Kawai MP8 Reviews

“The sounds are extraordinary, even the ones most people seem to call cheesy, such as marimba and banjo, which sound completely real, especially through my Crate 50W amplifier”

I got a very good deal on a Kawai MP8 mk II from Sweetwater Sound of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
I am very happy with it.  The keyboard is just slightly softer, or I might say mushier than a
mechanical piano, but only very slightly, and it feels fine to me.

I read blogs of several concert pianists who considered it amongst the other top pianos available.
One video I liked in particular was of a temperamental Italian pianist who was trying to play
something fast, some Chopin I think, and threw up his hands in disgust and stalked away from it.

I think I actually liked the Kawai more because it ticked the guy off, almost as if it were
having fun with him and his stuffiness.  The sounds are extraordinary, even the ones most
people seem to call cheesy, such as marimba and banjo, which sound completely real,
especially through my Crate 50W amplifier.  Pianos, organs, and the harpsichord are
heavenly.  Having two functional pedals only adds to the realism, and yet, the ability to
dial adjustments to the sound waves, effects, and equalizer shows the true value of
having an electronic instrument.

One or possibly two of the other brands can let one choose to simulate whether the “lid” is
raised or what metal the strings may be made of, but that’s only going overboard in trying to
mimic what are essentially the limitations of a mechanical piano.

Why bother with the lid or the string material?  Does that make the music sound better, or are
those hoops one must jump through in order to get a pleasing sound from a thousand pound
piece of furniture with delusions of grandeur?  Why bother emulating things that I suspect
piano makers would have been overjoyed to be able to avoid?

Had Charlie Chaplin had color film and sound in the 1920’s, I doubt that he would have made as
many black and white silent films.  And, like Mel Brooks and Martin Scorsese, one can always
just choose to make a black and white film or silent film when need arises.

I don’t think there is any need for a digital piano to perfectly mimic a mechanical piano, any more
than there would be a need to cut audio grooves in a compact disc.  To my mind, a piano is a box
that growls, and the growl is the thing.

I was considering getting a Korg Triton Extreme 88, which are sometimes available on
eBay, but I have an older–a much older–synthesizer, an Ensoniq ESQ-1, which has
required a bit of maintenance and still does before it will be completely playable.  I
don’t relish the thought of going through that twice.  I may still get a Korg, just to
have it, because it has features that can’t be found on any other synthesizer, as is with
the ESQ-1, including a very acceptable piano sound.  I also have a Roland V-Synth GT,
which has no actually good real sounds at all, since it is designed for the invention of
totally new sounds.  Thus, the piano being added to the crew.

Sweetwater was selling the Kawai via eBay and it was not even listed on their web site,
so they have a different approach to getting rid of old inventory.  It’s a keeper.

Review by Kurt Faasse, Fort Wayne, Indiana, US

 

“These are customer reviews from actual owners of this piano.
The most recent review is at the top of this page “, Graham Howard, Piano Advisor

Send me an email if you have any questions or need advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
Or call 020 8367 5107

 

>> For Kawai MP8 information, specifications and prices, click here