Buy Kawai
Used and new Kawai uprights and grand pianos
Origin & History
Kawai was founded in 1927 by Koichi Kawai in Japan. Today the company builds not only in Japan but also in Indonesia and China, with its main works still in Japan.
Positioning
Kawai sits in the mid to upper mid-range and, alongside Yamaha, is one of the two major Japanese piano brands on the used market. The premium Shigeru Kawai line, by contrast, is hand-built in limited numbers and belongs to the international top tier.
Sound character
Kawai tends to sound more direct and brighter than Yamaha, while the hand-built Shigeru Kawai line aims for a warmer, more nuanced tone.
What to check
Checking the country of manufacture is worthwhile: only the entry-level K-200 is consistently built in Indonesia, while the K-300 through K-800 models are mostly built in Japan. The Shigeru Kawai line is its own premium category, also from Japan. General buying criteria are covered in the piano buying guide.
Known series
The K series ranges from the Indonesian-built K-200 to the K-300 through K-800 models, mostly built in Japan, while the Shigeru Kawai grands form the hand-built premium line.
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