Kawai=the new Lester?

[Terry]

A Yamaha C3 is a decent production piano. The Yamaha GH1 is trashy - a real
cheapie. Same thing with Kawai. Many of their pianos are real nice
production pianos. The CX series verticals are their cheapies. I service a
few of them. Better than most Lesters! They are Kawai's low-price-tag
offering.

Ya gets whats you pays fer. Don't lump all Kawai pianos in with their CX
series.

Terry Farrell


> Tom,
>
> At 07:43 3/9/2005, you wrote:
> >List
> >
> >Just tuned a Kawai vertical, a CX-5H.  I have always thought of Kawai as
> >one of the better brands of piano.  But the design elements of this piano
> >make me wonder if they continue to aspire to quality.
> >
> >First of all, this piano had a soundboard with the grain orientation
> >vertical!  I had always read that the best orientation for soundboard
> >grain on a vertical was diagonal.  Cheap pianos had the grain horizontal
> >because it took less wood (lengthwise) to do it  this way.  I've never
> >seen vertical grain orientation before, but I'm guessing it's for the
same
> >reason, and it ain't because it sounds better this way.  The tone of this
> >piano?  Well, the top two octaves were pretty weak.  Not much sustain,
not
> >much brightness.
> >
> >There were also no wooden frame support beams in the back.  Completely
> >open.  Again, from what I understand beams bracing the frame are there to
> >help tuning stability by stiffening the structure of the piano.  Perhaps,
> >just a coincidence, but this piano, which was one of three that I tuned
in
> >the same building, was the only one that needed a pitch raise.  Following
> >a tuning 6 months ago (by another tuner), this piano was 35 cents flat in
> >the center, and nearly 100 cents flat in octave 7.  The bass strings were
> >generally 15 to 25 cents flat.  The other two pianos were within 4 cents
> >of A440.
> >
> >I also noticed that the action had only two brackets attaching it to the
> >plate, one on each end.  There was a hole in the plate at the tenor break
> >where a third bracket could have been attached, but there was nothing on
> >the action there.  Perhaps this plate is shared by another model in the
> >Kawai line that does have a third bracket there.  Or maybe they
elminated
> >the bracket after designing the plate with the hole already there.
> >
> >So maybe I'm misinformed about some of the above elements of pianos in
> >general.  If so, I'm sure someone will enlighten me.  And that's what
this
> >list is all about.  But from my humble viewpoint, the Kawai CX-5H has
> >quite a few corners cut, resulting in a piano that makes me contemplate
> >Kawais in general.
> >
> >Tom Sivak
> >Chicago PTG Associate
>
>
> ¡¡ My fault, entirely !!
>
> Just yesterday I was talking up Kawai to some friends. Sure hope I don't
> have to retract my words... S&S/Boston want to ring in on this one??
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Conrad Hoffsommer, RPT, MPT, CCT, PFP, ACS, CRS.
> Decorah, IA
>
> - Certified Calibration Technician for Bio-powered Digitally Activated
>    Lever Action Tone Generation Systems.
> - Pianotech Flamesuit Purveyor
> - American Curmudgeon Society - Apprentice Member and Founder
>
>
>
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