Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Is Kawai GL10 better and more expensive than Yamaha GB1K?

Hi all,

To put a long piano-hunting story in a nutshell, I'm comparing a couple of baby grands to replace my sold Yamaha CLP-575 digital -- the complete story is here.
Now the issue is that after having played and liked Yamaha GB1K's touch and tone, I noticed that its Kawai counterpart, the GL10, is also available and according to many websites offers better/more durable hammers, a better soundboard, etc. While I love the GB1K's action and feel, the GL10's action is said to be approximately 4 grams lighter.
Although I should see the GL10 in a few days, I want to know if the higher price of the Kawai compared with the GB1K reflects the reality of the market in other countries, too, or if it is related to our not-so-well-established Kawai dealer here. In Tehran I should pay at least an extra 1500 bucks to purchase the Gl10. So is the higher price for the Kawai justified?
I also want to take a look at FEURICH Mod. 162 (don't know its price now), but the issue is that since my space is rather limited, I'm afraid I might end up with a loud piano in a 9 to 10-meter room with a desk, sofa, and so forth. So the GB1K/GL10 size are my limits, and since I do want the action of a grand, I'm not focused on uprights. The U1 used to be my dream acoustic, but once I played the GB1K, it dawned on me that I have to have a grand action under my fingers -- or fingertips! ☺

Thanks beforehand for your comments and insights.

Amir

If you are concerned about how loud different pianos are, download a decibel meter for your phone and you can compare with some actual numbers.

You are right -- this is something I'm looking at, but loudness is an issue, and running out of actual/usable space in the room with larger grands is an equally big issue, too. So my concern with larger grands is two-fold. 😊

Pianobuyer.com shows list price in US for GL10 as $16,295 and GB1K as $14,999. The SMPs are $15,190 and $14,158. So I'd say the $1500 difference you are seeing in your country is comparable to the prices here.

Hmm. Thanks for checking that. Here the difference is a tad more, but if the GL10 is really built with better components, I guess that's justifiable.

In each country prices are affected by the cost of freight as well as import duties and exchange rates.

Comparing prices internationally is not a valid basis.

All pianos are promoted based on features, but they are bought based on sound and touch. So far Kawai's marketing has you intrigued, which tells me you should go try one out, but you may sit down at the GL10 and play for 20 seconds and decide it's not the piano for you. Or you may decide it's a big improvement over the Yamaha. What I'm quite sure of is that there's nothing anyone in this thread can write that will make up your mind for you. Go play it!

Thanks, Steve, but playing and liking a piano is something, and being convinced that it deserves a higher price -- compared with the competition -- is something else.
In my case, I actually like and enjoy the touch and tone of Yamaha GB1K. However, I'm wondering if the points raised on many websites regarding the long-term durability of the GB1K are valid reasons to avoid it. Some videos on Youtube describe that with more details, but the following non-Youtube webpage is just an example which has kept me worried: https://stilwellpianos.com/blogs/blog/hailun-150se-vs-yamaha-gb1k
Hailun 150SE isn't on my list as I don't know this brand. But the point is that I want to make sure if the asking price of the GL10 from the Kawai dealer, based on its potential benefits over the GB1K, is reasonable.
Here the Kawai dealer has a bad reputation for his higher asking prices as he exclusively controls the flow of Kawai digitals and acoustics into the country, and I want to avoid dealing with their showroom to the extent possible.

Hi Amirhsol. Have you seen this comparison of the two pianos? https://youtu.be/iZEX0gs2YEo

I have a GL10 and I like it a lot. I do feel the action is on the heavy side, so if you don't want anything heavier than the Yamaha, I'd highly recommend trying the GL10 first. Although you can lighten the GL10's touch with regulation, I think they come out of the box heavier than the Yamahas. I wouldn't put much stock in the 4g lighter touchweight you cite. A piano with a heavier touch weight can play much lighter than one with a lighter touch weight. It's more about inertia than touch weight.

Yamahas are known to have a brighter sound, but I like the more velvety sound of the Kawais. If you like the Kawai better, I'd say get it. You will forget $1,500 much faster than you will forget not getting the piano you liked better. But, you have to go play it to be sure.

Good luck!

Hello Emery,

Yes. In fact, this video prompted me to take a closer look at the GL10.


I'll be trying the GL10 next Saturday. So interesting/eye-opening to hear that the GL10's action is heavier. I like the GB1K's action, so it would be great to have it compared with that of the GL10. I'm also reading about Kawai's use of ABS-carbon in their action and sincerely hope that lives up to its durability claims after at least 20 years. Here some dealers bash Kawai's decision, but with Iranian dealers I've learned to take what they claim with a tinge of salt.


Sure, and thanks for the encouraging words. I'm looking forward to giving the GL10 a serious try. When I visited our only Kawai dealer more than a year ago, they had a couple of K200 and K300 uprights on display and all of them had serious tuning issues. Hope that's not the case with their GL10 this time around. 😁
BTW I also want a silent system installed on it if it's available from the Kawai dealer -- it'll help me practice more. It's available for the GB1K.