Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Looking for recommendations on a piano bag for Kawai ES8

Hello Plopsy,

Provided the polarity is correct, a simple on/off switch pedal can be connected to the ES8's F-20 pedal jack. However, the pedal cannot be used as a soft pedal, only as a sostenuto pedal or secondary damper pedal, depending on the 'F-20 Mode' setting .

Therefore, if you wish to add soft/sostenuto functionality to the ES8, it's really best to use the recommended F-20 dual pedal unit, or upgrade to the full HM-4 stand + F-301 triple pedal configuration.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
James
x

Hi James, thanks for the reply. It's a pity you can't set it to being a soft pedal, but not to worry I might end up buying the f20 eventually. Thanks!

After ordering the Kawai SC-1 gig bag from Thomann in Germany, I got occasional updates as it made its way across the globe to Colorado, but no prediction for when it would arrive until the day before delivery. It shipped on March 11, got stuck in customs clearance, and finally showed up on March 30. I am in the middle of a bunch of projects, so I didn't get to test it immediately (and still haven't actually taken it out on a gig).

My previous case is an earlier version of the Gator GK Semi-Rigid 88-key Slim wheeled case.

The Gator has very rigid panels in the bottom and ends, though the lid and sides are padded but flexible.

The Kawai has no rigid panels except the end where the wheels attach: in fact, it arrived in a box folded in half. It uses the snug fit around the piano to keep it rigid, which seems fine. A plus if you want to stuff it in a closet when not in use.

The Gator is over-sized for the ES8/9 by a few inches in width. It accommodates different-sized keyboards with some padded "seat belts" that velcro in place to keep narrower boards from rattling around, and the firm back keeps it from squashing down to the size of the keyboard. It always seemed perfectly secure. The SC1 is smaller, but not really by much.

The SC1 feels as though the padding is thicker on the sides and top than the Gator. But with the rigid panels in the Gator's sides and bottom, I can't imagine that either would let much happen to the board inside unless someone tries to stab it with a knife or drops a PA on it. I'm very comfortable using either for taking the piano to gigs; but I wouldn't check either on an airplane unless I really had to.

The SC1 is noticeably lighter. I only have a postage scale, and it shows the SC1 as around 9 pounds. I can't actually weigh the Gator (it maxes out the scale at 10 lbs), though the "specs" on Amazon show the current one (cryptically) weighing 26 pounds with a 23.5 pound shipping weight. This is still going to be a heavy keyboard to lug, even with a lighter case; but it's a step in the right direction.

The Gator has some hard skids along the back, so if you slide the keyboard down a staircase step by step, those skids will be the only thing that touches the stairs. Likewise, if you slide it on its back into a van, the skids touch the floor. The SC1 doesn't have skids, so you'd be sliding on the fabric itself. So the Gator definitely gets the edge in protecting the case itself from rough treatment.

The SC1 has a much larger pocket. I tend not to load up the pocket for the sake of keeping weight down, but you could get something almost the length of the piano in that pocket. The Gator's pocket, though smaller, still holds sustain pedal, power cord, and even the wire music rack; so I don't see a big advantage there.

Besides the usual side handles, the Gator has a handle on one end for lifting and pulling it on its wheels. The SC1 has those plus a second handle between the wheels, so it can be carried off the ground easily with one person on each end. It comes with a longer shoulder strap as well.

My final verdict: The Kawai case is more awkward to get in the U.S., but is lighter and looks to be as well made, and has more options for how it can be carried. On the other hand, if you're doing a lot of loading and may be rough on cases, the Gator has better-protected exterior surfaces.

Hello Rodney,

Many thanks for your detailed review. My apologies for not replying sooner - I've been away for a little while, so am catching up on some post from earlier in the month.

Anyway, thank you for the useful feedback - I shall pass this on to my colleagues at Kawai Europe who oversaw the development of this new gigbag.

Kind regards,
James
x

EDIT:

Regarding this point:



Some additional information from my colleague at Kawai Europe:

Thanks for pointing out the divisions in the pocket, James! I generally just throw the music rack in there loose, and hadn't looked for those dividers.

One other thing I keep in the pocket: my "stick." It's a four-foot wooden 2x2, painted black. I put it on the ground behind the foot pedal, to keep the pedal from wandering away on polished wood stages.

Rodney, have you ever tried sticking some dollar-store self-adhesive rubber pads to the underside of the F-10H pedal? I believe this may help to prevent the sliding.

Cheers,
James
x