Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum My First Acoustic: Kawai K300

Hi all, I have finally joined the land of acoustics. My original intent was to upgrade my DGX-660 to a higher end digital like the CA79 but the sales person convinced me to also check out the acoustic uprights. I stayed away from acoustics because of noise concerns but once she revealed the muffler feature, i was sold. This was my first time playing an acoustic and I have to say, the action and feel is incredible. I will keep my DGX-660 or upgrade it to a P-515 for night practice and the different sounds (I like the sound of the Bosendorfer).

The K300 is used, made in 2016 and in excellent condition. Price was $4700 including: 5 year transferable Kawai warranty, lifetime full value Kawai trade-in, first tune and adjustable bench. I think it was a good deal. They also had a used K200 which was newer but the sales person recommended I get the K300. The price delta wasn't that much. Should be delivered this week. Very excited.

[img]https://imgur.com/a/9ge0Ddk[/img]

Anything to look out for owning an acoustic besides tuning? Also, is there any material out there that goes over the different parts of an acoustic and how they work? Thanks.

Congrats on your new piano!

Anything to look out for? Yes! Humidity! You’ll need to buy a hygrometer (Amazon is a good place) and possibly a humidifier or dehumidifier (or both) depending on your climate. The recommended humidity is usually in the range of 40-50% but this depends on your outside temperature. My tuner has recommended 35-40% for me in my winter months as we’re cold and extremely dry. Every time he tunes, he checks off whether the owner is using a humidity control.

You may also want to buy a rug and pad to dampen the sound a bit if that’s required. I did. I don’t like my practice pedal because it makes the sound too soft and I can’t hear myself practice so I prefer to use my digital at night. My digital is not very good compared to my piano, but it’s an option.

Here’s an article that covers everything in detail. Congratulations on your purchase!

https://www.pianobuyer.com/article/caring-for-your-piano/

Thanks. Very helpful.

Congratulations on your new Kawai.

Have its first tuning a few eeeks later when the piano gets used to its new environment.
And at least twice a year then
Place it about 3-4 inches from an interior wall.
Keep humidity around 35-55%.
Keep it away from direct sun light, heating/ventilating sources.

Congratulations on your new Kawai 300!!! Now that you’ve gotten all the expert advice posted above, I get to just co-enjoy your waiting delivery for your piano! Hurray. You can actually dance around the room in healthy excitement. I’m so happy for you. It’s so exciting getting a new to you piano. For non piano nerds it’s like getting a new car or boat.

Humidity at 33% ? I would say no lower than 45 %
Surely at 33% the soundboard is at risk ?
I would get a good humidifier ,dehumidifier and a hygrometer.

I stay in Vancouver BC so I aim to try and stay between 48% and 56%.The smaller the range the better. Avoid humidity levels below 40.% (the piano will also stay in tune longer in smaller ranges.)

Congratulations on your new Kawai upright piano!

I'm a fan of Kawai pianos, and own two of them.

Rick

Yep, that's spot on. The free tuning is scheduled for about 5 weeks after the piano is delivered to give it time to settle.

Congratulations on your new Kawai.

I bought the Kawai K-18, 13 years ago. Last year the tech did a tuning, voicing and regulation and it feels like it's still new.

Well actually it says 45% is ideal but 35-70 is acceptable .

http://www.kawai-global.com/mgr/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Caring-for-your-Kawai-Piano.pdf

I'm very excited and actually really enjoyed the shopping experience as i got to play around with some very expensive grands like the real SK-EX, CFX and Bosendorfer Imperial. Maybe in the future when i win a lottery, i'll consider one of those, lol.

Trying to minimize the extremes is more important than the absolute target %. Manufacturers have their own guidance as well. My home varies between 35% in winter and 60% (with the assistance of a dehumidifier) when it’s rainy and not warm enough to be cycling the central A/C. In my situation, with a little more work (either adding humidity in winter or replacing a couple suspect windows), I might end up between 40-60%, annually.

In climates with very cold, dry winters, it’s impossible to get the humidity up to even 40% without continuously running a humidifier and causing damage to wooden window casements.

Your new piano looks wonderful, and considering the prices of new high-end digitals you have gone for the best posible option. Congratulations

This is exactly why my tuner has told me to aim for 35-40% in the winter months, which I maintain. Anything more can cause wet woodwork and mould.

But OP is in Houston, TX, so I don’t think their climate has cold and dry winters like ours?

That is correct. Houston is incredibly humid. We have maybe a few weeks in the year when it's a little not-humid.

My Nest thermostat reports the internal humidity around 55%. Nevertheless, i'll get another hygrometer to keep closer to the Piano.

My father used to say that Houston was hot and humid all summer, and the summer lasted 18 months.

Perhaps because I have only been more conscious of humidity problems with pianos recently
when we were looking for a new piano ?
Well one has to work with the climate where you live.Vancouver can go as high as 65 at certain
times of the year, so making 56 my target is best for me or I would have to have the humidifier on at all times in summer and fall.
Sauter says between 45 and 60 ,which seems a fairly large range.

Hot and humid is how I like it. Humidity is great for my skin. Unfortunately, I have to live is cold and dry.

This will be the first summer that I will have my hygrometer so I will know how our summers are but I have a feeling we are dry all year, which really sucks. Extremely dry (cracking, bleeding skin) in the winter, and very dry in the summer. I’ll see.