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Digital pianos, stage pianos, acoustic upright pianos, grand pianos and hybrid pianos: the keyboard instruments made by Japanese manufacturer Kawai combine modern technology with traditional piano craftsmanship. The company’s history dates back to 1927, when founder Koichi Kawai built his first pianos. Kawai is headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan, while its European headquarters have been based in Krefeld since 1990. Today, the family-run company is led by Hirotaka Kawai, the founder’s grandson. Read more…
The instruments made by Japanese manufacturer Kawai are defined by the combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology. The company’s history began in 1927, when Koichi Kawai built his first pianos. In the years that followed, Kawai expanded its range to include upright pianos, grand pianos and other musical instruments. The company is headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan.
Today, Kawai is one of the world’s leading piano manufacturers. The company is managed by Hirotaka Kawai, the founder’s grandson, who succeeded his father Shigeru Kawai. Since its foundation, Kawai has therefore remained under the leadership of a member of the Kawai family. Its European headquarters have been located in Krefeld since 1990.
Kawai is regarded as a particularly innovative manufacturer of upright and grand pianos. A key part of this reputation is based on durable and precise actions such as the Millennium III Action, which uses components made from ABS-Carbon. The company’s extensive materials research enables durable parts while maintaining a precise and controlled playing response.
The K Series in particular is known for its expressive sound, wide dynamic range and clear tonal character. Kawai combines the craftsmanship standards established by its founder with new technologies whenever they improve the sound, playing feel or reliability of the instruments.
Current Kawai digital pianos use technologies including Harmonic Imaging to reproduce the sound of acoustic concert grand pianos with a high level of detail and dynamic expression. One of the principal sound sources is the Kawai EX concert grand.
To create these sounds, the individual notes of the concert grand are recorded and analysed across the full dynamic range. Kawai engineers and piano technicians then carefully refine and voice the sound data. The result is a range of detailed piano tones with natural response, finely graded dynamics and varied tonal characteristics.
Kawai began combining the qualities of acoustic and digital instruments at an early stage. The manufacturer introduced full wooden keyboards with realistic hammer actions in both home pianos and stage pianos. These designs aim to combine the playing feel of an acoustic piano with the practical possibilities of digital sound generation.
Another development combines digital sound generation with an acoustic soundboard. Transducers transfer electrical vibrations directly to the soundboard, creating a more spacious sound whose propagation is closer to that of an acoustic piano than that produced by conventional speaker systems.
Although Kawai later withdrew from the synthesizer, portable keyboard and organ markets, the company produced several successful electronic instruments during the 1980s and 1990s. Models such as the Kawai K3 and Kawai K5 used additive synthesis and therefore stood apart from many other digital synthesizers of the period.
The analogue Kawai SX-240, originally released under the Teisco name, is now regarded as a sought-after vintage synthesizer. The sample-based Kawai K1 became a widely used instrument in MIDI studios during the late 1980s and helped shape many productions of that era.
