Shigeru Kawai

Introducing Shigeru Kawai

Shigeru Kawai pianos have an imbedded soul, which has been invested in by skilled and dedicated Master Piano Artisans. Since the year 2000, when Shigeru Kawai instruments were first introduced, piano players have been enjoying the unique tone qualities and uncompromising craftsmanship these grand pianos have to offer.

These pianos are a popular choice and therefore difficult to come by. So head to our showroom to grab a chance at playing pianos from our Shigeru Kawai range such as the SK-2 Grand Piano, SK-3 Grand Piano, SK-5 Grand Piano, SK-6 Grand Piano and the SK-7 Grand Piano. You will be able to see the Shigeru craftsmanship first hand and experience the finest materials put together with unending devotion. We are sure your heart will be persuaded to consider this magnificent creation as becoming one of your most prized possessions.

How Did Shigeru Kawai Piano All Start?

It all began with the man himself, Shigeru Kawai. A man so dedicated to his work that after 50 years of of working for Kawai, and sending Kawai pianos to over 80 countries, he began to create pianos bearing his own name.

He purposefully did this to express his passion for building pianos. In Japan, in particular, naming such a grand product after yourself implied the great responsibility of the owner in being part of the production process. From his humble workshop, he embarked on a lifelong pursuit of perfection.

Shigeru started as a regular worker learning the piano building process. He learned the art of piano design from his father Koichi Kawai, the first person in Japan to build a complete piano action. He taught Shigeru the methods of origin by which pianos are built entirely by hand.

The Work Of Master Piano Artisans: Shigeru Piano

Attention to detail is paramount when making Shigeru Kawai musical instruments. Everything from the rim and soundboard to the action and keysticks is made with utmost precision to deliver a distinct warm tone.

The wood fibres in the rim have been made to stay as natural as possible using steam to create the curves. The finest spruce used to make the soundboard is dried in open air dry racks for many years to stop the wood splitting making it highly durable in different climates.

The lifespan of the carbon fibre action lasts far beyond the upper limit of approximately 1-1.3 million strikes that traditional piano actions can withstand. This means that each key can be played repeatedly for much longer allowing them to be conditioned to the max before being built into the concert grand piano frame. Even the keysticks are extended to make the action easier to play using any part of the keys.

Normally, there is a non-speaking part of the string between the back bridge pin and the hitch pin. However, in a Shigeru Kawai piano double duplex scaling is used to allow this part of the string to be left open so that it can resonate with the rest of the string providing brightness and better tone quality to the treble range.

Boxwood is also used to make the bridge in the treble range due to the immense string tension whereas Maple wood is used to make the bridge in the mid and bass range. Overall, these pianos have been made with great pride and will exceed all your expectations.