KAWAI ND-21 UPRIGHT PIANO

Introduction (Short Summary)

The Kawai ND21 is a 48” upright piano that perfectly fills the gap between a top-of-the-line Japanese 48” pianos like the Kawai K300 or the Yamaha YUS1, and the used alternatives like 1980’s U1’s and BL / US series from Japan. In other words, a brand new Kawai with exactly the same specs as the used ones from the 1990’s, for about the same price or slightly more. The ND-21 upright piano offers incomparable value with outstanding sound, touch and durability. In addition to the solid spruce soundboard, the ND-21 utilises Kawai’s exclusive Ultra-Responsive Action, combining experienced craftsmanship with our world-renowned piano technology, to provide exceptional touch and tone that will endure.

Product Overview:

The $5-7k upright piano is the most commonly sought-after price category, and yet it is the least well served by the new piano industry. The ND21 focuses in on this important segment, and hits it out of the park with some creative ways of bringing an older model back to life with lower development costs, and passes those savings to customers.

For families or piano teachers who previously thought that a used Yamaha U1 was going to be their only ticket to a decent acoustic upright in their budget, this piano is a near-perfect alternative, and serves as an ideal gateway for future upgrades, while also serving as an attractive piece of furniture.

Kawai's ND-21 is a new 48" upright built in their Indonesian factory, which offers piano clients a more musical alternative to a 40 year old Japanese upright, and a piano that's in the prime of it's musical life as opposed to 'on its way out'

The ND-21 from Kawai features some very advanced features for its instrument class, such as: a solid spruce soundboard, the Kawai Ultra-Responsive Action with ABS-Composites, a longer key length and an extra-long #1 bass string. 

The Kawai ND-21 comes in a classic Ebony Polish cabinet, with a monochrome design (usually a hefty premium), rugged double rubber casters (for easy transport - perfect for institutions), a classic fallboard and an adjustable bench. 

If you've been sent on a hunt for a used Yamaha or Kawai upright piano as your first acoustic piano, and aren't satisfied with what's available; then you simply MUST checkout the Kawai ND-21 48" Upright Piano

The Action

The Kawai ND21 Upright Piano uses their ABS Composite Action, the predecessor to the Millennium III action. It’s now been in the field for close to 40 years with near universal praise for its improved speed and reduced maintenance. 

The key has a medium depth and a weight which is slightly heavier than a typical Yamaha, but most certainly lighter than the larger Kawai K Series uprights - making it perfect for beginners or students, or hobbyist players as well. 

The wooden keys are finished with acrylic and phenol key surfaces

The Tone

The Kawai ND21 Upright Piano is fashioned after the Kawai K25 / K30 pianos of the 1990’s, and with the exception of their black plate and soundboard, and nickel hardware, is built using the same cabinetry and scale design as its precedessor. The outstanding sound could be described as up-front, mid-rangy, even, and capable of a wider dynamic range and technical control than a similarly priced used Japanese piano, which is exactly why it’s being built. 

The bass is clearer and with better sustain, the tenor section more resonant, and the treble strong without any metallic attack.  Overall, an entirely satisfying piano to learn on and good enough for casual performance or even light-to-medium institutional use.

The Hammers

Kawai is one of 3 piano manufacturers today to still produce their own hammers, and the ND-21 features single felted maple-core hammers.  

The Soundboard

The Kawai ND-21 features a Kawai-made, Solid Spruce Soundboard. It's extremely uncommon for full sized uprights in this price range to have solid spruce soundboards 

 It's also worth pointing your that a new solid spruce soundboard like on the ND-21 will produce far more tone, projection and sustain than soundboards found in 30-40 year old pianos, which have at this point very little 'crown' left in their boards  

The Rim/Cabinet

The Kawai ND-21 is built in a classic Ebony Polish upright piano cabinet, has 4 back posts and gets finished with Monochrome finishings (logo, pedals, hinges) - which in the piano world generally demands a hefty premium. 

The ND-21 also includes a traditional sized music rack, as well as double casters made of rubber for easy transport.  

Specifications

Size

Height

48" (121 cm)

Width

59" (150 cm)

Depth

23" (58 cm)

Weight

474 lbs (215 kg)

Finishes         Polished Ebony

Warranty    10 Ten Year FULL Transferable Manufacturer’s Warranty

About Kawai

Kawai pianos have been built in Japan since 1927, and through consistency in quality and aspiration to continue innovating the modern piano, have become one of the largest and most respected piano makers in the world. The Kawai company remains family owned/run and continues to focus their attention solely on piano making acoustic and digital pianos. Kawai Musical Instruments make products to satisfy both the best pianists in the world, right through to aspiring students. Regarded as the Apple or Google of piano making - in the sense that they continue to innovate their products, while current ones continue to sell very well, which keeps Kawai stay ahead of the curve, and their competitors playing catch up. Kawai has been a treasure of piano making for close to a hundred years.