March 10, 2011

Dear Fellow Keyboardists:

It was with great excitement that Kawai America and Kawai Canada launched our new flagship MP10 Professional Stage Piano at the end of 2010. We believe that this instrument is a tremendous advancement over comparable keyboards in the marketplace—a view echoed by industry experts and media reviews.

After shipments started, we began to receive reports of problems with some MP10 instruments related primarily to uneven key spacing and shipping damage. We immediately reported these issues to our offices in Japan and Kawai America’s technical team began an investigation here. We also made the difficult decision to halt all shipments until the cause of these problems could be determined. While halting shipments is never a preferred option for a manufacturer, we believed this action to be in the best interests of our customers and dealers—and consistent with our longstanding reputation for quality and customer support.

We are now pleased to report that the key spacing problem has been solved and the MP10 packaging has been improved. Kawai America and Kawai Canada will resume shipments to North American dealers immediately. Kawai continues to be proud of our instruments and our excellent reputation for quality and customer service. As the MP10 resumes shipping, we anticipate that it will quickly gain a reputation as the finest stage piano in the industry.

For more information, please feel free to contact us at info@kawaius.com.

Sincerely,

Kawai America / Kawai Canada

Thanks for coming here to make your statement, Don. I think it was a brave decision to halt shipments and solve the problem; (other manufacturers please take note...).

Slightly OT since you're here. There are many people on this forum who have concluded that the MP10 would be the perfect stage piano if it were twenty pounds lighter. I would have been first in line for an MP10-lite if such a plastic-keyed UPHI board had been available. As it stands, I was obliged to purchase elsewhere to achieve a top-quality, lightweight gigging package, as the MP6 doesn't offer Kawai's best sound engine. I would love to have access to the best sounds that Kawai can offer, but it has to be truly portable (for a 57-year-old).

My main problem with MP6 or MP10 is that I can't find anybody selling them in my area to try them.
And I live in the SF bay area not the lost coast.
That's a shame Kawai doesn't expand their keyboards dealership network.

I'd happily host an MP10 and MP6 for people in the western USA to try!

.

Yes. This "corporate infallibility" syndrome is actually very odd. Everyone who works at Roland, Yamaha, etc., buys products from, say, Toyota or Microsoft, the same as the rest of us. They must know how frustrating and off-putting it is when a company denies a problem exists or simply stonewalls. They must also know that it causes a drift away to competitors - in other words, it's counterproductive. So why do they continue to do it?

My estimation of Kawai as a brand is way ahead of many of their competitors, simply because they treat their customers as fellow citizens, talk to us as equals, and share our enthusiasm. Of course, I won't buy a product unless it's right for me, but if it came down to a choice of two equally competent products from Kawai and Korlandaha, I'd pick the Kawai.

sweetwater in stock ohhhhh boyy. gotta sell this pearl river first! darnit

any takers? lol.

http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/msg/2223386631.html

I am not familiar with the upcoming products, but I am quite sure the sound engine from the MP-10 will find it's way into a lighter instrument.

As for dealers, Filipi, it's a problem. The on-line dealers have cut so far into storefronts profit margins that stores don't want to carry them.

Don Mannino (piano technician, not digital person)

Don, Thanks for your clarification on the status of the MP10 keyboard problem. That Kawai has halted all shipments since the uneven key spacing problem showed up is a responsible one. It's certainly good to know that all MP10s being shipped have had this problem resolved.

I'm very much looking forward to that! If you have a chance, Don, please ask the designers to include the new Rhodes and Wurlitzer samples also.

(PS: glad to know you're real, and not merely a digital representation )

A request: could Kawai please produce a DP that is fully sampled i.e. not looped? You've eliminated stretching and most of the audible layer switches, which is terrific, but looping is what keeps me from even considering the purchase of a Kawai (or Yamaha, or Korg, or Casio, etc.).

Pretty please?

Geez, give it a rest. Do you really have to drag your agenda into yet another thread that clearly has nothing to do with looping? Why not consider the fact the fact that a Kawai representative has taken the time to address a manufacturing issue on this forum even though I'm sure everyone affiliated with Kawai has more grave matters on their mind right now? Do you really feel this is the thread to be moaning about looping once again?

Everyone gets it... despite the fact that you don't even really play piano, you have determined that most DPs are woefully inadequate because of something that you consider of paramount importance. Never mind the fact that countless professional piano players use these inadequate DPs to produce great music.

Why not appreciate the measures Kawai is taking to address a manufacturing/design issue rather than turn a great gesture into yet another opportunity to further your own agenda?

Sorry to have upset you Hideki, and I mean that sincerely.

It's not often that reps show up here directly and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to put in a request. I don't think it's all about me, I believe there are others here who want this too.

Others were asking for additional features and new products too, so it's not clear to me why you are singling me out for ridicule.

Amen to that.
dewster: Maybe drop the piano and try string theory ... where looping is the name of the game.

"My main problem with MP6 or MP10 is that I can't find anybody selling them in my area to try them.
And I live in the SF bay area not the lost coast."

Filipi, have you tried Carnes Piano in San Jose? I bought (and first tried out) my mp8ii there. Last I heard, they were thinking about carrying the MP10. Couldn't hurt to call.

Don, thanks for the statement from Kawai. It shows the kind of honesty that makes people respect the company.

Send them a PM, and that's it. Japan now has other problems than non-looping samples...

dewster, indeed! It's getting really boring... You've got already the SuperMegaExtraTerrestrialNonLoopedPiano in your new Roland Why should you care about the others?

Maybe because he's got nothing else to do?

Probably because he does not want to admit that he's not really satisfied with the artificial & clinical Super Unnatural sound after all, being so terribly overprocessed. In future communication this will be referred to as SU.

Thanks for sharing this with us, Don!

I LOVE this brand! They have fixed the issues (some of those reported by myself for the CN33 for ex), they care bout customers.

My next stage piano will be from Kawai.

I am upset not being patient enough so I bought the Yamaha CP33 about half a year ago

Kawai - on the top of my shopping list.

Really first class of Kawai to come on here like this. A big thumbs up to Kawai and to you Don. Thank you.


I understand where dewster is coming from. At the same time, having owned 2 SuperNATURAL stage pianos (RD-700GXF/NX) and played the GXF live, there is a sterility and overall weakness in all of Rolands pianos live. They do sound clinical and cheap, whether SN or non-SN in a live setting. Having gotten used to the NP88's stretched, looped and highly imperfect piano samples, I couldn't go back to the SN piano voices. I would, however, take the PHA II/III Ivory Feel action over the NP88's in a heart beat!

Thanks Jeff Clef.
I will try them even though it is over 2 hours drive from me.
We have a Kawai dealer in my area but he doesn't want to carry the MP's for the reason KawaiDon mentioned above (not enough margin and too much online competition).
A good music store in San Rafael (Bananas at large) used to carry them a few years ago but for some reason doesn't anymore , and Guitar center doesn't have them either.
If this type of outfit would have the stage pianos it would be even better because we could compare them side by side with the other big brands.

"I will try them even though it is over 2 hours drive from me..."

I'd call first, in that case. (408) 248-9200; talk to Darlene or Boskurt. There's a big Guitar Center a block or two away from Carnes, if you want to comparison shop.

With the MP10 I see most people talk about how it feels. By the reviews on other post , it seems to be high quality. But compared to the MP6 how is it? It seem the MP6 has more internal sounds also it seem you can not upgrade the sound bank on these. Only record and play wav file thru USB ? Is the RM3 that much better compared to the MP6?

My personal opinion: YES!

the action alone is the reason why im buying mp10. sounds can be substituted by pc.

Some of my thoughts on the marketing issues that Kawai seems to have.

Having worked in retail and wholesale of musical instruments 25 years ago, I do understand the issue with Kawai dealers not wanting to carry the MP10.

I am of the thought that the "stage piano" really doesn't fit well in the mix of a Kawai acoutic/home piano line-up. The store then would need to sell monitor speakers or some sort of sound system as these pianos do not have any built in speakers. Complete full line music stores have went the wya of the dinosaur.

When someone is usually looking for a portable piano, they go to places like Sam Ash, Guitar Center, etc. Not a traditional piano store that has acoustic pianos and digitals in home cases. The exception probably would be a church.

Also, the traditional piano store has a protected territory with not any competition unless someone is willing to drive to another state or city. Their starting price is just about anywhere they want to put on the instrument. The consumer doesn't really have a way of knowing the list price or the street price like consumers know in the portable keyboareds. The dealers are always having "fake sales" that these pianos were used by universities, etc. That is just a come on so they can make their product look like a bargain at this particular time and the consumer needs to buy right away to secure that price.

Why does Sam Ash and Guitar Center not carry the Kawai products? I have trouble believing it is because of on-line stores. They are use to dealing with that issue all the time. If not, why would they carry Yamaha, Roland, Korg, etc.
products.

In my experience, Guitar Center & Sam Ash match prices of online stores and when pressed even the local sales tax.

There has to be another reason why Guitar Center and Sam Ash are not carrying Kawai products.

If I had to guess, I would think that it is because of low volumn, these stores only like to stock the best selling models. Or Kawai may be not offering these dealers as good as terms and incentives as Roland and Yamaha?

There are lots of products that these stores do not carry (expecially arranger keyboards). With limited floor space, sales folk who barely know how to turn the instrument on, and so many instruments out there that it is not cost effective to have them all on the floor. Kawai's name is not as well know to professional musicians that play in a rock band.

The solution probably would be for Kawai to stop selling their MP10 to Internet stores. Pressure or incent their acoustic dealers to carry the MP10. It probably wouldn't take much arm twisting if Kawai put the piano on the dealer's floor at no charge. Kawai needs to come out with a portable speaker system designed for the MP10.

Kawai needs to put their foot down and tell the dealers if they want to have the Kawai franchise, then they have to carry their complete line. There are probably smaller/growing keyboard stores in the area who would just about do anything to get a Kawai franchinse. Selling no-name pianos is very difficult. Here in Atlanta, the Yamaha dealer of many years has just lost the franchise and now a 20 store chain hs it. That yamaha dealer had a pretty impressive store, but he must not have done something right.

Of couse, we would have to pay more for the piano's than we currently do, but we would have access to the pianos and sales people who know a lot more about the instruments and service (wooden keys require service) I know as my MP8 has 2 wooden keys that are sticking right now.

I really respect Kawai stand on their quality, but their marketing leave a lot to be desired. They need to figure out who their market is. Look at the people who sing Kawai praises on this site. What kind of music do they play. I traveled all the way to Los Angeles from Atlanta in December to try out the MP10 and Roland's FP7-f. side by side. In 2 hours of playing, I wasn't able to decide a winner. I figured it would be cut and dry. Neither one is perfect, neither one is a bad.

Thanks for your thoughtful analysis, pianobear. I think one other consideration is that no one in their right mind buys a real piano over the internet, sight unseen, because every AP is different, and it is how it sounds and plays that concerns us. Not so DPs, that should be of uniform quality (or lack thereof). So we are quite happy to audition a DP for hours at a local store, and then buy it online (I've done it). Problem is, a small local store has a much higher overhead than the online traders, and has to charge more to stay in business. Bottom line: if we are unprepared to pay a small premium for the local bricks and mortar store to make an operating profit, then these stores will eventually die out. Then we end up spending that small premium, or more, flying across the country to audition the latest products at a noisy superstore.

"Is the action on the MP10 better than on the MP6" - I would also say 'yes' to that; it's the main selling point for the MP10 after all.

Point is; is it a small 1000 euro better than the RH in the MP6, considering that the AP sound is only a bit better than on the MP6, but not a world of difference.

For me; I was going back and forth for a long time, but comparing all pro's and con's between the two, I just couldn't justify the large sum extra (and getting 10kg extra as a bonus). And if you're not going to carry it around anyway, I would seriously suggest to check out the CA63 , or CA13 instead, if RM3 is the main reason for considering the MP10. I think a price difference between MP6 and MP10 of about € 550 would be more fair and would sell better. Let's say € 350 to € 400 extra for the wooden keybed and the rest for the added electronics. Just my thought...

On topic: the way they seem to have solved the 'problems' with the first batch is a good sign. At least Kawai communicates with the customers and takes notice of their complaints and wishes. Other brands may learn something of that...

J