I have a Kawai CA18 which has a problem with the black key
middleC# in that this is harder to strike than the other
keys. There seems to be something snagging the mechanism
for this single black key.

Otherwise the piano is OK.

I have decided to take the piano to bits and fix it myself
and I have partly dismantled the case in an attempt to get
to the keyboard mechanisms.

Looking down on the wooden keys extensions within the case I
can see that this middleC#key lacks some sort of spring
beneath at the rear because, unlike all the others the back
of the key does not rise up by itself when I lift away the
metal strikers.

I cannot proceed in this task because I cannot remove the
slide-down lid free of the keys. There is a groove at each
side of the piano in which pins on the lid slide backwards
and forwards.

The keyboard assembly seems to want to be removed as a
single unit.


Can anyone help me with some link to find a service manual
for the KawaiCA18..? Or can someone give me some practical
advice. Getting off the sliding lid would be a great help.

Hi,

Do you have any pictures of this, I think it would help if you had

/Andree

Please contact the store from where you purchased the CA18 and arrange to have the instrument repaired by a qualified technician.

Kind regards,
James
x

Look for a small set screw on the gear that fits into that groove. The geared white roller will slide in to allow you to remove the keyboard cover.

No way to repair it yourself... ..the CA18 is a new model of Kawai...how about warranty?.....Let see what Kawai is doing for his customers....

Best regards,
Johan B

Thank you, this was a great help. I have dismantled the unit down to the wooden keys and I am part the way through fixing the problem. I will send in a full report when I've finished. Do you know the best way to send photos here because I have taken them thru the operation.
Regards.

Busoni, you can try to upload your pictures to this website: www.pici.se It is very good and the only thing you need is to copy the link to this forum and then we can look at the pictures with high resolution. You have to get a membership first but this is for free.

Thanks, I have uploaded the pictures to the site with the "Bildtitel" KawaiCA18.

Here are my notes to date:
With the top of the piano detached from the base and standing on its side I unscrewed the small phillips-head screws and moved the key lid away exposing the other set at the front of the piano. Unscrewing these allowed the circular pins to be retracted and the whole lid came away, fig (0), (1), (2), (3), (4).

The piano was then put back on its base and the keys examined. The problem can be seen in fig (5). Examination required the removal of the nameplate board, fig (6) which is effected by unscrewing two screws at each end of the piano and one in the centre. A very long phillips screwdriver is a great help here. The name board can be carefully shifted clear of the keys section, even with all the wires still attached. The keys are individually numbered and similar to those of a normal upright piano, fig (7), (8), and can be lifted out without trouble. They seem different to those shown in the Kawai CA18 brochure, fig (16). I confirmed that the middleC# was not working properly and I removed this key and swapped it with another black key close by. This new middleC# worked perfectly and so the conclusion is that the problem is in the wooden key (No41) itself. This was confirmed when the No41 was tried in another position. Indeed the No41 works fairly well in another key position but I am hesitant to do this swap because the keys are supposed to be “weighted” depending on their position on the keyboard.

When the faulty No41 is in its original position (middleC#) it seems to be displaced slightly to the right on the keyboard, fig (13), and I suspect the holes in the key may be slightly out of alignment, or the red felt has been carelessly inserted. I may have to remove the felt and then increase the size of the holes, then reinsert the red felt again. I did trim the felt with a razor in the slot on the underside of key 41 and this made a big improvement, fig (11). I am hesitant to more without some advice and I may call in my piano tuner to help me. Swapping the keys seems to have no effect on the sound they produce. I have tested all the other keys and one other black key is very slightly harder to press though this is barely noticable. Can someone advise me what else I should do?

The Kawai CA18 is a current model made in Indonesia in May 2009. I purchased it in a store and the unit (with piano stool enclosed) was delivered in a large carton weiging about 80 Kg. Assembly was easy, but time consuming. Purchase of an assembled unit would be better because the action of the keys can be tested in the showroom before delivery.

Unfortunately I'm unable to access the photographs that you have prepared. Would it be possible to provide a direct link to the images, or better still, add them to your post?



With the greatest of respect, I believe you should have contacted the store from where the instrument was purchased and arranged to have the instrument repaired by a qualified technician.

Kind regards,
James
x

I do not know how to upload the images here. Please advise me how to do this.
Regards

Here are the direct links to the images. These may be sequenced from the numbers in my text.
http://www.pici.se/518154/
http://www.pici.se/518155/
http://www.pici.se/518156/
http://www.pici.se/518157/
http://www.pici.se/518158/
http://www.pici.se/518159/
http://www.pici.se/518160/
http://www.pici.se/518161/
http://www.pici.se/518163/
http://www.pici.se/518164/
http://www.pici.se/518165/
http://www.pici.se/518166/
http://www.pici.se/518167/
http://www.pici.se/518168/
http://www.pici.se/518169/
http://www.pici.se/518170/
http://www.pici.se/518171/
http://www.pici.se/518172/

Sorry, missed a link:
http://www.pici.se/518162/

The slight shaving of the felt from inside the slot at the rear front of key41 fixed the problem and the piano is reassembled and working.

In retrospect, one can get to the keys simply by removing the key cover, rear and the top cover.

The warranty on this unit did not include delivery to & from the repair firm, and this would have cost $200 at least. Purchasers of this piano might try to have delivery charges included in the warranty terms.

Regards.

Busoni I admire your grit. I've had my own DPs apart, but they are much simpler than what I see inside yours. In fact, you're a pretty good advertisement for Kawai. I'm so impressed with the complexity of the action I just might go try a Kawai. I've had a P90 and P140, I like both but the insides look like plastic toys compared to what you have. Sometime over the holidays if I have nothing to do I may go over to the Kawai dealer and try some of these out.