Twenty pairs of hands. One piano.
As Kawai approach their centenary of piano making, House of Pianos is proud to be named the new exclusive Victorian home of their flagship Shigeru Kawai range of grand pianos. Named after the companies second president, Shigeru Kawai represent the pinnacle of Kawai's artistry and are renowned as the premier piano of Japan.
Handmade in limited quantities by only the most experienced craftsmen using the finest materials, Shigeru Kawai are amongst the most respected and sought after musical instruments made today.
Available in six sizes to suit any room or venue, Shigeru Kawai pianos feature a range of exclusive features and only the best materials.
Kigarashi Premium Aged Soundboards
The custom-tapered soundboard in a Shigeru piano is made exclusively from the finest spruce, aged by the traditional kigarashi process that uses only the forces of time and nature to allow the wood to attain a state of natural balance. It is this lengthy and painstaking process that gives Shigeru pianos their uniquely rich tonal quality.
Shiko Seion Hammers
Shiko Seion hammers, which take their name from the Japanese words for “ultimate voicing”, are the exclusive province of our Master Piano Artisans who oversee their formation from beginning to end. Every hammer is meticulously hand-pressed without the application of heat and carefully voiced without artificial hardeners to ensure outstanding dynamic response and expression.
Millennium III Action
Our acclaimed Millennium III Action uses state-of-the-art ABS Carbon components that are exceptionally light and rigid to provide faster repetition and more power with less effort. Microscopic surface textures on selected action parts provide superb response and control.
Konsei Katagi Rim
The exclusive Konsei Katagi rim uses a blend of distinctive hardwoods to achieve an ideal balance of tone. For the inner rim, small-pored hardwoods that provide superior brightness and projection are interlaminated with dense, large-pored hardwoods offering warmth and fullness. This synergy of structurally divergent hardwoods produces a powerful, well-rounded richness of tone.
Extended Length Keysticks
Concert-Length Key Buttons
The use of hardwood maple key buttons adds stiffness to the keysticks for improved energy transfer. The redesigned key buttons on the Shigeru Concert Series instruments have been doubled in length to provide exceptional energy transfer and optimum power.
Stretcher Over-Lap Integrated Design
Stretcher Over-Lap Integrated Design (SOLID) creates an exceptionally rigid foundation to support string tension. With SOLID construction, the pinblock is hand-fitted to the plate. The pinblock and over-lapping stretcher bar are then integrated into a single structure and solidly anchored to the rim. The resulting framework possesses outstanding strength and rigidity to ensure stable tuning and powerful tone.
Temaki Bass Strings
In the Japanese language, the word temaki literally means “hand wound”. In the unhurried temaki process, the artisan patiently directs the winding of each individual bass string by hand for absolute precision and tension to ensure rich character and superb depth of tone.
Concert Agraffes
Identical to those used on our renowned EX Concert Grand Piano, Shigeru Kawai Concert Agraffes are individually machined from billet brass rods to assure maximum precision and strength. The result is clear, powerful and impressive tone.
All Spruce Beams
Spruce is known for its outstanding ability to conduct and conserve sound energy. However, it is generally considered too precious for use as a structural material. For the Shigeru pianos, all of the underside beams are made entirely of the highest quality spruce.
You are invited to come and audition the range of Shigeru Kawai pianos at House of Pianos, 216 Coventry Street, South Melbourne.