This is sort of a repost, as I made a failed post in the piano forum yesterday.

Anyway,
Yesterday morning my first ever piano arrived in a big, but not so high package.
I did not expect it to come unassembled. The salesperson never mentioned it.
The assembly turned out to be pretty straight forward. (no missing screws)
Just a bit tricky doing it by myself. Especially the mounting of the keyboard. Quite heavy.

Either way, as you can see it's assembled. And I am happy to say it's also working.
I haven't gone through all the functions yet. But all the keys sound good and feel good.
I started the Alfred all-in-one course yesterday, and will start lessons next month. It will be interesting to have the lessons on an acoustic and comparing it to this CN-33.

I'll keep you up to date on my further findings of the piano and will post some more photos as well.
But so far, I'm liking it.



Thanks again to everyone who helped guide me to this piano.

Fred

Congratulations! The piano looks gorgeous!

Congratulations! It looks like you also chose Rosewood like me. Looking forward to share experience.

Congratulations Fred!

That shot bears more than a parsing resemblance to the CN33 scene in the brochure.

It's a little worrying to read that you lifted the heavy main keyboard section by yourself, however I'm glad that you've been able to assemble the instrument and begin to play.

It's interesting that you're learning using the Alfred materials too. As you may know, the UK, US, and Australasia models ship with built-in Alfred lesson songs, as opposed to the Czerny and Burgmüller exercises featured on the European models.

Anyway, regardless of the learning materials used, may I wish you the best of luck with your new hobby!

Kind regards,
James
x

I wouldn't trust myself with that vase there (particularly if there's a cat or a toddler in the house!)

Congrats mate, I've also opted for the CN-33 but still waiting for the shop to get it's backordered stock.

They have one in cherry I could pick up now, but I have to have it in satin black - I think it's worth the few weeks wait

You're making me impatient for mine!

Thanks for the congrats everyone.

James:
I was aware of different lesson function, but I don't mind so much as I'll probably check out the Czerny and Bergmuller stuff as well.
The keyboard section was quite heavy, but I managed quite well.
It's pretty straightforward to slide it into the frame.

Vectistim:
Actually, I don't trust myself with that vase either. I'll take it off when I get home.

Eyst:
Yeah, I wouldn't have picked the cherry either. It was going to be either satin Black or Rosewood. The Rosewood just matched my cupboards better..

I'll post some more pics in a bit.

Fred

Fantastic, well done Fred. Hope you really enjoy it.

Mine was delivered today, in one piece! That's taken me something like 2 months waiting, and saving pennies. I will also take a photo and upload it later on today. My trusty Casio is going to be demoted to the spare room, although it will also go on travels with me.

Dah da, here it is:



It might not be its final place, I have to take advice on that :-) but it's only a small house. I really tested in advance in the store, but even so there's a couple of pleasant surprises:

Mawima suggested on another thread the mellow piano sound (Piano 1-3), yup it sounds great to me for some music.

I love the church organ, compared to my Casio. Must have scared my neighbour trying to play Bachs Toccata in D Minor really LOUD. Love it. Now to learn to play it properly. Oh yes, and everything else too!

Need some time to transition from the lighter and looser keys of the Casio.

Just for fun, I also love this piano:



It's outside some offices near where I live.

Congrats spanishbuddha!

Thank you for posting the photo of your brand new (pre-assembled!) CN33.
I hope it was worth the wait!

Cheers,
James
x

ps. Where is that outside GP by the way? Clearly the humidity of the Great British summer has taken its toll on the key lid...

OT: The outside GP is here:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3915045
The satellite view is a couple of years old.

I didn't see a smiley in your post on the comment, so just to be clear it's a piece of art/sculpture made of (rusting) steel. I'm not sure why it's there as AFAIK there's no musical link to the offices/park. I jog past it regularly and think it's great.

Sigh, wish I could go jogging...



</offtopic>

Anyway, thanks for clarifying the location of that interesting sculpture.
Nice part of the world, by the way.

Cheers,
James
x

[OT]
What happened??
[/OT]

<offtopic>
I went out cycling during my lunch break (as I do every day), and slipped on some wet metal grating in the road. It happens every so often when the road surface is a little greasy from rain, however on this occasion my shoe didn't disengage from the pedal - I came off the bike but my foot stayed with it.

No broken bones, but a badly torn ligament means no cycling for 3-4 months. ;(

I showed the photo to one of my colleagues at Kawai Europe - he asked if I had perhaps failed to read the owner's manual safety/assembly instructions properly. Who says Germans have no sense of humour?
</offtopic>

Cheers,
James
x

<OT>
James:

OOOPH! Sorry to see that! I wish you a speedy recovery. I guess you can use your extra indoor time working on new piano pieces, but that is, I think, small consolation.
</OT>

Congrats to Spanishbuddha and Fred on the new CN33's. Nice looking pics from both.

I'm so sorry.

Maybe you want some flowers... I'll take those from Fred's DP, since they're anyway dangerous up there...

James, I'm sorry. I wish you your leg getting better quickly.

OT: James, ouch, hope you're cycling and jogging again soon.

To follow up the image posts, here are some images of my CN33.

Great pictures Mawima. James should hire you.

I always like to see the stool/bench that people use as I don't have one. I have back trouble, not related to piano and am reluctant to invest in a traditional style bench without back support. But I've just started to learn to pedal and find sitting back on my office style chair doesn't work so well for that. I might start saving for a bench next, after the summer holiday.

Great pictures Mawima !
I have the same bench as you. I just wish it went a little lower than it does.
You seem to have a great spot for it as well. Outdoor light coming in from both sides !

One thing that pulled me towards the CN-33 visually where to pillars on both sides. Which the CN-23 doesn't have.

Enjoy the piano people, I know I am !

ps: I removed the vase/flowers. It just didn't feel safe

Fred

Thanks for the words of support chaps (and for Fred's nice flowers, lol!).

Mawima, your CN33 photos look absolutely terrific, and a great setting to play the piano too - the natural light streaming in through those windows.

Cheers,
James
x

Thank you for the compliments. I really enjoy playing the CN33 there.

I also like the look of this piano very much. The ivory color of the keys are also a nice addition to their touch.

It's a simple bench from Thomann. They are very affordable and very ok for the price in my opinion.

See there Piano Banks and Stools @ Thomann

Thanks for the link to the Thomann benches.

James,

Sorry to see the picture of your injured ankle. Seems like you had a pretty nasty spill for the ligaments to be torn. Hope you'll be back on your bike soon enough.

Per the pianos in CN/CA series, they have built-in Alfred lessons but it seems these are only the first year lessons. Will it be possible to load 2nd/3rd year lessons into these pianos later? For that matter, can I acquire this capability for Kawai ES6 (which is under consideration), a Kawai piano of the same generation as the CN series pianos, i.e. by loading Alfred lessons on a computer connected to ES6?

But it is not just the stored Alfred piano lessons, it is also what Kawai has done with their pianos to work with the Alfred lessons: they can slow down to make it easier to play along; they can also mute either the left- or right- hand portion so the player can focus on the fingering of one opposite hand.

In another thread, in response to my question on auto-accompaniment, robdean was kind enough to share the info on a software called "Amazing Slow Downer", so presumably one can acquire the slow-down capability with the software loaded on a computer.

As for the muting of left/right hand, I am not sure how necessary it is. This sounds like an interesting and potentially useful feature, but haven't people been learning how to play the piano with one hand at a time, then combining two hands on a piano for ages?

But I must admit that, with the built-in Alfred lessons, along with specific technologies designed to make learning easier, have made the CA/CN pianos very attractive to this aspiring beginner. I only wish these features are available on the ES6, or somewhat retrofitted into ES6.

These are probably not appropriate questions for this forum. I will head over to Adult Beginners Forum to do more research over there.

"I went out cycling during my lunch break... and slipped on some wet metal grating in the road... on this occasion my shoe didn't disengage from the pedal - I came off the bike but my foot stayed with it... a badly torn ligament means no cycling for 3-4 months. ;("

I hope you're better soon, James! I've taken a few bad spills on my bike through the years, but never took to the toe clips for the very reason you mentioned--- maybe I wasn't entirely paranoid after all. Back in the day, Atlanta used to have drainage grates all over town with a slot just wide enough to eat a bike tire to the hubs (and plenty of rain and slick conditions--- and this was before helmets; I had never heard of a bike helmet back then). Sure did love to ride, though, and never put on a single pound for almost thirty years.

They can work near-miracles with those fiber-optic surgery techniques, so with some luck and rest, you'll never know it even happened.

James, sorry to hear of your biking accident. I hope things heal quickly for you!

Thanks again for you kind words chaps.

The plaster cast was removed the other day, but I am having to wear ankle support strapping all day to keep the joint at a right-angle. I can just about walk and get up and down stairs, but it's clearly going to be some time before I'll be back in the saddle again.

Anyway, back to the thread...



Current CA/CN models feature the following built-in Alfred lesson books:

CN23: Alfred's Basic Piano Library 1A&1B
CN33: Alfred's Basic Piano Library 1A&1B, Alfred's Premier Piano Course 1A&1B
CA63/CA93: Alfred's Basic Piano Library 1A&1B, Alfred's Premier Piano Course 1A&1B, Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course 1

I'm afraid it is not possible to upgrade the built-in lesson books with newer or more advanced material.



Unfortunately it's not possible to upgrade the ES6's software to add the lesson functionality of the CN/CA. However by connecting the instrument to a computer and replaying each Alfred song as a MIDI (assuming that the MIDI files are available) it should be possible to recreate much of the Kawai DP's functionality (adjusting tempo, muting left/right hand) - albeit with the convenience of operating the lessons from the instrument directly.



Yes, you're absolutely right. However, I believe the benefit of muting the left/right hand during playback is that it allows the player to play alone and 'hear' how the piece should be performed with both hands.



I agree, the built-in Alfred lessons (Czerny, Burgmüller, etc. etudes on models sold in mainland Europe) are a useful addition for beginners - especially when combined with the notated scores. Including such functionality on the ES6 would be a nice addition, however this instrument is intended as a stage piano for gigging musicians.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,
James
x

Jeff, your portrayal of the Atlanta roads sounds pretty treacherous. Hamamatsu isn't quite so bad, thankfully, however it does have its fair share of cracks, potholes, and wheel-swallowing gaps at the side of the road.

I was in pretty good shape when I came off, but now I'm feeling my muscle tone start to decline - it's horrible. ;(

Cheers,
James
x

When I was practicing yesterday I discovered the "string resonance" in the CN-33.
I read about this before buying the piano but didn't think so much of it. But after experimenting a bit with it on the CN-33 I was pleasently surprised.

Another thing I'd like to point out again is the ivory key touch.
It was one of the reasons why I chose the CN-33 over one of the Yamaha's that I was trying out.
Looking back on it I am very happy this keyboard has the ivory touch. The keys surface feel so smooth and pleasant.

I will keep updating my continueing experiences with the CN-33.
And I'm very glad to see other people enjoying this piano as well.

Fred

got mine today in satin black!

don't think I can assemble it alone so will try over the weekend!

Let the sun come up in this part of the world, Fred, and I'll send you a photo of my solution of where to put dangerous, wet things like coffee cups, and shreddy things like where to mark and erase scores with pencils--- yes, you can have it all. I like the mp8ii's features but wish it could have the form factor of your cn-33... except that it would be nice to have the foot pedal and expression pedal integrated into the pedal lyre. Thanks for including the photos, it looks like such a nice place to play.

"Jeff, your portrayal of the Atlanta roads sounds pretty treacherous. Hamamatsu ...[has] its fair share of cracks, potholes, and wheel-swallowing gaps at the side of the road."

Atlanta was actually a beautiful place to live back then. Every place has its hazards, and cyclists are uniquely exposed to them. San Jose has a tree that sheds thorns that will, 100% guaranteed, put your bike tires out of business. So we have to not only watch the road, but the air.

"I was in pretty good shape when I came off, but now I'm feeling my muscle tone start to decline - it's horrible. ;("

It will come back, James. You will be a stronger athlete in the end. Those tendon injuries are worth tending, they are uniquely unforgiving. I have to guard the left arm when playing the AP to this day because of a bike injury years ago; I should have done what you're doing now.

James,

Thanks for your info on the various built-in Alfred lesson books for the different Kawai models.



Could you please elaborate on your comment that, by replaying MIDI files, one can adjust tempo and mute left/right hand? I presume some additional software on the computer will need to be acquired?

I have read on one of the forum threads that MacBook Pro has "Garage Band". I wonder if such functionalities are already built-in features of "Garage Band"? Unfortunately I am a PC user. What will I need to acquire such functionalities for PC? Or will I have to go the MacBook Pro route?

YoungH

Kawai James,

So you have been unlucky.......so sorry for you.

Wish you all the best and speedy recovery

Keep smiling boy.

Best regards
Johan B

Mawima, Fred and Spanishbuddha....nice pics of the Kawai.

James you can be proud of the product you're working for....

Best regards,

Johan B

More great CN33 pics from eyst are here.

I believe most, if not all MIDI sequencing software allows the playback tempo to be adjusted, and for individual tracks to be turned on and off. As suggested, it's perhaps not as convenient as controlling everything from piano's control panel, however it's certainly possible.

GarageBand is only available for Mac OS, however similar applications do exist, ranging in price and complexity.

Kind regards,
James
x

Johan B,

Thank you, I'm trying to remain as positive about my injury as possible.

Cheers,
James
x

James,

Thank you very much for the info of MIDI sequencing software, and for your comment on GarageBand.

YoungH

-
I finally ordered my CN-33, I did one more trip around the piano dealers, re-tried the competition, and decided the CN-33 was the best buy. I did consider the CA-63 but decided the CN-33 had my basic requirements, a nice keyboard and a nice grand piano sound. I've only ordered my CN-33 30 minutes ago on-line so I'm not aware of the delivery date yet. I'll try to post pictures when I get it but the room it's going into is so small there's barely room for me, the piano, desk, printers and bookcases, I may have to take the door of the room off to get the piano in. Unfortunately my long legs negate my buying a compact piano and I can't compete with my wife's 42" TV, and constant soap operas, in our living room where I would have more space, so, in the interests of marital bliss I'm putting the piano back into my study.

BTW. O/T. James, I empathise with your recent cycling accident, I too am an avid cyclist, up until 10 years ago I used to make annual trips cycle-camping down through France into Spain. These days I do three rides per week of around 20 miles, just for the exercise.
-

Yes! Another CN33 player from the UK and on PW. Congrats. Looking forward to the photo's when yours is delivered.

I ordered from a local store and got a price close to, but not quite as good as the best you can find on Google for an Internet retailer. I will update the prices thread after 3 months (at the request of the dealer).

OT: I'm a fair weather cyclist, so not that regular in the UK but cycling in the UK on public roads is dicey IMHO (probable understatement). I've been lucky so far, touch wood.

bluebilly/crusader, congratulations!

Which finish did you go for, just out of interest?
And, if you don't mind my asking, is there a particular reason why you opted to purchase the instrument online, rather than from the dealer's shop?

O/T: A friend has recently returned from a cycling tour throughout Europe. It's certainly something I would also love to do in the future, however for the time being I shall just focus on returning to fitness and building back up to my regular riding schedule, before continuing to explore Japan. This time last year I was riding to Tokyo, currently I'd just be happy to make it to the supermarket and back.

Anyway, good luck with your CN33, getting the door off your study, and maintaining marital bliss.

Cheers,
James
x

Hi James,
I went for the Rosewood finish and saved around £200 purchasing on-line from Germany. However, I've only placed the order so far, I'm expecting to receive email confirmation today.

Hi everyone,
I also got my new kawai cn 33 the last week: I'm very happy about the feel, the keys and the sound too. I took it mahogany and I like it so much. I had to buy it in Germany on line because in Italy it was selt in very few shops but everything went fine about the delivery.

Congratulations on your new piano Daniela, and welcome to the forum!

Great choice of finish too - Mahogany is also my personal favourite (it looks really terrific in the brochure...).

Cheers,
James
x

Hi James,
as soon as possible I will send a piano's pic. I also better like the mahogany forniture. I really think this piano is so great choise considering the price and the quality of the sound and the keyboard. I didn't think the speakers could work so good when I tried it in a music contest in Bologna ( I must admit that was a so big noise mess there) but they do so well at home even if the power is only 20 watts.
In the start I wanted to buy the ca 63 but then I decided for the cn 33 also to spare some money and I'm very happy now about my choise.

I saw in a shop on line a new color forniture : the white one :-)
It seems kawai is going to launch other colors of our favourite piano. I think the kawai cn 33 is going to be appreciate on the market.
Greetings

Daniela, yes, we're adding a white model to the line-up.

It's obviously not for everyone, however I'm sure some consumers will appreciate the ability to match the piano with the rest of their furniture.

May I ask where you saw the CN33W online, by the way?

Cheers,
James
x

I saw it in a german shop on line called "bauer - music" and it was already on sell. Is that model different from the other ones only about the color or about something else?

Daniela, thank you.

To answer your question, the technical specifications of the white CN33 are identical to the standard finish models. The changes are purely cosmetic (white cabinet, white panel strip).

Cheers,
James
x

Daniela, welcome to the growing PW group of CN33 players. It's a great DP. Looking forward to seeing the pics.

Hi spanishbuddha I have already taken some pics of my new cn 33 but I don't know how I can send them on the forum from my pc. I'm a little clumpsy about all these technical things and I'm also new on the forum :-) The most problems is how I can put the pics on the display forum. Could you help me pls.
Best regards

http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthrea...html#Post908865

This describes how to send images to the PW 'holding cell' and then insert them in a post. It seems clumsy at first, but it's not actually hard if you 'cut-and-paste' the image location from the e-mail PW sends you.

It would be great to see your photos of your music room.

I hope it's working now that should to show my new DP Kawai cn 33. thanks especially to Jeff who explained me how to send the pics.
Greetings

Hi Daniela, thanks for the pic. I had not seen a mahogany finish before, except in the brochures. Looks great.

I guess that you had to assemble it yourself if it was an Internet delivery?

Enjoy your CN33. It's a great DP from Kawai, really good value for the price.

Congratulation to your CN33. The Mahagony looks great as well. Also the bench matches the pianos color very nicely.

Hi spanishbuddha and Mawima, yes I am so happy with my new DP. Spanishbuddha I couldn't assemble it alone because the keyboard was heavy fortunally a couple of friends helped me so it was easy and fast.
If I must be honest they did the hard work:-)
That should be interesting to know what setting are you using for your cn 33 to share some suggestions.
Greetings

I just received email confirming my order for my CN-33 is being processed, I'm just waiting for a delivery date now.....exciting ain't it?

Currently, I am using the Mellow Grand (Piano 1 / 3) for solo piano ... practicing and playing along. I set the damper effect and string resonance to 10. I saved these as default.

When playing together with natural instruments (Saxophone, Clarinete), I rather use Concert Grand or Studio Grand. Mellow Grand is just too mellow then and less audible as Sax and Clarinete can be very loud.

I saved as default:
Sound:Concert Grand 1
Reverb: Stage
Touch: Normal
Damper Resonance: 8
Strings Resonance: 7
Sometimes I also use the Mellow Grand 1 or the Studio Grand 1

Daniela

When I first got the CN33 the main change I made to the standard settings was the touch. I set it to Heavy1. However, after a few weeks I have now set it back to Normal.

I also changed the default sound to Piano 1, #2. But I use Piano1, #1, #2, #3, also Piano 2, #2, all the time, depending on the music I'm playing (err, trying to play) or whether I have headphones on or using the speakers. As far as I can tell you can only save 1 default start up sound :-(

I also like layering Piano1 sounds with Piano2 sounds, but have not found a way of storing a preference for that.

I've played around with some of the other settings, reverb, echo, timbre and so on, but have left them all at the default.

As a beginner I have found the Concert magic demo's/lessons useful, especially the ability to decrease the volume of one hand so you can play along with the other hand. My Fur Elise is now nearly concert ready :-) But I'm not following Alfred's courses.

Hi Spanishbuddha,
I am also a begginer. I have started to play almost since a year ago not with a teacher but with some cdrom using a casio with 61 keys that seemed a toy. I know it's not the same as to get lessons by a teacher but anyway I play piano to enjoy and not to get a professional pianist.
Now I'm sure with the cn 33 I will able to improve my playing also about the weighted keys.
You're right it's very funny to play concert magic that also can help you to adjust the ryhtme in the pieces that you are going to play for yourself later as "Fur Elise".
Unfortunally in the european kawai cn 33 line that wasn't the Alfred's courses...ok that doesn't matter -:)
Enjoy your cn 33
Greetings

-
I was walking over the Malvern Hills, listening to Elgar's Cello Concerto on my MP3 player, when I had a text message from the German piano supplier telling me my CN-33 had been shipped. My guess is it may arrive on Thursday.....will I be able to sleep until then?
-

....and then after when you will get the new cn 33 you won't sleep anymore because you will be always playing it-:)))) You will see you will like the new DP a lot. Let me know when you will get it and I hope some friends can help you to assemble everyting because the keyboards is quite heavy.

Hi again to Mawima and Daniela

About your settings.

Now the strange thing perhaps, maybe also a little sad, is that I have never played a real or acoustic piano in my life! So I'm curious about the settings you changed for damper and strings resonance. Does that make it sound more like a real piano?

spanishbuddha, so we seem to be the club of beginners with a CN33

I also have not really played an acoustic piano other than some occasional playing at some friends pianos. Even my teacher has a digital piano for the lessons.

The string resonances enrich the sound with some more liveliness. You can check yourself. Press some keys very slightly and keep them pressed. Hit the same keys staccato one octave higher. You will hear some kind of ringing from the lower notes.

The same thing happens accidantially, if you just play a piece of music both hands together.

The effects settings are default at 5. So you can hear it, but not very loud. That is why I increased them to 7 first and currently to 10. 10 is probably a lot. But it is just a matter of taste.

Hey, you should really try to find some place to have the opportunity to play a real acoustic piano for some extended time! It will help a lot to understand what makes playing the piano so unique! I still would love to own my own acoustic piano but cannot play it since I can only play at nighttime and my kids are sleeping then... It's a pity!

Yes I agree. There are some practice rooms in London that I plan to use on my next visit there, probably December. I could have done it last month but I was waiting until I had some pieces at a reasonable level. They have both uprights and grands available, at a reasonable price for one hour. It sounds like I should try a grand, but then maybe not, in case I want one :-)

Hi Spanishbuddha,
I tried some acoustic uprights only few times and for short because I was embarassed to play among some people when I'm not able enough.
So I thaught it was a good idea to buy a DP to improve my hands on the keyboard.
Of course the feelings of an acoustic one is different but for now I'm practicing on my cn 33.
In a future when I will get better anyway I would like to take an upright too.
It's a great idea to go to some parctice rooms to play an acoustic one.
Can you have the possiblity there to stay alone in a small room or must you share the room with other people who can lissen to you?

Daniela, the practice rooms in London have several rooms each separate with a piano either upright or grand. You can book in advance the type of room/piano you want. They are, AFAIK, private so us beginners can keep any embarrassment to ourselves. Here's the link for anyone else interested: Jacques Samuel practice rooms

Thanks for the link spanishbuddha, next time I'm down the smoke I'll give that a try, we don't seem to have anything similar here in the Midlands. The only acoustic piano I have access to is an old Dale Forty upright owned by friend of mine, it sounds like an out of tune, honky tonk, piano but I don't like to tell him that.

Daniela Denesi, I'm sure I'll be playing the new CN-33 24/7 when it arrives, I've no one to help me assemble it but I'll get around it...somehow.
-
-

-
Thursday has almost gone, I'm still waiting on my piano, tomorrow I'll go see my doctor to get him to prescribe me tranquillisers.
-

bluebilly, it might be more likely tomorrow now it should arrive. In any case I hope you've not made any other plans for the weekend, so you can have a CN33 love-in!

bluebilly, I strongly recommend you ask a friend or family member to assist with the CN33 assembly. The main keyboard unit is very heavy and ought to be lifted by at least two people.

Cheers,
James
x

OK James, I'll get help...I'm still awaiting delivery.

BTW, OT, Any Brits buying from Germany, get yourselves a Santander 0% Credit Card otherwise you get charged ~3% foreign transaction fees.

-
Why can't we get demo's like THIS in English?
-

bluebilly, these video clips are produced by Kawai Europe. They're very nicely put together, however I agree, English language versions should also be available.

Cheers,
James
x

For the kawai cn 33 fans I think this video can be appreciated:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8E7gNc1S_E
Greetings

-
O/T, I've created a new thread HERE for cyclist/pianists to talk about cycling, or post pics. I my case I could be loosely described as a piano player....perhaps a pianist one day.
-

Hi - been searching for a piano and have settled for the CN-33 after comparing with various Yamaha and ROland DPs. I'm in London and wondered if anyone can point me to a decent dealer who can supply at a decent price! I have come across Rose Morris who initially pointed me to the Kawai over the Yamaha - however one of the comments was that they had wooden keys and hence a much better feel. Subsequent research shows otherwise (even though I still prefer the feel over the Yamaha). So have lost a bit of confidence in purchasing from them. Reluctant to also purchase from thomann.de as there have bee lots of mixed reviews and I would like more local support for warranty etc.

I have searched the kawai uk website but can't find a list of dealers. Any help appreciated.

Great idea bluebilly!

I just posted some pics.

Cheers,
James
x

Ignore your feelings about the rep and buy the DP that you prefer. Reps are trained to present the positive aspects/selling points of what they're selling. It's the consumers' job to balance that presentation with independent research. You've done what a consumer should do.

Frankly the dealer's main value, post sale, is as a conduit to the distributor if warranty issues arise. Those are rare.

If you like that Kawai, take it home and play it until you couldn't care less whom you bought it from;-)

If you don't already own a set of good headphones, you might want to try auditioning good 'phones.

ak888,

Some Kawai instruments (CA/CP range, MP8II) do feature wooden keys, however the CN range do not - they utilise a plastic key keyboard.

While this is an oversight from the Rose Morris sales person, however I don't believe this should dissuade you from purchasing from the store - especially if you like the feel of the instrument overall.

As for other UK dealers, may I suggest you email Kawai UK and ask for a list of the closest stores in your city/county.

Kind regards,
James
x

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Hi ak888, Here's a list of Kawai dealers in the UK, however there are two dealers omitted, Salop Music Centre, Shrewsbury and Broughton Pianos, Belbroughton, near Birmingham, there may be more.
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I was walking on the Clee Hills in Shropshire today, I had stopped for my sandwich lunch at 12 noon when I got a call on my cellphone telling me the delivery driver was at my house with my new piano!! no one had contacted me with a delivery date!!. The good news is my piano is being delivered tomorrow before noon.
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Thanks bluebilly - I've not even had a reply from Kawai UK yet!

In the Buying a DP CA63/HP307/CLP340 thread Vishal got a good deal from Sheargold on a CA93 - they have a branch in Cobham, so depending which side of London you are they might be relatively local.

You could always give KAWAI UK a ring, they're only in Milton Keynes.
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My CN-33 arrived this morning, so far I've managed to get it to the entrance to my study by myself after lugging it up two flights of stairs with a half landing in between, don't try this at home, I'm 6'4" and last time I looked in the mirror, 16 stone of muscle. I'm now waiting on one of my son-in-laws to help me lift it onto it's stand, I'm not looking forward to it, he's bigger than me and my daughter often describes as being like "Frank Spenser"...ooch!!.
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Is "Frank Spenser" someone clumsy?

Any Brits around will know the Frank Spencer Guy from the TV shows....he was "clumsy".
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I finally got my piano set up, my daughter helped lift the main unit onto the stand, not that difficult but it would have been awkward for one to handle. I haven't put it into it's final position yet I couldn't wait to try it out. I've settled on H1 for the touch setting but need to keep tying other settings to find my favourites.
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Congrats bluebilly, at last eh! Any chance of a foto or two? This weekend ....

Yep, once I get it into it's final position I'll take a photo, it's in a tiny room and I'm trying to rearrange furniture. The ideal place was in front of the window but it faces West and I get the Sun pouring through it in the latter half of the day.
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I finally manoeuvred the piano into it's finished position, and took a photo, I couldn't get far enough away to take a full width shot, the room is so small....sorry about the sloppy shot, I wa balancing on my heels.



My old piano stool doesn't colour match but I got a matching adjustable bench with the piano so I might change them over, the new one wouldn't take up so much room. I'm playing "To a Wild Rose" to test the piano settings, a kind of middle of the road type of music...and at my level. I really like being able to save settings once I've decided which ones I like. Due to the size of the room I can't use the volume above the level of the third dot but I had the same thing with my previous piano, not a problem, especially when I wear headphones. I'm just going to experiment with string resonance, the one big difference I notice between the sound of a DP and an Acoustic so a nice additional function on the CN-33.
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Thanks for sharing. Interesting bench. At some point you're gonna have to take the protection off the pedals I've still got the protection on the display tho'.

Mine is also in a small room, possibly a bit larger than yours and I don't think I've had the volume above half way.

At first I though it was a shame you can only save one default piano sound setting, but I've since found I switch piano sounds around quite a lot to suit the different types of music I try to play.

My user manual says to remove the plastic film from the display but as far as I can tell there is no film on it.
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Yes there is, I just peeled it off.
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Congratulations on your new piano bluebilly, and thank you for posting that 'up close and personal' photo.

I'm glad that you were able to assemble the CN33 with your daughter (rather than Frank Spenser...), and that it fits snuggly into your room.

However, even though you have that lovely new piano to enjoy, please don't neglect to ride your Dawes - at least, not until the summer and autumn have passed.

Cheers,
James
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Hi James, I'm afraid I will be locked in with my new piano for a few days so the bike will have a breather. I was just going register my piano with Kawai for the warranty is there somewhere on-line one can do this?
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bluebilly,



No, I'm afraid not - just the good old fashioned method of paper, pen, and carrier pigeon.

Cheers,
James
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Hmmm... I didn't know about this. How's it done? In my case I bought it from a local store and they said they would handle the warranty for me and with Kawai.

That's right, your retailer should honour the warranty, at least for the first year. However, in these troubled times, remember Woolworth's, who'd have thought it? My German supplier gives a three year on site warranty also but I thought it a good idea to register my piano with Kawai. HERE'S a blank form to complete and return to Kawai in Milton Keynes, this form came with a Kawai piano I bought for my granddaughter awhile ago, not with my present piano.



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Although, thinking about it, I may have downloaded that form from the Kawai website at the time....senior moment perhaps?
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As my piano was purchased from outside the UK it may be my completed form will not be validated, I posted it anyway.
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Thanks for the warranty form.

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Just a thought, we Hi-Jacked Fred Lierman's thread, sorry Fred.
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Thanks to the thread for help in purchasing my CN-33. Followed the advice from another thread (highlighted in this thread) about Sheargold. I bought from there for a princely sum of 1200 GBP with a free set of headphones as well. However, it doesn't come with a bench and the ones they have are way outside my budget.

I am on a search for a bench now - but wondered what peoples thoughts were between an adjustable bench or a fixed bench. I'm an adult but the piano is also for my 7 year old daughter to learn on. I can see the benefit of adjustment but a fixed bench usually has storage (great benefit - we live in a flat and any additional storage like this is welcome). Would a fixed bench be ok for my daughter?

Congratulations on the new piano -- it's beautiful! Hope you enjoy!

He Ak888, I also just ordered the CN33 (a few days ago from a Dutch retailer). You seem to be located in the UK so i'd like to suggest the following: the adjustable bench from Thomann for only 55 euros! I received it today and it looks perfect! Here's the link http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_kb10bm.htm?sid=dc9a5fcfaeb0d48bc89c6cf58ab0f483

cheers

ak888, congratulations on your new piano!

Regarding your query, I learnt to play on a fixed bench (with lots of space inside for scales and those dreaded music theory books...), but I definitely see the benefits of an adjustable bench.

I'm not sure if this was the point you were making, however if your daughter is struggling to reach the pedals, you may wish to look into renting a set of pedal extenders.

Ah, once you decide on the bench, please do take a shot or two of the new piano in your home.

Cheers,
James
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Congratulations ak888. You and your daughter should enjoy the CN33. We'd love it if you can share photo(s) once it's in place.

I also don't have a proper bench, and am reluctant to invest in one without a back rest. I do suggest you consider an adjustable bench for yourself and daughter as the position and posture is so important. Unless of course you're handy with a saw and have lots of spare books to mount it on

For my own case I've been looking at drummer's thrones, but they don't really match the decor, so I am told!

I will post photos as soon as I order a bench! Have actually found that Thomann do an adjustable bench with storgae on top which aswers both my questions - and comes in rosewood! Bit more than what I would like to spend but would be worth it!

My CN33 arrived last wednesday after a long wait but it was well worth it, i'm absolutely adoring it!

Anyway, to fuel the discussion on this DP in this thread, i'd like to invite all of you to share your thoughts on the best settings/voices and to elaborate on that

I haven't tried all settings yet but I lean to the Mellow Grand 1 whenever playing.

munq, congrats on your new piano.

Please don't forget to post a photo once you've got the room arranged as you like it.

Regarding best settings/voices, it may be worth trying out some of TADutchman's CA93/CA63 layered sound suggestions. Obviously the CAs offer quite a lot more control over the tonal character of the sound, however the CNs should still sound pretty great.

Cheers,
James
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After much trying and listening I've presently settled for the following settings: Piano = 1/3 (Mellow), Reverb = Stage, the rest of the settings I've left at makers default. I'm still amazed at how great this piano sounds, it makes me want to keep playing so my playing is improving rapidly.
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That's a ringing endorsement if ever I heard one - many thanks for that bluebilly!

Cheers,
James
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My two favourites are Piano 1-2 Mellow Grand and Piano 2-2 Studio Grand2. Sometimes the Mellow is too mellow for the piece and the Studio is too 'sharp' (not sure of the adjective to use, maybe also 'attack') for the piece; then there is the fun of layering them on top of each other and varying the degree of mellow or sharpness that comes through. Sorry for the poor descriptions, you can tell I don't have a musical background and the ageing ears aren't too clear any more either. But as bluebilly says this is a great DP and the sounds and music it can make are fantastic.

Edit to add I've just discovered you can save the selected layering of sounds. That's really good.

spanishbudda, I haven't sat and studied the users instructions too much yet, I've been busy playing, but where do I look to discover how to layer sounds?
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bluebilly, it's deceptively easy, to get started just hold down two voice buttons at the same time and release, and they should both be selected (light on). The balance slider then affects the proportion or weighting of each voice coming through. Slightly trickier to then scroll through the different sub-voices (like piano 1-2-3-4, etc) but subsequent clicks of the button (whilst holding down the other one you want to remain) scrolls through it. Sounds tricky but 30 seconds fiddling and you should get it.

Here's my new sweetheart CN-33, just got it pre-assembled last weekend and haven't slept since then.

Thank you everybody on this forum for providing insightful advice and opinions! They helped enormously when I was comparing the digital pianos and trying to choose the right one for me. And I'm sure I made the right choice!

I could never have guessed though that this strict piano-purist would one day turn into a happy owner of a great DP. Life is surprising.

Way to go Amajor! Congratulations. Stay in touch too.

Thanks spanishbudda, I found it on page 13 of the owners manual "Dual Mode".
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Congrats on your new DP Amajor - it looks really great!

Which headphones are you using there, by the way?

Cheers,
James
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Hi Amajor:-)
I'm glad to hear you like your new DP. I really thimk you got the right choise to buy it.
I'm also very happy about my cn 33.
Greetings

Hello,
From past one month or so I've been visiting this forum and watching all sort of advice, interest and suggestion about various brands and models of pianos.
A huge thank you for all you guys for providing valuable suggestion and sharing your experience.

Coming to myself & my experience:
I am total newbie and wanted to buy piano for my daughter who is in grade two and has passion about music and very much interested to go up to grade 8 ?!.
However, I myself very keen to learn piano and to start learning musical instrument hence had to do lot of research and experiment to buy reasonably good piano under by budget.

To start with I had short listed Yamaha only models CLP320 and CLP330. Went to shop along with my daughter to test. Liked both of them very much and he introduced me to CLP340. Decided to buy that one. Came back home to do final research and check reviews about Yamaha CLP340. Everything went positive but stumbled upon this website and forum. Made me to think about Kawai.
Went back to showroom and sat with Kawai models CN32, CN42. Loved it, simply loved it. CN42 was the winner in all respect. Did search this forum found some very good suggestions and experience about these models.Also got introduced to CN33 hurray!. Spent lot of time is reading all your suggestions finally got hooked onto CN33 and guess what order one from Thomman Cyberstore. Got delivered and assembled with the help of friend.
OH! God, believe me just loving it!, I am newbie No clue about Major, Minor but listening to my daughter playing is absolute delight! Sound is good, keyboard touch is excellent, able to connect to Mac and play few things. I have nothing but positive comments about this little DP piano. Got myself Alfred's Adult piano book and started seriously learning piano.

Enough of my rambling. I want to upload picture of my CN33 DP but not sure how to. I will learn little about it and will try and upload ASAP.

Once again thank you all very much for your help, suggestions and advice in this forum are very valuable and is much appreciated.

I will keep visiting and sharing my experience with kawai CN33 in this forum.

with Best Regards
Sanjeev Hiremath

Welcome to the forums Sanjeev.

Also glad we were all able to help you choose the Kawai CN33, and you and your daughter like it so much. It is an excellent DP in its class. I look forward to seeing a photo sometime, as I'm sure the rest of us do.

Use this link to upload your picture(s):

http://www.pianoworld.com/Uploads/fileuploader2.html

You'll get an email for each one with a link to it, which you can paste into your post here.

James, I knew nothing about headphones before but I read online that Sennheisers would be a good choice. Many people seemed to be happy even with the basic HD201 model so I ordered those (just under $20 from Amazon). Luckily it was a good choice not only for the wallet but for the ears too.

It might be that I'll upgrade the headphones at some point but at least now I'm quite satisfied.

Hello Sanjeev, welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your new piano.

Thank you for sharing your experiences of searching for a new DP too. I shall look forwarding to seeing a photo of the CN33 in your home shortly.

Cheers,
James
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Hi All,
Below are the pictures of my sweet kawai CN33.





Special thanks to people who is maintaining this forum and to members "kawai James" "spanishbuddha", "bluebilly" for there valuable suggestions, advices and guidance in deciding to buy this DP.

Regards
Sanjeev Hiremath

Great pics Sanjeev - lovely depth of field on the second to last shot too.

Cheers,
James
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Wow great photo's Sanjeev. James should hire you too, along with Mawima, for the Kawai brochures.

I just found this thread and I'm happy to see some CN-33 owners. I'm debating between the Yamaha CLP-340 & the CN-33. I played both for an hour in the store, switching back and forth many times. Here's what I noticed:

The kawai's action seemed better to me. More resistance going down and the keys don't thump up so hard. on the yamaha they snap up so fast it bounces up & down. i thought the yamaha was very "thumpy". I'm a beginner on piano but I've been playing a real upright for 6 months now so I'm not used to DP keys.

Now I had two issues, and this may just be me.

First - I found it difficult to play middle volume. I could play soft or loud but it was hard to get in between while playing. Several times I'd hit a note too hard and it'd be too loud. Perhaps this is adjustable? The salesman didn't know anything about it really. I heard someone saying it has a touch. I think I should read the owner's manual and go back there. On the yamaha I didn't notice this issue. Maybe I just need to get used to the CN-33?

Second - CN-33 sounded more like a real piano to me but the attack seemed pretty hard & aggressive. Not sure how else to describe it. Can this be adjusted too? I tried some of the other variations of the piano but didn't have time to continue investigating this. The demo sounds beautiful. I wonder if it was recorded on the CN-33 or if it's a MIDI from another instrument they play?

These are the only two "issues" I had (and didn't notice on the Yamaha). Otherwise I prefer the CN-33.

See the other thread where there are some replies.

Hi all, and sorry for my bad english (i'm french). I would like buy this DP but I want it in the same color of hiremathsc (the photos are in the quote). Is it in "Premium Rosewood"? So is it the "Kawai CN33 R"? Please help me !

Thanks

That looks like the Rosewood finish AFAICT from the photo. The finish is often designated on an order number by a suffix to the model, such as CN33 R for Rosewood, or M for Mahogonay or SB for Satin Black,

Yes but is because in the picture :
http://www.thomann.de/gb/kawai_cn_33_r_set.htm

it's more light brown than rosewood.

I think that's more like dark brown But the lightish tinge I suspect is the lighting.

Maybe a phone call to Thomann?

Yes, but in France it is 10:00 PM, so customer service is closed...

But, I seen your photos, spanisbuddha, and I want the Kawai CN33 in the same color that you. What model have you got?

I'm debating between black & rosewood. It looks like people in this thread chose rosewood. Any reason you all didn't like black?

I've seen the black in the store and it looks a little "dull". So I'm leaning towards rosewood. I saw both and the rosewood looked a bit nicer IMHO. More like wood while the black looked like plastic.

Yes I have rosewood.

I considered either the black or the rosewood. The black looked, ahem, cheaper than the rosewood, and I was advised by my interior designer that rosewood would fit better in our living room.

My white (!) CN-33 has been delivered today, by Musik Klier in Nuernberg.

It did *not* get lost in the snow, although we had heaps of snow like never before in the night, and we were all struggling to free our cars from under the snow in the morning!

JH.

Thanks to you spanishbuddha, I've buy the Kawai CN33 now.

Thanks for sharing. Looks quite distinctive, and suits the lighter colours of your room.

I see you have a mat/rug under it. Is that to protect the wood or influence the tone?

Congrats YukiPianist. I hope you enjoy it.

Have you played it in a store? Just curious about the reasons for your (excellent) choice.