Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Kawai KG 300 Grand Piano 6'- 1965

Have someone offering to give me one of these for free. Planning to look at it tonight, are they worth taking even for free? I have a crummy old spinet and would love to take it if it's playable and worth tuning.

Good morning,

It is hard to argue with “free”. But free is often costly.

What I read is that someone is giving away a 53 year old piano of unknown condition. Kawai buildback then was not what is today. What you should do is check it out. Make sure all the keys play. Look at the soundboard tosee if there are large cracks. Look for rust on the strinngs. When was it last tuned? When was it last regulated - probably never.

Then, if it still interests you, have it inspected by a profrssional technician. Have that person assess the cost of putting the piano in decent shape.

Then make your decision.

Kawai didn't make a KG 300. Their 5'10 was 500 and 6'1" was a 600.

Check it out and report back what you find. I suspect there is a reason it's free.

I thought the older Kawai grand designations were KG-1, KG-2, KG-3, KG-5, KG-6, etc...

I have an older Howard/Kawai 550 from 1969 that is 5'10". Not sure about the KG 300 or KG 500. I know there was an older model of the Kawai grand that was designated as the model 500, and the model 600, before the KG series.

For free, it may be worth the effort and the moving, but maybe not. You never know until you go look for yourself. I've seen and read some stories of some very nice pianos being given away for free just to get rid of them, or whatever reason, though far and few in-between.

Good luck!

Rick

There were two designations for 6 foot grands in the 1960s, 600 (no letters) and KG3. 600 is what they were called in the wild.

Actually is a KG 3.kept in tune for 15 of last 18 years. Evenly Out of tune not terribly so. Keys are even no sticking keys. No bridge or sound board cracks. Pins all look good and strings not rusty. Has a humidification system. Case is immaculate

Sounds like a "GO" to me then!

What are you waiting for? Get the movers over there in a hurry before the owners of the piano change their mind....

Rick

On my way at 6:00 am!!

More information on older Kawai grand piano models can be found here:

http://www.kawaius-tsd.com/pages/old_grands.html

The model No. 350 started production, I believe, in about 1960 or slightly before. The No. 500 was the original Kawai grand designed by Koichi back in 1927, originally called a "Style A."

The pianos were modified and renamed KG models in 1970.

There is a 600 at a night club that I tune regularly. It has had a hard life, but it still sounds pretty good, and plays reasonably well. The first band I tuned it for was Woody Herman. I tell people that, and they ask me, "Who's Woody Herman?"

FREE KAWAI 6 FOOTER IN GOOD CONDITION, HOLY EFFING CRAP!!!!11111!!!!!

Appropriate Reaction ^

Mazel Tov, I hope it works out!

Any updates?

My piano teacher loaned me a piano board, dolly and ramp. He refurbishes antique player pianos and such so he gave me the rundown on what to do along with a pile of moving blankets. The weather was brutally hot and humid. The piano had to be out by noon or was being taken away by someone else. I drove the three hours there in my SUV and enclosed trailer and met three guys I hired to help. We managed to get it packed tight and loaded solid (make the piano "one with the trailer' my teacher said haha).

Took 6 hours to get home as I wound through horrendous NJ and NYC traffic. Had to leave the piano in the trailer overnight, but family helped me unload and get it set up in the living room the morning of the fourth. Now, the wife was rather taken aback by the size and rather sudden and seemingly idiotic and impulsive nature of the whole endeavor. Plus, there were grave concerns about the whole room being swallowed by a grand piano. Lastly, we were preparing to leave for a camping trip for 4 days and had to leave and the wife was getting quite agitated with all the stress and fuss about a piano she had no idea was even in the picture. However, we headed out with family in tow and had a nice time setting up camp and hanging out with my adult kids.

Now here is where it gets interesting. We had a barbecue at the camp and my daughter says she wants to say a prayer before dinner, which she never does so I was a bit taken aback. She gives thanks for her family, for us getting together and.....she's pregnant. Wow! Stunner, but we all hugged, congratulated etc and had a great night.

So on July 4th 2018, I got a baby grand and a grand baby. Crazy.

One of the most interesting, intriguing, and unique piano adventures I've read on PW in a while...

Congratulations on the free, new-to-you baby grand piano, and the coming of a new-born grand baby!! Hey, it doesn't get any better....

Wishing you and family all the best, both with the new-to-you baby grand and the new grand baby!!

Rick

WOW! A new grand baby and a baby grand. Life cannot get any sweeter. Congratulations!

Thanks very much Rick and NobleHouse! Here's a few pics of the freebie;

http://forum.pianoworld.com//ubbthreads.php/galleries/2750278.html#Post2750278

That is one nice looking piano!!!

Mazl Tov.

Once it has settled down, get it tuned. I wuld buy a decent cover for it.