At the Piano Shop Bath we stock most of the new K series upright range, from the K200 to the K6/K600, and naturally our customers’ first question is ‘what’s the difference?’
The main difference is size. From the K200 up to the K600, the models get slightly larger in height. With more height you get:
– longer strings
– larger soundboard
The longer strings give a richer tonal sound, especially in the bass where the number 1 string is the longest on the piano frame. The larger soundboard is also crucial; when you play a note on the piano, the sound you hear is the vibration of the string being channelled through the soundboard, effectively a wooden speaker. So the larger the soundboard, the bigger and more rich the sound will be.
However, they all share some key features which are worth noting for their excellence in piano technology and tone production:
– Millenium III action with ABS carbon parts. Kawai has led the field in replacing certain parts of the wood action with ABS carbon parts. This material is 90% stronger than wood, and lighter, which gives faster movement and a quicker action response. It is also highly resistant to fluctuations in temperature.
– Mahogany hammer moldings. Mahogany has superior strength to most other wooden counterparts and is highly prized for piano actions.
– solid spruce soundboard. Spruce is the piano manufacturers wood of choice for soundboards, having the best resonance properties compared to other woods. This is why you will also see spruce being used in fine stringed instruments such as violins.
– NEOTEX key surfaces, long music rest and soft fall key cover. NEOTEX is a special coating for the key surface that emulates the properties of ivory. Like ivory, it is a porous material that absorbs sweat and gives a great deal of control when playing. The long music rest comfortably holds up to 5 A4 sheets of paper, and the soft fall keyboard cover removes that age old problem of slamming the lid.
We have a great video on this very topic and it’s well worth a watch after this blog.
Take a look at our selection of Kawai upright pianos available to buy.