It is true that Yamaha is usually perceived the 'leader,' if simply by weight of numbers, name recognition, and available advertising budget. Really, the two brands can probably be considered to be more alike than different, especially when you are comparing them to U.S.-made pianos like Steinway, Baldwin or Mason & Hamlin. But Kawai also has some of those qualities. Yamaha, also, on the basis of certain components of its sound, has been compared with Steinway, but also, for various reasons, with Baldwin, because, like Baldwin, it makes for a good (recording) studio piano, with a sharp, crisp, percussive attack and a shorter decay time, and a sort of splashy, instantly attractive, or attention-getting, sound.

Indeed, (perhaps for this very reason, among others) Kawai now makes Steinway's Boston line of pianos for them. (Really, if you're looking for an analogy, Hertz and Avis might be more apt, because Kawai often seems to 'try harder'.) Actually, many people who like the Steinway sound also like the Kawai, often finding it a shade mellower and richer than the Yamaha. Is Yamaha comparable to Steinway and Kawai to Baldwin? Although this analogy is sometimes presented, I don't think it is an accurate one, because the two Japanese brands actually seem to have far more in common than Baldwin and Steinway pianos do and, as far as numbers go, unlike Kawai with respect to Yamaha, Baldwin sells many more pianos than Steinway. It often seems that Yamaha has a bit more name recognition and can thus command slightly higher prices on the other hand, because of this, the Kawai is frequently a better value - it gives you a little more for the money. The prices for comparable new (and also used) Kawai/Yamaha models are usually very close.

It would be very difficult to say that one brand was 'better' than the other, and, in most cases, would probably not be true. It is generally because of those tonal differences, or because of a perceived price break, that people choose a Kawai over a Yamaha, or vice-versa. As far as quality is concerned I feel that the two brands are about on a par, depending on which sound you prefer, as each brand seems to have its own distinctive tonal characteristics. You will still find their products, like those of Yamaha, nearly everywhere: in universities, schools, homes, churches, on stage, in the recording studio, and the like.

Although Kawai doesn't make quite as many pianos as Yamaha, Kawai is the other big Japanese piano company. They also happen to make more pianos than anyone else in the world,Ĭurrently over 200,000 a year. Yesteryear's Japanese pianos were the Toyotas and Datsuns of the piano world today they also have Infinitis, Lexuses and Acuras.įor the record, the big name Japanese piano is, of course, Yamaha. The growth of the Japanese piano industry is not unlike that of their car industry: Through persistence, diligence, and painstaking attention to detail, they have achieved a reputation as master piano builders, as well as master-builders of automobiles. Today they produce an incredibly wide and diverse spectrum of instruments, anywhere from basic budget pianos for beginners and growing families, to some of the world's most expensive and superb concert instruments. Japanese Pianosįrom relatively humble beginnings as makers of the first pianos in a country unfamiliar with the instrument, the Japanese piano manufacturers have come a long way. Please select 'View', 'Refresh' or 'Reload' on your browser to make sure you are viewing the latest version. Upright or Grand? New or Used? US, Asian or European?

1990 young chang baby grand piano