Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Yamaha v Kawai: Acoustic Piano Brand Comparison

+1 to GC13’s post.

Yes, but there are those in this thread who think the video was not biased because they didn't catch things like what I pointed out. And there is a difference between stating something and saying it's an opinion versus leaving that part out. Dealers, with very few exceptions, are not the most objective about pianos for obvious reasons.

man....just let it go will ya. You're pointing things out in a way that feels arguably more biased than Stu.

Lets say we really we want to break down the semantics and look at the exact statement from the video:
"Although many of the harshest criticisms of the Kawai actions have actually historically come from Yamaha dealers, maybe not that surprising, Yamaha has also used synthetic plastics in their action designs as well, and that took the form of them replacing their wooden jack with an ABS plastic jack, and that was done through several models over many many years."

The use of the word "also" implies equality between the two brands and he did in fact call Yamaha "ABS" plastic as well.
As for calling Kawai synthetic materials, it would be more biased to lump the ABS-Carbon together under plastic for the same reasons you've mentioned about the stigma of plastics. Since Kawai still uses styran on their lower end pianos and the carbon reinforced plastic on other, it seems perfectly fair just to call it all as synthetic materials for brevity.

He ends that whole segment with essentially saying the two piano actions are personal preference.
"This isn't to say that some performers still may prefer the feel of a yamaha or the feel of a kawai but it really is down to a subjective preference of feel rather than any quality consideration."

I'm more interested in learning about the two companies than learning about Stu.
Was there items mentioned in that video that was just factually wrong? You mentioned that he's saying things that are opinion and presenting them as facts. Can you give some examples? Or are you saying it's an opinion that Yamaha has plastic jacks in some of their actions?

There was the whole higher tension, shorter string, thing for Yamaha scale design but is that actually false or does Yamaha use heavier strings?

For those wanting to discuss the plastic vs. wood action issue further, I started a thread on the WNG "plastic" action. I've always been intrigued by them and wonder what people think of them.

OK, now back to your regularly scheduled program...

One final time...I don't intend to go back and listen to the video again, but I don't think the dealer ever used "plastic" when talking about Kawai but he did use that word, whether in combination with another word or not, when referring to Yamaha. It's quite simple.

2nd


~Lucubrate

If that’s the Case - Perhaps You should write Stu a Strongly worded letter


~Lucubrate

I am not inferring anything dogperson,but perhaps you were?
Although I have watched a few movies , I do not think i have ever seen a Kawai in a movie scene before that's all .It often is a Yamaha, or Steinways.
Still it was interesting to watch the scene of a man who quibbled about the slightest details of his banquet and his
"friends" comfort.( many of whom were ruined by this popular man)
I suppose it was just a shock for me to suddenly see the word Kawai on the fallboard of that piano at that moment.

Stu's awesome. When I commented on his first YouTube review of the Kawai GL10 and complained the action was heavy, he graciously responded by suggesting I get the key bushings eased. I did, and it helped, and it also set me on the road to constantly tweaking my pianos to get the action/sound I want. So I guess I partially have Stu to thank/blame for where I'm at now. Plus, he has nice hair.

Product placement. Paid for by the sponsoring company. Used all the time in TV and movies. Basically if you can see a brand name in the shot it is on purpose.

I agree - Particularly about the Hair

I’ve posted several of His videos here on PW, & will continue to do so


~Lucubrate

WBLynch - I'm sorry, this is not correct. One of the reasons that Kawai is seen so much less on TV is because we never pay to have pianos placed!

When you see a Kawai on TV or elsewhere, it is either that someone really wanted it, or it was already on location and was convenient.

I agree. That was one reason for my comment earlier in this thread:


There were other things as well, but that was a big stand out for me.

All else equal, a longer string vibrates at a lower frequency than a shorter one.

All else equal, a larger diameter string vibrates at a lower frequency than a thinner diameter string

All else equal, a string under lower tension vibrates at a lower frequency than one under higher tension.

A scale design involves deciding which strings are copper-wound, and which are not, and deciding on the string length, string diameters, and resulting string tension that will produce the required tuned frequency.

All else equal, a high tension design will produce a brighter tonal color and greater clarity of voices, but less tonal sustain, while a lower tension design will have a warmer/darker tonal color, less clarity of voices, but more tonal sustain.

Hammer voicing and soundboard design are also factors, so all else is never equal, which is why you cannot buy a piano based on technical specifications.

Among pianos I've played, I've tended to have a preference for Yamaha grands over Kawai grands, and a preference for Kawai uprights over Yamaha uprights.

To me it sounds as there is no Kawai comparison to the Yamaha SX ? I mean if the Shigeru relates. to the CF series ?
To me the CX is a good comparison to the GX.

Very interesting and clearly expressed. OTOH it seems like the above analysis is not so useful because for a piano of a given length and corresponding string length, if one uses a lower tension string something else would would have to change to get the proper pitch so "all else equal" would never apply?

The piano sounded great with that jazz band !

Editorials share an opinion and use evidence (good or bad) to support that opinion. But the opinion is clearly stated. If you are not open or interested in that opinion, it's easy to skip.

A biased comparison buried in a history lesson is going for a more subtle, sophisticated approach at subversion.

I love playing devil's advocate; I could really have some fun making videos on the merits of some defunct piano company.

I do like Stu's videos. I wonder if a salesman is a dealer of a particular brand, and they wind up playing those a lot, if they develop an acoustic bias? I have a Kawai RX-5 and I have noticed that I lean that way now tone wise.

Marcus

As opposed to Robert Estrin who is a great piano salesman for every piano he carries. I do love watching his reviews.