Kawai ND-21 Upright Piano

Product Overview

The $5-7k upright piano is the most commonly sought-after price category, and yet it is the least well served by the new piano industry. The ND21 focuses on this important segment, and hits it out of the park with some creative ways of bringing an older model back to life with lower development costs, and passes those savings to customers.

For families or piano teachers who previously thought that a used Yamaha U1 was going to be their only ticket to a decent acoustic upright in their budget, this piano is a near-perfect alternative, and serves as an ideal gateway for future upgrades, while also serving as an attractive piece of furniture.

Kawai’s ND-21 is a new 48″ upright built in their Indonesian factory, which offers piano clients a more musical alternative to a 40 year old Japanese upright, and a piano that’s in the prime of its musical life as opposed to ‘on its way out’

The ND-21 from Kawai features some very advanced features for its instrument class, such as: a solid spruce soundboard, the Kawai Ultra-Responsive Action with ABS-Composites, a longer key length, and an extra-long #1 bass string.

The Kawai ND-21 comes in a classic Ebony Polish cabinet, with a monochrome design (usually a hefty premium), rugged double rubber casters (for easy transport – perfect for institutions), a classic fallboard, and an adjustable bench.

If you’ve been sent on a hunt for a used Yamaha or Kawai upright piano as your first acoustic piano, and aren’t satisfied with what’s available; then you simply MUST check out the Kawai ND-21 48″ Upright Piano

Action

The Kawai ND21 Upright Piano uses their ABS Composite Action, the predecessor to the Millennium III action. It’s now been in the field for close to 40 years with near-universal praise for its improved speed and reduced maintenance.

The key has a medium depth and a weight that is slightly heavier than a typical Yamaha, but most certainly lighter than the larger Kawai K Series uprights – making it perfect for beginners or students, or hobbyist players as well.

The wooden keys are finished with acrylic and phenol key surfaces

Tone

The Kawai ND21 Upright Piano is fashioned after the Kawai K25 / K30 pianos of the 1990s, and with the exception of their black plate and soundboard, and nickel hardware, is built using the same cabinetry and scale design as its predecessor. The outstanding sound could be described as up-front, mid-rangy, even, and capable of a wider dynamic range and technical control than a similarly priced used Japanese piano, which is exactly why it’s being built.

The bass is clearer and with better sustain, the tenor section more resonant, and the treble strong without any metallic attack. Overall, an entirely satisfying piano to learn on and good enough for casual performance or even light-to-medium institutional use.

Hammers

Kawai is one of 3 piano manufacturers today to still produce their own hammers, and the ND-21 features single felted maple-core hammers.

Soundboard

The Kawai ND-21 features a Kawai-made, Solid Spruce Soundboard. It’s extremely uncommon for full-sized uprights in this price range to have solid spruce soundboards

It’s also worth pointing you’re that a new solid spruce soundboard like on the ND-21 will produce far more tone, projection, and sustain than soundboards found in 30-40-year-old pianos, which have at this point very little ‘crown’ left in their boards

Rim/Cabinet

The Kawai ND-21 is built in a classic Ebony Polish upright piano cabinet, has 4 back posts, and gets finished with Monochrome finishings (logo, pedals, hinges) – which in the piano world generally demands a hefty premium.

The ND-21 also includes a traditional-sized music rack, as well as double casters made of rubber for easy transport.