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Hi Guys! I am brand new here and this is my 1st post. Hopefully you can offer me some good advice.
I am a new piano student and have been taking lessons for a little over a year. I decided to upgrade from my keyboard to a real piano in December 2010. I purchased a brand new Kawai K3 Acoustic upright. I had no problems at all util the piano tuner fron the store where I purchased it came for the 1st free tuning. The day after he left I noticed a strange sound when I played a particular note. The only way I can describe it is that it sounds like a bell is ringing. It sounds horrible. I also hear the sound slightly on the next higher key. The the next higher key from that I hear a sound like crickets. Besides those 3 notes, everything else sounds fine.
I called the store back and they arranged for the tuner to come back out to my home. He agreed that it didn't sound right and tried to re-adjust it. It was no better. He advised me to try to live with it. He said it was just a very twangy string.
Long story short, the store has ordered a new string or strings and they are going to replace those bad notes.

My question is....is this normal or common at all?
I am worried that either the tuner did something wrong or there is something wrong with the piano.
I don't know anyone else who playe or even owns a piano so I have no one to ask. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Welcome to the forum,

If the store is working to remedy the problem, I'd probably give them the chance to take care of it before calling in another technician to look at it. Although it hasn't happened to me, I've heard of instances where a string(s) may need to be changed out because a small number were defective. Is this a note in the bass or the treble? In the damped section or the undamped section of the piano?

Don't be afraid to ask questions and let the tech and the store know if the fix worked to your satisfaction.

Not common, but not unheard of.

As terminaldegree said, the store seems to be responding. Let this play out.

Sleep well...Kawai has an excellent attitude when it come to customer satisfaction.

I'm assuming this must be in the bass section? That's where problem strings usually show up. I've had clients with new pianos that have had similar complaints. Let us know how it turns out!

Yes..this is in the bass section. It is the the B & C one octave lower from middle. (sorry if there is a more professional way to descibe it)
The store called today to say the new string(s) are in.
So hopefully when I call tomorrow I can get them to come out this week sometime.
Kawai's reputation is a big part of the reason I purchased this brand & model since I am such a newbie and don't know anybody else who plays. I purchased The Piano Book and read almost the whole thing and then went out and played a bunch of different brands & models.
Just a little frightening for something to happen so soon on such a large purchase and having no idea is this was a common problem or not.
I'll keep you posted how it goes!
Thanks for the help!

Is it audible if you pluck the string(s)?

fingers

Hi Catherined, congratulations on your new K3 and welcome to the forum!

I'll ditto what the others have said: Try not to worry, and let the dealer try to remedy the situation. Pretty much all new pianos have settling-in issues of one sort or the other. That is why we stress buying from a reputable dealer who will offer lots of post-sales support.

One thing I want to warn you about: The new strings will hopefully solve your twangy problems, but you should expect a period of several weeks where they will go out of tune VERY quickly, and you will need the tech to come back and tune them a couple of times in a short period of time. New strings stretch quite a bit, so it takes several tunings for them to become stable and match the rest of your strings. I had a bass string snap on me once, and the new string went out of tune practically as soon as the tech left my driveway... and it was pretty much unbearable after a week.

It's best for the tech to tune leave them sharp when he/she leaves, preferable as sharp as you can possibly stand. Then, the sound will actually get better as you play it in for a couple of weeks. Then, when the tech stops by to retune them they will stay much better.

It is not up to you to try to diagnose the problem to satisfy the curiosity of anonymous posters on a forum. You could end up doing more harm than good to your new piano.

As a piano technician, I suggest you (and other piano owners) stay away from the strings with your fingers. Dampers and hammers can easily be knocked out of adjustment and the oils and acids on fingers can cause strings to tarnish.

Agree 100% with Supply. My post was not meant to direct you to try this yourself. I thought a technician(dealer) was working with you. My apologies for any confusion.

fingers

My piano tech came out this week and replaced the string. When he was done I sat down to play the 2 notes in question. Let's just say that between me being a beginner piano player and the 7 stitches I had just gotten in my leg.........I sat down and played the wrong notes!!!!! ARGH!!!! It wasn't till after he left that I realized the ringing sound is only slightly better. Still very noticiable and funny sounding to my ear. The tech said the winding was bad on the string he removed. SO why am I still hearing this? I called Kawai today and they suggested I go back to the store and play another K3 to see if it sounds the same. He said to also play an expensive grand and listen to the tone to see if maybe its me
I am going to do this after work today. Starting to get a sinking feeling in my stomach that I will have to live with this unpleasant bell sound.
I really wish I knew somebody else who played who could come take a listen. Anybody at the Jersey Shore????? Lol

No one should have to live with an unpleasant sound in a new piano that has just been purchased. If a string has just been replaced with a new string it will take some time for the new string to stretch and settle and it will need several tunings before it even begins to become stable.
I had a similar string replacement on a Boston GP178 and that took about a year to settle and retain its tuning.
Insist that the problem be put right, but try to be patient.
I hope that your leg gets better soon as well.

Kind regards,

Robert.

There are normally no unpleasant ringing sounds in my new K3. I do notice that if I have used the practice pedal, I get a ring on the C above middle C. Pushing the practice pedal down and releasing it always fixes that. Somethings vibrating in sympathy I think. When the tech comes for my free tuning I'll have them look at that.

It doesn't sound normal. Shame that you hit the wrong key though!

Since I last wrote, I have still been having the same issue with my Kawai K3. The ringing sound on the B got only slightly better after changing the string. They came out last month and voiced the C note. That really didn't do much. The piano tuner also hears it and says it is unacceptable. She wants to change out the strings for the C note now.

The really funny part about this is that I went into the showroom and played the K3 they had on the floor, I heard it on that one too! The salesperson also heard it after I pointed it out. I am really at my wit's end. I want soooo much to love this piano. I wish there was a way to get a Kawai rep to come to my home, however I don't think that is going to be possible. I was beginning to think that it was just me and my ears! But the tuner hears it on the one in my house and the sales rep hears it on the one on the showroom floor. What the heck is going on??? This is a highly acclaimed piano and I did a lot of research before buying it. I'm really confused.

I asked the piano tuner "what would you do if you were me"? She said she would trade it in. The standard trade in policy is 80% of your buying price. I am thinking about going there this weekend and see if they will work with me for a higher percentage.
I tried out the Yamaha U1 last time I went in and do not hear the ringing sound. I do notice how much brighter the Yamaha sounded compared to the fuller sound of the K3.
Any ideas or other suggestions?

I don't think you will ever be happy with this piano, esp. if you are finding the same problem in the pianos in the showroom. I don't think it is "all in your ears", as others are able to hear it as well.

I DO think what you are hearing is more "offensive" to you than others, ie. others hear it but it doesn't bother them.

You may need a "guru" tuner who can make it sound right to you.

Reminds me of poor Perry's quest to get Marlene back ;-).

Good luck!

+1

Rick

I am new to pianos, but Is this different from the ringing that is audible on a lot of upright pianos at around E3? I've heard it on both pianos that I had in my house and I also heard it at the store on pianos there. None of the pianos that I tested to are Kawai's. The store said it was not uncommon on the larger uprights because of the long strings. I also raised this with a tech and he said that he could fix it by working on the dampers, but when he left it was not much different.

It is an annoying ring if you listen for it. In my case it is only audible if I play the particular 3 keys that exhibit the problem one at a time. I dont actually notice it when playing a song.

So, trade it in and find something else, Maybe the UST-9 or 506N would suit, or one of the Fina range: SI-15 Modern 44"= Gilda SI-16 Traditional 46"= Rosina.

Or some other maker's work. Or, see if a new batch of K-3's comes in with the sound you want and without the sound you don't want. I have played them a bit and I haven't heard the sound--- maybe every unit doesn't have exactly the same piano DNA.

Or... move up the food chain to the upper numbered K-5, 6, and 8 and see what you hear. The K-8 at least has a proper full-width music desk and true sostenuto.

Or if the first quote is a possibility, then try a K-2.

The problem seemed to appear after you had the piano tuned. And now the string is replaced, it's still there. The problem seems to be near (in terms of pitch) the break. Try lots of pianos and see which you like, which you don't and which that have this problem or not. Myself, I've never heard this problem on a K3.

The standard trade in policy is 80%. trading it in would be a good option, although IMO you should get the full purchase price back if the piano is "defective" (perhaps the word is a little strong...).