Kawai GL-20: The Classic Baby Grand Piano

[@MarianoPerez]

I have the GL40 and these pianos are amazing. I've mentioned it before that I chose it over a Steinway, a yamaha cx, and even over the Shigeru Kawai. The GL40 sounds smooth and on the darker side, like a well brewed coffee. I'm sure the GL20 is no different. Talk about bang for your buck. Manufacturing these days is giving us unbelievable instruments that are quite affordable.

[@izz0408]

Agreed. Although those key tops are really something I wish they could have added especially for times when we have fast passages .. I have the gl30 .. thr 10 and 50 are a bit more forward and ofcourse the 50 is definitely more well defined around the edges in the lower registers. The 30 being a 5'5 is stronger than this 20 and has more depth in tone and the bass. how would we place these 3 together I have played a 10 and 50, but not a 40

[@MarianoPerez]

@izz0408 If we forget about price and marketing for a second, it is a fact that these are phenomenal instruments. What exactly do I mean by that? These pianos will last a life time, no doubt about it, they are far better instruments than most of the top of the line instruments that anyone could have purchased in history. These are better pianos than what most of the great piano masters had access to. In that regard, we are very lucky that manufacturing is that good these days. This statement is not exclusive to Kawai pianos. For the most part, if you get a piano from a major manufacturer you're going to get an amazing instrument guaranteed. Entry level pianos from these big companies are going to last any home a lifetime and they will sound fantastic, even at a pro level. As one looks into the higher end models, companies add stronger materials, more exotic woods, etc. The question is, well how strong do you want the piano to be? Most "entry" level pianos are strong enough to last a life time in a home setting. Now if you're an institution where the piano will basically get abused all day long, then maybe some of those reinforcements might be worth looking into. Some of these higher end models also offer things like more exotic woods and the like. The question is, will it make the piano sound better? It depends who you ask, it won't necessarily increase the quality of the sound compared to an entry level piano piano these days. It will create a different sound and whether that sound is better or not depends on the individual playing the piano. Having said all that, I did not like the GL10. The action felt so heavy. Maybe the model I playing needed some regulating to be done or something. The GL20 played and sounded fantastic, but it was not as clear in the bass as on the GL30, GL40, and GL50. I feel like the GL30 has no compromises, you get the beautiful sound of a grand piano, including the bass, and it will fit most houses perfectly. You're probably thinking, well why did you get the GL40 then? I wanted to get the GL50, because I feel that it had a tad more bass for not much more money. And like a sucker I wanted the "best" model in the GL line. However, after doing a blind test with tons of pianos, including Steinways and the like, I kept coming back to the GL40. More interestingly, I came back to the specific GL40 I purchased. Remember, I played a few GL40s, but the one I purchased sounded so good to me even compared to the other GL40s I played. This is why one really needs to go out there and do the foot work. Play every piano you can get your hands on and get the one that fits you best, regardless of the brand and price; obviously stay within your budget lol. But back to your question, I don't think anyone can go wrong with GL20, GL30, GL40, or GL50. Anotherthing, I'm glad I went with the GL40 because the GL50 would have been too loud for my house. My place is approximately 1800 sqft and high ceilings. However, I think the GL30 is the perfect balance in the line up, but the GL20 is no slouch. I would not feel like I'm missing out if I got the GL20 or GL30. For me, it wasn't so much the model but rather the specific piano that I played that made me want to take it home. One last thing, the one regret I do have at times is not getting the gx2 aures system. But, I have to remind myself that I chose the gl40 over the gx2 because I liked the gl40 sound more.

[@izz0408]

Such a warming feeling hearing your reply. I went through the exact same situation with all the kawai grands. Tried the 10 and 50, they didn't have a 20 or 40 at the store here. Nor did they have the gx line available at that point. Did try an SK2 though which was phenomenal but yes but by gow much only in the hands of a piano player with much greater skill ..maybe in 8 yesrs i may indugle there haha. Tried some yamahas but having had a Yamaha upright for almost 28 years previously I wanted to shift to a new sound or pedigree. The 30 feels solid and I'm sure the 40 would too. I do conflict with the classic philosophy that a grand should be at least 6 feet but I think the GL series produce tone and touch of larger pianos at a smaller footprint. The 30 has a warmer sound but is strong and I'm seeing the tone change daily since it's about a few months old for me. The scale design does provide a strong bass register and the touch of course with the M3 action is definitely like a 7 foot with those key weights and length. Control. I didn't have much opportunity to find my perfect serial number amongst its siblings but I am getting a senior concert technician to come in next week to regulate, tune and voice the piano since it's been out of the box now for a few months and is still new. If they had offered a 40 here that's what I would have possibly gotten but the 30 does just fine and will mature into a evolved tone soon. Thank you for the detailed reply it seems very similar to what we all experienced I suppose. Wish you music and many hours of joy and discovery. Cheers

[@MarianoPerez]

@izz0408 oh dude, that gl30 will serve you for as long as you live. If I ever want a brighter or more shimmer tone I'll look at the sk, but I don't see myself parting ways with my gl40. My piano took about 1 year to really settle in nicely. I had to tune it 6 times the first year. It's on its second year of life and I had it tuned in January and July. I'm very sensitive to intonation, so I'm glad it was able to go 6 months holding its tuned state this year. I've always turned my pianos twice a year anyways. Yes, I agree with you about large pianos. I would have a concert size if I could, but the gl40 is the max size I could have in my house before driving my family crazy. Oh my daughter, who plays piano also chose the gl40 over steinways, shigeru, and a bosendorfer.

[@izz0408]

@@MarianoPerez hahaha I feel you on the tuning .. the first year they gonna need many rounds of that im on #3. Looking forward to the concert technician doing a once over on in. I'm 42 I studied classsical music for like 8-9 years on the piano during high-school and play the piano upto like music grade 5.. now my son took to playing the drums at age 8 and this has got me back into study of music on the piano from intermediate to advanced for the next few years... and I got a 10 year goal on me to make to advanced .. let's see 😅🤞🏻🙂That's why I considered the GL30. The action is just perfect to work fingers and hands out.

[@cs5435]

Hey, nice video. What about the brandnew Yamaha NU1Xa? Already got in in your store? Could you test pls? Thanks

[@jamesnewberry2945]

nice work

[@mrj6743]

Some keys on my 40 inch upright get stuck specially the ones on the 8th octave. It might be a 40 year piano but it looks new. I also have a 55 inch 120 year piano that has a more responsive key action

[@meweez63]

Hi, how does the Gl-20 compare to the Gc1 by Yamaha? Thank You for the great review.

[@lisasimpson1492]

Is it possible to upgrade the GL-20 key tops to NEOTEX? If so, what is the approximate cost?

[@EstherKim-d8g]

Is GL20 made in Japan or elsewhere? How is Kawai different from Yamaha Baby Grand? Especially the sound difference?

[@dwang552]

GL20 made in Indonesia

[@actie-reactie]

Toddler grand piano.