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I’m looking to move from the *very* remote California Coast to Kraków, Poland.

Question:

Should I ship my MP11SE or should I sell it here and buy a new one when I arrive in Poland?

What do people do in such a circumstance?

Thanks,

Jack

Hello Jack,

One thing to note is that your US-purchased MP11SE will be wired for 110V. In order to use your instrument in Poland, you will need to use a power transformer, or have the instrument modified.

My recommendation would be to raise this topic with Kawai America.

Best of luck with your move!

Kind regards,
James
x

Thanks James!
New adventures!

I hope my cat speaks Polish!

Your comment is exactly on point… some electronics are able to handle different voltages themselves… I appreciate the tip that the MP11SE would require a transformer.

That pushes me towards buying a new one on my arrival.

This piano has been and continues to be greater than I imagined.

Cheers,

Jack

From Shelter Cove to Kraków....that’s quite a move!

Shelter Cove sure looks like a neat place.

Power transformers are inexpensive, and widely available.

Given the low power requirements of the MP11, the change from 60 Hz to 50 Hz should be safe.

It is always wise to check with the manufacturer.

I believe the language of "cat" is the same all around the world.

James
x

lol, the onomatopoeic words for meow in Poland is completely different, I think his cat will need a babel fish.

American Cat: Meow
Polish Cat: Miauczeć

This maybe the solution:



Does your cat have an iPhone?

I've lived on a cliff overlooking the ocean for the last 20 years - 100 miles from the nearest traffic light.
black sand north and south and whale spouts due west.
I'd never leave - but my (Polish) wife has given me 20 years here and she needs a change, I'm thankful.
We are in early planning stages, so I've still got a bit of time.

Doug - Bravo! good knowledge! Now, to figure out the declination for miauczeć....

Thanks Charles for the info about transformers, that sounds much more possible than I had thought.

thanks all,

Jack

I vaguely recall others have dealt with this as well here and have received help from Kawai US on how to modidy the piano's existing transformer to EU 220v? I could be misremembering...

The dangers of working with high voltage equipment all apply...

+1. We used to do this with computers in the old days. Unlike an acoustic piano, the slab is so easy to ship that sell here/buy there doesn't make sense.

Do check with Kawai -- though an external transformer will definitely work, they may have an internal switch, which would be even easier. -- or maybe even read the manual first???

I do not think shipping it should be anything to avoid for fear of damaging it.

Just do a good job of double boxing it and it should be fine.

You may also wish to check the selling price of the MP11SE in Poland.

You may find that the price there is low enough to make selling and repurchasing (or shipping) more attractive.

P.S. Not to cause marital problems ….. but are you sure you want to do this ? Really ?

Or you could sell it and buy am MP12, whenever it decides to exist...

How do you get a box big enough to fit the needs for the MP11-SE?

So I took a look at the manual. It doesn't say anything beyond that it consumes 20 Watts. From the pictures it looks like it might be a NEMA cord rather than a wall wart. But you'd know, since you already have it.

If it's NEMA, this'll do the job for $40:

https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Star-SF500-Automatic-Transformer/dp/B001TPZ294?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_14

That'll also work with a wall wart, but it would be simpler and cheaper just to buy a 240 volt wall wart when you get there.

I would contact the original shipper of the instrument and see if they will send you one.

Mine came to me double boxed.

Or you build a plywood box, and use rigid foam or bubblepack for padding. There's a weight penalty (as opposed to cardboard), but the plywood's protection is way better.

Thanks everyone. Truly helpful.

Indeed, it’s a NEMA connector so that recommendation from amazon will likely be just the thing.

I kept the original packaging… so boxing won’t be a problem.

Re: do I really want to do this…

With the change that “I” undergoes in marriage … I’ll answer yes, a bit tearfully.

I believe I've seen on this forum that inside the old MP10, there is a jumper (it is soldered) to select the voltage... if your piano's warranty is over and you have minimal experience in disassembling things, the voltage setting change should be easy, assuming that the transformer used is the same.
Here you are a video showing which screws have to be remove to open the unit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMpa43cNlJ0

'Miauczeć' is a verb, and the actual sound we say which immitates cat's voice is fonetically 'meow', so don't be afraid

As for the piano, calculate the cost of shipping and if it's not ridiculously huge and you are not going to move piano around, maybe trasformer way is not a bad idea.

BTW. Kraków is a very nice city for a musician

A linear transformer is specifically designed for operating at either 50 Hz or 60 Hz. If the frequency is wrong, it overheats and slowly burns out. That's the main problem when using an AC autotransformer for adjusting the voltage externally or switching the transformer tap internally. It works, but not too long.

Only switching power supplies don't care about mains frequency, because they make up their own internally, but most of them don't care about voltage either and work with any one you feed them, so there would be no need for adjustments anyway.