Yamaha U1 vs Kawai K-300 | Upright Piano Review & Comparison

When it comes to mid-range professional-level pianos, there are of course many solid options on the market in this modern era of upright piano building. But, if there’s one particular rivalry that happens to stand out above all others, it has to be the Yamaha U1 vs Kawai K-300.

Sure, these two pianos companies have numerous directly competitive pianos; the Yamaha GC1 vs Kawai GL10, Yamaha C2X vs Kawai GX2, Yamaha CFX vs Shigeru Kawai SK-EX etc. But the fact is, the U1 and K-300 are the two best-selling professional upright pianos in many parts of the world, and as such, get the most attention in the marketplace.

We reference these two pianos constantly in our videos and reviews, so along with the companion video, we’re going to do a comprehensive head-to-head breakdown for you here. If you’re shopping for an upright, it’s pretty much impossible to avoid these two beasts.

 

Yamaha U1 Upright Piano

Yamaha U1 History & Background

Let's start with the Yamaha U1. The U1 is a 48” piano from Japan and is probably the best-known upright piano in the entire world, and perhaps even in the history of the piano industry.

The U1 really led the way in terms of the Japanese takeover of the North American piano industry starting in the late '60s, which then really picked up significant momentum through the late 1970s and into the 1980s. There were simply no new pianos of the U1’s craftsmanship and musical quality available at such a low price previously.

Kawai followed closely behind, and within a few years these two Japanese manufacturers had achieved market dominance for upright pianos in North America by the 1980s, and this continues to this day.

The U1 specifically became very well-known because Yamaha had the foresight to keep the model name the same since the inception of the U1 almost 60 years ago.

Alternatively, Kawai has gone through more than a dozen different series of upright pianos with each new generation, changing the name each time. The U1 has of course featured many design improvements over the years but without ever changing the name.

 

Yamaha U1 Musical & Design Overview

Musically, the U1 can be described in a couple of fairly simple ways. For one, it produces a good, clear and loud tone once you really get the soundboard activated. Many people over the years have described the U1 as having a sharper tone, and this is the result of a high-tension scale design.

The strings are a little bit shorter, and interestingly, the soundboard is not tapered. As a result, when you really start to push the instrument, there is a tendency for the piano to distort when you get into the upper register.

On the other hand, the fact that it's not a tapered soundboard has traditionally meant that the tuning stability can be a little bit better if you are in a climate where the temperature is all over the map.

The tighter, shorter bass string also gives the U1 a punchy attack down in the lower register, with the trade-off being less warmth at lower volume levels.

Ultimately, the U1's reputation as a reliable, albeit bright, piano is as true today as it was back in the 1980s. Some of the newer U1s and U3s are being shipped with softer voicing from the factory level, and this has certainly lessened the impact of the attack.

 

Yamaha U1 Upright Piano Action - Materials, Construction & Feel

Moving onto the action, and we have a traditional wood action with maple hammers. In terms of the key dip, it’s pretty much down the middle.

The weighting on most U1s tends to be right down the middle as well, though U1s have a reputation among pianists for having a lighter touch, we think this perception is due to the fact that the U1 gets very loud very fast, which creates the illusion of a light touch.

Whether this is a good thing or bad thing depends on your playing style, but for people who are into an Elton John or Billy Joel style of playing, you’re likely to really enjoy this action.

A big difference between the U1 and K-300 aside from the actions materials themselves which we’ll get into down below when discussing the K-300 is the key length. Yamaha has maintained a fairly typical length of key stick on their uprights that has been virtually unchanged since the 1970s.

The K-300 alternatively has a longer key stick, which offers the player greater control, especially at lower dynamic levels.

For somebody who's just starting out, this is probably not going to be a very big deal.

For somebody who is either a more advanced player, or somebody who's going back and forth between a teacher's grand piano and a practice piano, those longer key sticks on the K-300 may be something that is an important consideration.

 

Kawai K-300 Upright Piano

Kawai K-300 Series Information and Background

While there are many differences between the K-300 and the U1, there are a few obvious similarities too. For one, the Kawai K300 is also manufactured in Japan and is also 48” in height, both pianos have a soft fall fallboard and both pianos have very solid back posts.

The K-300 has developed just like the current U1 has where it’s essentially been evolving since the 1960s. Generally speaking, Kawai as a company tends to innovate their products very frequently, sometimes with mixed results, but since about the early 2000s, they’ve been cranking out a consistently stellar product.

Their most recent K-series update, which took their K3 (MMR magazine’s Acoustic Piano of the Year in 4 consecutive years) and upgraded it to the new K-300, the K5 to the new K500 and so on, incorporated many of the same design innovations that they first introduced with their GX professional quality grand pianos.

Besides the action, the K3 was actually quite similar to the Yamaha U1. There may have been some tonal differences, but from a general design standpoint, they weren't dramatically different beasts. The K-300, on the other hand, has really been quite a departure from what you would get in a Yamaha U1.

 

Kawai K-300 Sound & Design Overview

A key thing that differentiates the K-300 from the U1 is the scale design and string length. Even though both pianos are the same height, the K-300 actually has a lower tension scale and bass string which is several centimetres longer than what you get on the U1.

The result is more warmth and roundness in the bass register on the K-300, but this is true across the entire range of the instrument.

The second meaningful difference is the solid spruce soundboard and the fact that the K-300 has a tapered soundboard. Tapering allows the soundboard to become active with less energy by precisely thinning out the edges of the soundboard.

This means that if you had the same level of dynamic energy going into the soundboard, a tapered soundboard will activate more surface area than a non-tapered soundboard.

 

Kawai’s Exclusive Millennium III Upright Action

The biggest difference between Kawai and Yamaha that everybody really used to focus on is the wood versus plastic debate with regard to action parts.

This debate is essentially antiquated at this point because both pianos have good actions, but there’s no longer any dispute regarding some of the inherent advantages of abs-carbon composite actions, especially with regard to its superiority over wood when it comes to maintenance and long-term durability.

The biggest thing from a musical standpoint with the K-300's action is that it's geared to take advantage of the tapered soundboard. The geometry paired with the extended key stick length gives the player more control in the lower dynamic ranges.

On the U1, it's easier to achieve that forte and fortissimo with less effort. Depending on the style of music you're playing, you will probably have a preference for one style versus the other. The key surfaces are fairly similar on both pianos.

Other action-related notes have to do with the hammers; the K-300 is equipped with double felted hammers with a mahogany core (underfelted), which is considered a superior hammer material to maple due to its greater strength and density. For context, the premium YUS series of uprights have mahogany hammers.

 

Yamaha U1 vs Kawai K-300 - Other Differences

There are a few other, minor, let's say non-musical differences between the Yamaha U1 vs Kawai K-300. One of them is that the Kawai K300 is outfitted with a larger music desk that’s more accommodating to sheet music, especially four-fold and five-fold pieces.

Both pianos have a 10-year factory warranty, but while the U1 warranty is applicable to the original purchaser only, the K-300’s warranty is transferable to future owners within the warranty period. If resale is a consideration, this is a pretty critical difference.

The U1 is available in what Yamaha calls their TransAcoustic series, while the K-300 is available in an Aures version. Both of these additions have a digital piano component built in that gives you the option of playing the piano with headphones plugged in.

Both pianos have really high-quality brass casters and brass pedals.

  

Final Thoughts

We hope that this has helped to quickly clarify some of the most critical differences between these two very popular models.

Unfortunately, it can be tough to check them out side by side in the same showroom since Yamaha and Kawai are almost always sold through different dealer networks. But if you have an opportunity to try one and shoot across town to try the other, you should definitely do so.

There’s a very good reason these are the two dominant upright pianos of our day, and that’s highly unlikely to change anytime soon.

The post Yamaha U1 vs Kawai K-300 | Upright Piano Review & Comparison first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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Kawai GX-2 vs GX-3 Grand Piano Comparison, Including Features, Benefits, Price & More

 The 5’11” Kawai GX-2 grand piano is among our top-selling instruments here at Merriam Music, but for some folks, the 6’2” GX-3 is worth the extra spend all day.

In this article and companion video, we’ll be comparing the Kawai GX-2 vs GX-3 side by side. This should be helpful as these two instruments often wind up on the finals list for families looking for mid-range, professional-level grand pianos.

Let's start with some background information and context.

Background

There’s a list of commonly asked questions that piano dealers get asked every single day. The most frequent are things like digital or acoustic? Upright or grand? Kawai or Yamaha?

Beyond these staple questions, there are some model match-up questions that we often get as well, questions pertaining to the differences between the Kawai GX-2 vs GX-3 are quite common as well.

For a good number of people, their piano buying journey comes down to these two instruments. The GX line is very popular in the modern marketplace and is often compared to say, the Boston GP series (designed by Steinway but built by Kawai in Japan) and Yamaha’s CX series.

The GX line also sometimes gets positioned against the Yamaha S Series in markets where the Yamaha dealers have been forced to more heavily discount, and sometimes people will consider the GX line against Eastern European options.

Why is the GX Line so Popular?

The GX line is so well regarded among industry critics, musicians and institutions because it’s unanimously considered a very high-performing, high-value series of instruments.

When you look at the spec sheet for the Kawai GX-2 vs GX-3, they both read as though you’re looking at a European concert grand piano. In fact, the GX-2 and GX-3 are essentially factory reproductions of the handmade Shigeru Kawai SK-2 and SK-3 respectively.

Front and rear duplex scaling, vertically laminated bridges, special Konsei Katagi outer and inner rims with blended hard rock maple mahogany hardwoods, tapered solid spruce soundboards, V-Pro plates, steel-reinforced keyslips and keybed, extra wide stretcher bars and the list goes on.

Differences from the RX Line

The GX series came out close to 10 years ago now and were released as slightly larger updates to the hugely successful RX-2 and RX-3. The reason for the additional size was due to a slight thickening in the rims and lengthening of the keysticks as the newest version of Kawai’s Millennium III Carbon Fiber action features extended-length keysticks for better control.

For example, at 5’11” the GX-2 is classic salon grand size-wise, but the action will feel more like a 6’6” piano while the 6’2” GX-3 will feel closer to a 7-footer.

The other main upgrade over the RX series and an overall improved cabinet design and new hard finish that is both better looking and more durable.

Key Differences Between the Kawai GX-2 vs GX-3

Despite very similar-looking specs sheets aside from the 3-inch size difference, the GX-3 lists for a substantial $12,000 USD higher than the GX-2. This is due to the fact that Kawai manufactures many more GX2’s as compared to the GX-3, and as such, the GX-3 simply doesn’t have the economy of scale.

Now, if you actually have a GX-2 and GX-3 side by side and take a close look at them, you’ll notice some beam support differences when you look underneath both pianos. The GX-3 has a slightly more intricate cabinet which delivers a greater degree of cabinet resonance.

Otherwise, the differences between these two pianos are purely musical and result from the size differences since components such as the hammers, pinblock and agraffes are all the same, whereas the larger soundboard, strings, rim etc. result in different musical experiences.

We’ll dive more specifically into the sound now, but be sure to check out the video to hear these differences for yourself.

Sonic Differences

Musically speaking, there are a few things widely observed about the GX series as a whole that definitely apply here.

For example, the sustain on both of these instruments is exceptionally good for factory-produced instruments. The treble on both of these instruments is strong and thick with a very well-defined fundamental and yet lots of color too.

The biggest tonal differences start to emerge as soon as you get below concert A down around middle C. The “break” is a little bit smoother on the GX-3, and there’s greater warmth in the bass register. It’s also fair to say that the sound is slightly more open overall on the GX-3 as well.

Let’s expand on these observations and go register by register.

Bass Register

Interestingly, the GX-2 actually offers slightly better rim activation in that lower octave and while the mics we used for the video probably won’t pick this up, you can definitely hear this in person.

Both bass registers offer a similar level of projection, but we’re hearing more of the fundamental on the GX-3 due to the longer strings.

“Break” Area

One of the most significant differences as we move up through the range is the “break” area as we mentioned above. The “break” on the GX-3 is more controlled than the GX-2, and largely, this is a function of the extra string length.

The longer you can make a string, the cleaner you can make that transition.

Moving to the second octave up from the bottom, and there's a lot more of the third and fourth partial coming from strings on the GX-2 than the GX-3. If you play a good amount of repertoire within that particular range of the piano this could be a significant consideration.

Mid & Treble Ranges

Once we move up into the mid and treble ranges, the GX-3 is a little bit more colourful, although the GX-2 still sounds really great with lots of warmth.

GX-2 through this range offers more of a direct sound with less of a cabinet resonance but a more direct soundboard tone.

At the very top of both pianos, differences are almost indistinguishable from one another, which makes sense as the string length up here is basically the same.

Feel and Response

Millennium III Carbon Fiber Action

Both pianos are receiving the same ABS-Carbon composite action - the Millennium III Carbon Fiber action. Both pianos come very well regulated from the factory, and the voicing is generally very good out of the box as well.

The Millennium III action is without question one of the key selling features for the GX series musical instruments, especially for institutions where whose pianos will be receiving intensive use. Carbon Fiber reinforced plastic is more durable than the wood used in other actions at this price point and less temperamental.

Extended Length Key Sticks

At the same time, the repetition speed is extremely good, as is the responsiveness. The extended-length key sticks we mentioned earlier come into effect by providing the player with a greater level of control than they could normally reasonably expect out of a similarly sized piano.

Both pianos feature Neotex Key Surfaces on both the white and black keys, and this is another composite material that mimics the moisture-absorbing qualities of genuine ivory.

Final Thoughts

Summarizing the Musical Differences

The key musical differences between these the Kawai GX-2 vs GX-3 can be summed up as follows; The GX-3 offers more fundamental tone in the lower registers than the GX-2 and a little bit more power, but the overall character is actually quite similar.

As we move into the second octave, the GX-3 has a smoother “break” area, meaning there are fewer of those metallic harmonics coming through that often appear in this part of a grand piano.

In the third octave, the Kawai GX-2 is actually producing more cabinet resonance, and the treble areas are quite similar. This means that if you happen to play a lot of music that’s confined to the mid and upper registers, you’re not going to be sacrificing anything if you opt for a GX-2 as opposed to a GX-3.

On the other hand, if the extra bass presence, power and projection of the GX-3 are important to you, it’s well worth the premium.

Finishes & Aesthetic Features

Both pianos are most commonly sold in a polished ebony finish, but both are also available in satin ebony. That’s it for the GX-3, but as the bigger seller, the GX-2 is available in a variety of additional finishes including Walnut, Cherry and Oak Satin, as well as Snow White Polish, and Walnut and Sapeli Mahogany.

In terms of other aesthetic considerations, both pianos feature soft fall fallboards, as well as brass pedals and lid props.

Wrap Up

We hope this article has been helpful, whether you’re looking for a new piano and these were on the final list, or if you simply like learning about pianos.

For people who maybe only had a chance to check one model out in a showroom, we hope that this has helped shed some light on whether or not it’s worth exploring the other model.

Thanks for reading!

The post Kawai GX-2 vs GX-3 Grand Piano Comparison, Including Features, Benefits, Price & More first appeared on Merriam Pianos

2359 Bristol Cir #200, Oakville, ON L6H 6P8

merriammusic.com

(905) 829-2020