Kawai GX-2 vs. the Best Piano from 1905 | Piano Sound Comparison | Family Piano Co.

[@kimg4589]

The GX2 is a wonderful instrument. Great video comparison. Very interesting comparing a very old reputable concert grand with the smallest “grand” (as opposed to a baby grand). The point is they are possibly the same price? To me, the older piano is obviously full of character and history but to live with as an instrument to play daily, I’d personally prefer the GX2! It has an amazing clean and clear but warm tone. Great stuff!

[@familypianoco]

Lovely comment, Kim! The price is not the same. The Steinertone we have valued in six figures haha. It's an instrument and a piece of history so there's that to it. Totally valid and agreeable preference. GX-2 is awesome. Thanks for watching! --Drew, 👪🎹

[@GeeKim-j9i]

@@familypianoco I guess, for that price, I can get a longer SK. Then, a newer piano would definitely be a better musical instrument to play everyday.

[@GeeKim-j9i]

I guess this is like a comparison between a properly restored 1930 V-16 Cadillac versus a nearly new medium-size Lexus. The V-16 Cadillac would be incredibly beautiful to admire and drool over, but the medium-size Lexus would have the smoother ride and the faster quarter-mile time not to mention the gas mileage, emissions and maintenance cost. I wish I can have them both. Very interesting comparison. Thank you very much. I am looking for a grand piano myself, and I am caught between a Kawai RX-2 and a 6'2" 100-year-old Bluthner that is in "good condition." Their prices would be about the same when the Bluthner is fully regulated. The Bluthner would be a piece of art to look at, but my logical head is telling me that RX-2 is a better musical instrument.

[@hansweichselbaum2534]

Very interesting and thanks for posting! This is especially interesting to me since I just sold my 2m Bechstein grand from 1905. Not sure how much work and effort you put into the sound recording, so we need to rely on your judgement and comments. Would be interesting to hear a direct comparison to one of the latest digital pianos and your opinion. It might shock you that I will replace my Bechstein with a Kawai CA99. I need to add that my Bechstein had been rebuilt 15 years ago (using only original German parts), but I just wasn't happy with the sound anymore. Five years ago I would not have considered replacing it with a digital piano. But I think that the latest generation, using acoustic soundboards, have reached a level of quality which makes them comparable (equal?) to acoustic instruments.

[@familypianoco]

Thanks for watching and for your fascinating comment! It doesn't totally shock me that you replaced your grand piano with a Kawai CA99, I've worked with several pianists with the very same idea! However, usually they aren't replacing something like a 2m Bechstein grand so that says quite a bit! I'm sure your former Bechstein grand must have been a sight to behold. It is truly amazing and exciting how good the top-tier digital pianos have become in just the last few years. They have definitely approached the point where they are simply the right choice for many advanced pianists out there. Makes me even more excited to see how digital pianos will continue to develop in the years ahead! I think we will definitely see an increasing level of respect and cultural esteem for these top-tier digital pianos in the global piano community. Personally, I currently own a Kawai CA79 and feel like it has helped refine my technique and given a lot more insight into interpretative decisions in my playing. -Max

[@staccatoglock]

@@familypianoco speaking of the Kawai CA series….I have a CA-97 that I purchased new in 2015. It’s in mint condition. What could I expect (ball-park) if I were to trade it in on a New GX1? Or even sell it outright? Thanks for your time. I have subscribed😎✅

[@GeeKim-j9i]

Wow! That's a drastic change!

[@namenaim1560]

Really helpful. Well done .Thanks.

[@juliomedina5446]

In my opinion (and this is all about opinion), the bass and midrange on the 1905 blow the Kawai out of the water. But I do really like the crystal clear top end of the kawai

[@familypianoco]

I agree. Something sort of rustic about the Steinertone's tone. "American," some call it. Important to note that we just used the camera's mic for the recording though so sound isn't totally accurate. Both sounds are even better in real life! --Drew

[@juliomedina5446]

@@familypianoco my personal piano is a 1927 Steinway model M that sounds and plays brand new, but it had really stiff competition with a Kawai Gx-2 Blak

[@rikrombouts4679]

Is there a reason why you chose the Kawai GX2? Is it in your opinion the most advanced piano at this time?

[@familypianoco]

Good question - I chose the Kawai GX-2 to compare to the Steinertone grand as it's a very advanced, innovative, upper-tier full-sized grand piano available to the mass market world-wide. My intention was to compare one of the very finest and largest pianos in the world from the early 1900's to a smaller, highly advanced but widely-available brand new grand piano to showcase some of the ways modern pianos have developed since then. It's a common misconception that pianos haven't changed very much since the turn of the 20th century but that simply isn't true as I hope this video helps prove! :) -Max

[@africanhistory]

Sorry for the 1905 Elephants

[@familypianoco]

Indeed so. ): Glad we came around to banning ivory. The synthetic keytops these days are just as good if not better in my opinion!

[@jacobneal5388]

I think that Steinertone is the widest piano I have ever seen apart from a Bosendorfer Imperial.

[@familypianoco]

Haha you're not wrong! I broke out the measuring tape - 63.5" (161cm) wide on the Steinertone. The GX-2 for comparison is just under 60" (152cm). Good 'ol Mason & Hamlin style overengineering! :D -Max

[@worldlinerai]

The Imperial needed to be wide to accommodate 9 extra keys. Otherwise, it would probably be like 158 cm like the 280 VC.

[@jacobneal5388]

@@worldlinerai yes I know

[@matthewraden5210]

Does the Steiner tone have a patent action?

[@familypianoco]

No, I don't believe so. --Drew, 👪🎹

[@nicholasfryee7867]

You do not get the resonance and harmonics that you would get in a 9ft plus concert grand shorter strings are always a compromise in my opinion

[@garrettdodson6110]

The short piano fails in my book on the bass. Especially when played heavy and loud. Gets too tinny sounding and the bass strings almost start getting a buzzing sound as the tonal quality and color begins to get lost. Well the bass strings that are thinner and the ones with more than one copper wind string do anyways.

[@johnnyp6202]

Cool video though I am not sure that I agree with any of your conclusions. To my ear the Steinertone/Mason and Hamlin was superior in every way and I see from the below that it was not really voiced or regulated. It is pretty unfair to compare a concert grand to a 5'11" piano. A far better comparison might have been the GX-2 against a golden era Mason and Hamlin A that has been rebuilt and voiced. I suspect the M&H would come out on top in that comparison as well. Also outside of the action I am not so sure that the manufacturing is actually advanced. With CNC and other modern aids it might be more efficient but Mason and Hamlins from the early 1900s are manufactured as good as any piano ever. Now there is personal preference here and bias. Personally I am not a fan of the Japan sound profile. I have liked very few Yamahas I have ever heard (outside of their concert grads which are manufactured completely different than their other pianos) of Kawai's. I love the complex meaty bass of a Mason with the sweet midrange and treble, or the clarity and uniformity of European pianos but some just prefer the sound so they might think (as Kim G does below) that the Kawai is better. It's why there are so many options.

[@familypianoco]

Great criticism, and I do agree with a lot of your opinions. CNC has generally improved piano manufacturing though. It's much more consistent, and chalking it up to "outside of the action" is understating how important feel is. Big reason why we love Kawai although sound is going to be to each their own. Thanks for watching! (: --Drew

[@александрмск-х9и]

Очень интересно. При том, что текст агитирует за Kawai и в целом автор говорит о развитии фортепианостроении, реальное звучание говорит в пользу старого инструмента. Kawai я люблю, но в сравнении со стариком, его звучание слишком прямолинейное и нет того благородства, которое мы слышим на старом инструменте. И ещё - посмотрим, что останется от Kawai через 100 лет. Раньше закладывали огромную износостойкость. А Кавае есть части из пластика и это тоже влияет на звук. В звуке рояля звучит не только струна, дека и молоток, звучит весь инструмент. Думаю, пластик никак не резонирует. Нельзя сравнивать тенисную ракетку и рояль. Не везде карбон уместен.

[@familypianoco]

Good opinion, thanks for the comment! I do disagree with what you say about Kawai's action and the role an action has in a piano's sound. That's a complicated topic, but I think you'd agree that a piano's tone is influenced most by its hammers, strings and soundboard. The ABS Styran that Kawai uses is a special kind of plastic that's reinforced, and it's used for the tiny parts that need to be reinforced. I know our tech team is grateful for it too. 100 years from now, I'm pretty confident they'll be servicing the all-wood traditional actions more often than composite and reinforced ones.

[@jakeschreacke4421]

Geez I may be totally biased here but I totally think the older piano has so much better sound, not to mention the history with it! The base was 100% better. And comparing it to a kawai is way not fair. A better comparison may be up against a Steinway, or a shigeru kawai even.

[@familypianoco]

You make some good points here, Jake, and with another year of experience and perspective from being around, playing on, and learning about high-level grand pianos and working with a myriad of pianists of all musical backgrounds, my comparison of these instruments would strike a different tone today if I were to have a chance to remake this video. At the time these were both right next two each other in our performance space and I had spent quite a lot of time practicing on both and wanted to share my thoughts. These are both superb instruments but made in vastly different times and places by people with different musical tastes and perspectives. And of course there's the obvious major size difference as well. The clearest comparison would have perhaps been against a concert-length Shigeru Kawai or even preferably a new Steinway Model D (which would have made for a fantastic video but I can only work with what's there for me to work with!). It's a tricky thing to try to compare two pianos from different countries with different sound profiles, different sizes, and different ages but the opportunity was quite tempting and I still believe of interest to many people considering whether to look at an older, larger rebuilt instrument versus getting something smaller but pristine and modern. As well as comparing a great new and popular Kawai grand with a modern Japanese sound profile to a practically one-of-a-kind older rebuilt concert grand with a decidedly American sound profile. My thinking then was "wow, I really enjoy the touch and sound of this new Kawai even in comparison to this clearly amazing Steinertone grand", with my own personal enthusiasm bias leading the way but now I would take a more nuanced view in showcasing the sound character differences, the touch differences, and shown a greater appreciation for the uniqueness and character of the older instrument. Basically, I would like to make videos that can help people in taking a more practical, nuanced look at what sort of piano would fit them best as a musician so they can make the best choice for them in spending their hard-earned dollars without making it seem like "I like this one, so choose this", which seems to be a common issue when people look for advice on what to look for in a piano both by asking people they know in real life and online. Hopefully this explanation is helpful to future viewers who stumble upon this video and thanks for your comment! -Max

[@UraniumEnergyAAA]

Let's say both fully tuned & the older piano is fully restored... Bigger size always win.... in term of everything... full stop.

[@familypianoco]

Yeah the physics is certainly in the favor of the bigger piano, no doubt there. But is that enough to beat a century of improvements to manufacturing and engineering every single time? We think this video makes a good case that it may not be so black and white (pun intended). At the very least, I'd be interested in finding out when bigger is beat by newer. Or if a big entry-level grand is beat by a smaller high-end grand. Lots of interesting questions!

[@cziffra1980]

Although I use (and very much like) a gx3 myself, I find the premise of the video extremely puzzling. To compare like with like would involve waiting a century and playing the Kawai then. Even putting that fact aside, you obviously have a preference for modern sound. Most of your comments seem far more about stressing that subjective preference for that which matches current norms, than offering anything truly objective. It's like comparing a modern day Bond film with a Connery one- and then calling the Connery one worse, for not following the current day tropes.

[@familypianoco]

Fair enough! Thanks for the feedback.

[@joonjeong4878]

Grotrian is much much better through whole range.

[@familypianoco]

Fair opinion! Thanks for the comment! --Drew, 👪🎹