go anywhere else to play on other pianos. If you have a heavy piano at home and then you go and perform on a light one it feels great; the other way around is not so good! (I actually have a Yamaha upright as well as my Steinway but only because it has a 'silent' function so I can play at night without bothering the neighbours!)