Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum New Shigeru SK-2 vs Used Schimmel K213 NWS

Which one would you choose if they are at the same price (upper 40K)? The Schimmel was 6 years old and is in excellent condition. I love them both and can't choose.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Welcome to the Piano World Forum!
Although I have a bias for Shigeru Kawai pianos, I would say that the Schimmel is the longer of the two pianos and would probably have a fuller and richer bass.
It is not possible to give a definitive answer on this one as we can only speculate about a used Schimmel and even the new Shigeru Kawai SK2. Pianos vary so much. Ultimately, it must be the decision of you, the purchaser, to choose which of the two you like better.
If you love them both, ask for some input from piano playing friends and do some background research on both Shigeru Kawai and Schimmel.

All the best!

Robert.

It doesn't take anywhere near upper 40 k for a new sk2. You can get sk5 or maybe sk6 for that.

Certainly not where I live...

Oh I assumed it was in the US

Oh yes, it probably is in the US. I just meant that I could only dream of such prices in Australia. I really can't believe an SK5 or SK6 could go for $40k. That seems way too cheap in any country.

All things being equal, this isn't even a question... the Schimmel K213 is by far a superior instrument. This being a NWS edition makes it even more aesthetically pleasing than the Kawai.

NWS hands down. It's not even close. I would jump at that.

Thanks everyone for your thought thus far.
I haven't given much thought about the price yet. I wanted to make up my mind about which piano to get before I started the negotiation. It looks like the NWS wins hands down. And yes, this is the price quotes I got from the dealer (same dealer) in the U.S. To tell you the truth, it was a bit of a turn off when they gave me the price quote for the SK-2.

Another vote for the NWS.

And I certainly wouldn't pay anywhere near the high $40s for the NWS.

Ask the dealer why he thinks you should pay full SMP for any piano. Barring some special circumstances that price seems outrageous based on Fine's SMP.

Another vote for the 213.

+1

+1

[] Schimmel

[__] Shigeru

I played both Schimmels and Shigerus (along with many other high end grands). It's such a subjective thing, but I kept coming back to the Shigeru. I ended up with an SK6 and have been VERY happy with it.

Hi Minty-mom,

It's seems reasonable to think that a decent quality 7'00 piano should be more satisfying than a 5'11"; but actually there are certain factors to put in for consideration.

Shigeru Kawai has developed a very sophisticated piano action which is significantly better than several high-end pianos in the market. Better in regard to performance but also in terms of consistency and stability over the years.

Another clear difference between a Schimmel and a Shigeru, is that Schimmel pianos have a tonal quality that in my opinion is very linear. In other words the tone tends to have the same color across the dynamic range.

Shigeru pianos would not have as much color as a Schimmel when playing "pp or p" the tone will gradually gain color as you work across the dynamic range of the piano. Depending in what kind of music you play and your abilities, one type of tonal quality will work better than the other for you.

Shigeru Kawai offers an in-home service by one of the Japanese MPA. This is of great value for most piano buyers as pianos can sound different from one place to another; but also pianos require a settling period. By having the MPA work on the piano it does truly complete the initial settling process of the instrument.

As a representative of the brand my enthusiasm maybe on the high side; however the response in the market has been very positive and we have seen many skilled potential buyers selected Shigeru Kawai over pianos previously considered superior such as Steinway or Bosendorfer.

"Decent quality"? Come, now. That's a bit disingenuous.




Kawai is rightly proud of its pioneering of alternative materials. Better? Not necessarily. It all comes down to how it's been set up and regulated. Is one action inherently better than another? No. You can take a Dongbei instrument and make it perform like a Ferrari just as you can take any high end piano and make it perform like a Geo Metro. FWIW, the last two Shigeru grands I played were disappointing in the action dept.






What does this even mean? I've never had any problem getting the desired tone out of a properly voiced and regulated piano, regardless of manufacture.




This is something that is factored into the cost of the piano, so it's not like the buyer is getting this service for free. While I'm sure the MPAs are highly skilled, there are a lot of great techs already over here. Imagine how many hours of tweaking one could buy with what it costs to fly an MPA here from Japan!

Now, before I get called a hater by the Shigeru aficionados... there are plenty of S. Kawais that I really liked.

No at all. You made some interesting points.