My Shigeru Kawai SK6 has arrived! For those who don't want to read a lot, here is a 2 picture summary:

OLD:


NEW:

Oh, my that is gorgeous! Congratulations! I love the music desk. It looks as if it would allow the sound to come right at you. The turned legs are a classy touch. May you have many years of enjoyment.

Here are a few more pictures from moving day:

IN THE TRUCK:



READY TO BE MOVED OFF THE DOLLY (Dampp-Chaser reservoirs are visible):



HEAVY WORK:



SIDE VIEW:



INNER VIEW:
This music rack is called the "Arabesque style" rack. Shigeru Kawai's can also be ordered with a standard rack or with one called "Sunrise."


HAND VIEW (my hands):


ROOM VIEW #1:


ROOM VIEW #2:
The main windows of this room face west. The other window (behind the piano) faces south. To provide the most protection, the piano is situated away from the windows and as close to the back wall as practical. (The left front edge is about 8" from the wall, the tail is about 30" away.) The window coverings will soon all have a sun-shade backing to provide extra protection from sunlight.

I was tempted to say "it looks like a dog".

It looks great in this setting. How does it sound?

It would be really interesting to record it now and then again in a year or so to see how the sound matures.

Excellent music desk and very stylish looking instrument overall. Lucky you.

Kind regards

Adrian

barganax:

Excellent! I was about to e-mail you and ask if you had your piano yet. I know from your earlier posting that this piano sounds excellent (although I would be interested in contrast and comparison versus show room acoustics), now I know that it looks superb as well!

When we discussed the music rack, I misunderstood you to say that you received the same version I have. I see now, that it is a much more elegant version! After playing many different Shigerus in the US, Tokyo and now Singapore, I must say that this is the first time I have seen this particular style. Well done and congratulations!

Neat piano ....in a great room. You can look out over the hills as you play!

Congratulations.

David F

Ooh, gorgeous! congratulations!
Looks like your dog also approves!

happy playing to you,

Sophia

What a breathtakingly gorgeous piano! Congratulations! And in such a great room with a beautiful view. It must be very hard to tear yourself away from playing.

And I was extremely relieved to see that trading in the new for the old did not also mean the dog.

Just a small step-up from what you used to play!

Beautiful piano. Love the music desk. Congrats.

Derick

Congrats barganax. What a beautiful piano. You lucky dog (!). I looked out on those very same hills growing up nearby... great view too!
Tim

What a beautiful piano!

I have a question I hope you don't mind that I ask. Is it necessary to have a Damp-Chaser system if you live in the Bay Area? Or is it just a precaution?

Very beautiful case. Between that and the view with the windows, you've created a wonderful space.

(I'm sure glad to see a few makers replicating those gorgeous lines of a bygone era.) (Still waiting for one to do that rococco serpentine-leg thing again.)

Lovely looking piano in a lovely setting. That looks like a Kawai digital, a 9500?

I was travelling Friday and came back to find a lot of congrats. Thanks everyone.

I will try to answer as many of the questions/comments as possible:

Hamiltonian:
There is a story behind the rack: When I played the piano in the store it had a standard rack. I had planned to have it delivered with the Sunrise version (like yours, which I also like), but the dealer mentioned that there was a new option that I could consider. He got me a picture of the Arabesque rack, but it was a picture of it alone, not on a piano. My wife liked it so we ordered the rack. But when we saw a picture of how it looked on our piano (and by then it was already enroute), we worried that it was too ornate. The dealer said, don't worry, if we didn't like it when it arrived he would exchange it. But, when we saw it in person, we loved it. Something about the thickness of the rack gives weight to its appearance so that it doesn't look frilly or overly ornate in person. It works well with the piano. And it's nice to be able to see the strings even when the rack is up.

AJB:
Regarding the sound -- the bass pure and deep. The treble sings and is well balanced with respect to the bass -- I have absolutely no issue with a weak treble as some people have reported. The sustain of the piano is excellent. But I have two things that I would like to see addressed: First, some of the notes have a slightly nasal quality. This seems to be getting worse, so I assume it is because the piano is settling into its new environment and going out of tune. I am planning to contact a tuner next week. The other thing is that the piano is louder in my home than I expected. I hope that, when the MPA visits sometime next year, he can quiet it down.

virtuoso_735: Though I am listed as living in Oakland, my wife lives in Santa Fe, NM. And that is where the piano is too. A dampp-chaser (and/or room humidifier) is essential here, since the humidity is generally very low (teens and single digits are not that unusual) but with large fluctuations. I am actually a bit worried about this, so I am monitoring the RH, and I might end up trying to control the room humidity.

CSG: Yes, that is a Kawai MP9500 in the first picture. When I re-started playing piano I was not sure I would stick with it. So I got an MP9500 and a Roland F100. I of course plan to keep them around for late-night practice.

Monica: We wouldn't trade in the dog for anything -- in fact I would likely get traded in first! The dog leads a very good life here. Friends have told us that, when they die, they would like to be reincarnated as my wife's dog

Hi Barganax,

[quote]
The other thing is that the piano is louder in my home than I expected. I hope that, when the MPA visits sometime next year, he can quiet it down.

- - - - -

Congratulations on your new piano. As you may have seen in another post, I was playing an SK6 at a dealer showroom yesterday, alongisde quite a range of 6 to 7ft grands, and I would repeat my comments that it is indeed a piano with more than its fair share of "presence" .

I shared your experience "OMG this is a loud piano" when the C6 was first delivered; the piano seemed hugely more powerful in our house than in the showroom, and the house is not exactly small (at least by European standards.) A strategically-placed rug underneath did soften the sound down a little, but I often play with the main lid closed, and sometimes even with the whole cabinet closed up and the music desk resting on top, leaving the "open" sessions for when I am alone . I would doubt that the Shigeru tech will be able to do anything substantial to quieten down a 7ft grand without drastically affecting the whole character of such an instrument.

My considered advice would be to buy a large supply of ear-plugs for the other residents (do they make them for dogs?), and play your wonderful piano to your heart's content regardless!

- Michael B.
- Greatness is difficult to appreciate from close up. The great mountain on the horizon is only the ground when you are standing on it.

barganax:
Thanks for the clarification on the music rack. I remember your telling me the story, I just had a few key facts mixed up.

With regard to sound level, I suspect that Michael B has it right. However, is that a tile or rug floor that you have? Tile would certainly be problematic in my experience. My room is fully carpeted (although open to and adjacent to rooms with tiled floors) with plenty of other sound adsorbing items in the room. Also you might play with moving or tilting your piano a bit away from the wall.

With regard to tuning, in my book this is absolutely critical in any piano. I recall my SK6 drifting out of tune as it adjusted to the room in just a few days. Also, do not be afraid to try a few different techs. I have found a bimodal distribution of capability when it comes to tuners, and I can tell you that you don't want to prematurely freeze on someone who belongs to the wrong part of the distribution!

Great looking piano Barganax....you might want to try an Edwards String Cover to help mute the sound...plus it will protect the inside of the piano, bass strings, soundboard, from dust and house pollutants.

http://www.angelfire.com/biz6/afinetune/edstrcvr.html

Gpman

Beautiful setting and a very pretty piano for the space, as well. I second what gpman said about the string cover. Before there was such a thing as a climate control system, these thick woolen covers were used to help absorb humidity too.

Good luck, good health, and good music to you,

And if you are cheap like me, you can make your own string cover relatively easily by ordering 100 % wool felt and cutting it to size with a pair of scissors. Works great.

Michael B:
Thanks for the suggestions. In fact I had experimented with placing the music rack on top and playing with the lid fully closed -- it makes a noticeable difference, more than with the lid folded back.

Hamiltonian:
That is a rug you see. It has some padding underneath too. We plan to try angling the piano away from the wall and more into the room. On a different note, I was reading some of this thread out loud to my wife, and when I read your response she said, "are you sure he isn't a mathematician?" She is a mathematician, and your comment about the bimodel distribution got her attention. (Then I showed her your avatar.) I looked at one of your old messages and saw that you did indeed get a Bachelor's in math.

Regarding the string cover, originally I was hesitant because of comments that it damped/altered the sound. But now that I would like to quiet it down anyway, I might try this after all.

barganax:

I've been accused of being 'an engineer', 'a lawyer' and now 'a mathematician.' Truth is your wife comes closest. (I have undergrad degrees in math/chemistry and a PhD in physical chemistry.) Funny (sad) how I have never been accused of being a concert pianist!

If the rest of your floor is indeed tile, that would very much help explain the loudness you perceive (of course it being a 7' grand would have very little to do with it ). You might try experimenting with some other sound absorbing materials, like a tapestry on the wall or a larger area rug. Oh and I see a lot of glass surfaces that are uncurtained. I don't suggest you spend a fortune trying to redo your room, but I would suggest a few experiments, e.g., temporarily afixing some woolen blankets over the windows to see if it helps moderate things. You are certain to have a problem if you clap and detect a very closely spaced echo or certain 'liveness' in the room. Also I usually keep my lid down or on the low setting. I relayed in another thread a few days ago how some very 'live', glass-sided room acoustics ruined in my opinion the sound of a new Hamburg B I tried recently.

Hope maybe I have an opportunity to come visit some day and have a look and try. Remember you and your perceptive wife are always welcome to come visit us if you get down to my part of the country!

congrats!!

>Hope maybe I have an opportunity to come visit some
>day and have a look and try. Remember you and your
>perceptive wife are always welcome to come visit us
>if you get down to my part of the country!

Thanks for the invitation Hamiltonian. If we ever have occasion to visit Houston we will definitely take you up on it! The same goes for you, too, if you are ever in Santa Fe. Have you ever visited? We've got opera, chamber music, symphony, art, dance, summer and winter sports... it is a great place to live or to visit for a vacation.

Wow! Talk about going from one extreme to the other! Thanks for the pictures.

Absolutely beautiful! Both the piano and the room. I played an SK6 in my search and it was beautiful. Definitely not in my price range! Congratulations.

Please pardon my ignorance but is their a difference between Shigeru Kawai and Kawai? Are they related at all? (And BTW, good luck with that gorgeous piano.)