The Kawai upright piano models K-700 and K-800AS are the perfect choice for pianists wanting to feel they are playing a grand piano

For a musician, when space at home is limited but your passion and your ability demand a grand piano, the available solutions have been limited – until recently. Combining a ‘grand style’ cabinet design with advanced technologies and construction techniques, Kawai’s K-700 and K-800AS pianos offer demanding pianists the experience of playing a grand piano but without that instrument’s space requirements.

In selected showrooms across the country, the instruments are inspired by Kawai’s Future of the Piano philosophy and billed as the next generation of pianos. They incorporate innovations and advances in touch, tone, durability and precision, and appearance. These are common to both pianos but the K-800AS embodies additional features to justify its position as the flagship instrument. Most obviously, it is the bigger of the two instruments and one of the largest upright pianos on the market with an overall height of 134cm, doubtless contributing to a spacious, full-bodied sound and giving it a presence familiar to anyone with experience of a grand piano. It also has Royal George underfelted hammer heads, a material common to some of the finest grand pianos and contributing to what Kawai claims is a superior and richer tone. All that said, with a frame height of 130cm, the K-700 is no tiddler and like its bigger brother is also sure to make its commanding presence felt.

Turning to the pedals, both instruments have three: on the left, the una corda, and on the right, the sustain. On the K-800AS the centre pedal is the sostenuto for selective sustaining but on the K-700 it is the practice pedal. On the K-800AS, the practice system (a strip of felt between hammers and strings) is deployed using a lever affixed to the underside of the keyboard. Those are some of the major differences between the two instruments but it’s what they share that distinguishes them and which makes their presence in UK showrooms so interesting.

Appearance

The most striking aspect of the pianos is their elegant design, one characterised by gracefully sculpted side boards, tapered legs and a quality finish, all complemented by an equally elegant, soft-fall, keyboard lid system. Features that will impress pianists familiar with playing grand pianos include the raised height of the keyboard and the extended music desk – 105cm on the K-800AS and 94cm on the proportionately lower K-700 – ideal for the bulkiest scores as well as for duet playing. Mounted on the front cabinet panel, the hinged desk can be deployed at an angle where it is then supported by small, rear-mounted arms. Discreet cutaways in the panel behind it allow more of the piano’s sound to escape.

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Touch

The two models benefit from Kawai’s exclusive Neotex key surface, a material with the look and feel of ivory and ebony and which shares their ability to absorb the fingers’ natural oils and moisture for greater playing confidence and control. At the same time, the key lengths have been extended for greater control and power with minimal effort; those on the K-800AS being slightly longer than the K-700’s.

Kawai pianos are noted for their stability and response. At the heart of these models is the Millennium III action with ABS-Carbon Composites (pictured above). It is a lighter and therefore faster and more responsive action than traditional wooden alternatives and one, says Kawai, that provides a more dynamic touch with greater power and faster repetition. The ABS-carbon fibre material is more durable and resistant to environmental conditions, too, contributing to a more consistent and reliable action. To ensure the most reliable and consistent performance, the action is supported by strong, die-cast aluminium brackets.

Tone

An upright piano that seeks to recreate the experience of playing a grand piano must have a tone to match. Many things contribute to a piano’s tone, not least the instrument’s soundboard. Both the K-800AS and K-700 feature only straight-grained, quartersawn, solid spruce soundboards, each strategically tapered to maximize its tone-producing capability. Additionally, the soundboard is robustly supported by 11 ribs in the K-700 and 12 in the K-800AS.

We’ve highlighted the pianos’ generous cabinet sizes and use of Royal George underfelted hammer heads in the K-800AS. In addition, the instruments feature mahogany hammer mouldings, T-stapled to preserve their shape and fitted with an added interior layer of underfelt to support tone creation. Meanwhile, the larger K-800AS benefits from a longer maximum key string length than the K-700. As with many grand pianos, some of the strings on the K-800AS are also clamped by so-called agraffes, small pins or metal plates designed to optimise their vibration.

Strength

Stability and consistency of performance can only be achieved through strength. It’s a quality that runs through the pianos and which surfaces in the full perimeter frame that adds structural strength and rigidity for better tuning stability and in details such as the steel-reinforced keyslip – the long, horizontal piece of wood that covers the front faces of the keys. Being made of wood, this part is traditionally susceptible to changes in humidity. To eliminate this problem, a heavy-gauge steel angle iron is added to these models to prevent it warping and bending in any direction. The result, says Kawai, is keys that move more freely with virtually no possibility of rubbing or sticking against the keyslip. Likewise, the entire keyboard, which is made of sturdy, laminated hardwoods, is reinforced by rear braces attached to the iron frame, ensuring its stable placement and minimising energy loss when playing.

Conclusion

Clearly, for these models, Kawai has left no stone unturned in its pursuit of a grand piano-like experience. Pianist has yet to try them but on the strength of their specifications and Kawai’s record for excellence (they are backed up by a 10-year warranty), we look forward to doing so.