Kawai vs. Yamaha Upright Pianos Comparison

One very common question asked by piano buyers is: What are the differences between Yamaha and Kawai vertical pianos?
The following are the basic differences between manufacturers:
A) Yamaha is a much larger company than Kawai with a very strong presence, due to the fact that Yamaha is not exclusively a piano manufacturer. It is likely that the general public has heard the name Yamaha while looking for a motorcycle as well as for a guitar. Kawai is a smaller company that specializes solely in manufacturing pianos, therefore, the only time you will encounter the name Kawai is when your interest is related to the piano.

B) Which one is more expensive? The most objective response to this question has to do with manufacturing cost. Considering that Yamaha is a larger company with higher production volume, it make sense to say that Yamaha uprights should cost less than similar pianos built by Kawai. On these basis I could say Kawai Pianos should cost more than Yamaha.

C) Which is better, Yamaha or Kawai?  I can confidently say both are equal when it comes to quality. You can expect reliable quality products from both companies. However, with regard to performance, I give the edge to Kawai for some very remarkable refinements made to the piano a few years ago. Among those refinements are longer key sticks for a more even touch/feel, tapered sound-boards which improves sustain and high quality hammers for tone balance.

D) How to compare among all the different models and series? Here we give you a list of features that allows you to compare pianos of similar quality and characteristics. Based on features, we think the Kawai K series should be compared to the Yamaha YUS or SU series and not the U series or B series which seem to offer fewer features. Here are some examples with pictures:

Picture (A) the hammers for a Yamaha U1 or U3. These are mid-range hammers with maple moldings (light-colored wood) use for Yamaha's more affordable models . Picture (B) show the hammers for a Yamaha YUS5. These are higher quality hammers with moldings made of walnut or mahogany (dark-colored wood). Kawai Pianos starting with the K300 and up use hammers with mahogany moldings, similar to Yamaha's higher quality models.

Picture A U1/U3

Picture B Yamaha YUS5

Some accessories of the piano also show the differences in design and refinement, for instance Music Racks, The bottom picture (A)shows a music rack for a Yamaha U1 or U3; the tab that holds the music does not have a liner, a more modest design for the tab. The bottom picture (B)  is for a music rack for a Yamaha SU-7; the tab has a very nice suede liner, showing additional effort in quality design. For Kawai pianos starting with the K200 and up, all have music racks that come with a suede liner similar to Yamaha's SU7. It is also worth noticing that the shiny black keys for the Yamaha U1 and U3 are black plastic caps (picture A). The black keys for the Yamaha YUS3,  YUS5 or SU7 have ebony wood caps for extra comfort and precision (picture B). For Kawai vertical pianos, the
Kawai K-500 and K800  comes with ebony wood caps for the black keys.

Picture A

Picture B

A significant difference between the two manufacturers is the design of the Action Mechanism.
The action mechanism contains the precision components or parts of the piano. The mechanism is responsible for interpreting the intentions of the piano player. In simple terms, the action allows the player to play soft, loud, fast, slow and to achieve multiple dynamics. Ultimately, the modification of the action is what gave the name to the instrument we know today as the piano. The early keyboard instruments could not play with changes in dynamics until the piano-forte mechanism was invented, re-invented and modified, resulting in today's pianos. These two companies are no stranger to piano-action engineering. Picture A below shows a Yamaha Action. One unique feature of this action is the "jack" (a white component in shape of a boot), which is made of what Yamaha calls AS resin (a composite material). This jack creates a reliable interaction between the action assembly and the hammers.
Picture B shows a Kawai Vertical Piano Action. Kawai, as a specialized piano manufacturer, has taken the action design to the next level or century with precision parts made of a composite material partially built with Carbon Fiber. Kawai's mechanisms are extremely reliable because they are not affected by changes in the environment, and, most importantly, the touch is responsive and highly accurate. Note: Piano actions contain moving precision parts, that are not directly connected to the acoustic system.  However, wood is a suitable material for the hammers and soundboard.

PICTURE A (Yamaha action above)




PICTURE B (Kawai action below)