SHIGERU
KAWAI SK-3
HANDCRAFTED. ELEGANCE.
EXCELLENCE
– THE PREMIER PIANO OF JAPAN –
SHIGERU KAWAI SK-3 GRAND PIANO
Conservatory Grand
CONSERVATORY GRAND
SHIGERU KAWAI SK-3
Sit down behind the SK-3 and discover an incredible blend of rich tone and responsive touch admired by word-class pianists across the globe. The Shigeru Kawai SK-3 Conservatory Grand has been handcrafted and assembled by Kawai’s Master Piano Artisans using the finest materials and industry-leading techniques to deliver an exceptional playing experience.
It has been regarded as some of the finest pianos available.
The SK-3 is the second grand piano in the Shigeru Kawai range and boasts an incredibly rich and dynamic tone subtle touch and fantastic striking power.
Premium materials lie at the heart of the Shigeru Kawai SK-3 Grand Piano. The inner rim is a fusion of small-pore hardwoods for superior brightness and dense, large-bore hardwoods for warmth and fullness. The soundboard and underside beams are spruce, the hammer moldings are mahogany, and the bridge is maple. These patiently crafted musical instruments are an exciting joy for any professional pianist to play.
Specifications:
Length: 6’ 2” (188 cm)
Width: 5’ 1” (152 cm)
Weight: 736 lbs. (334 kg)
Finishes: Ebony Polish, Brown Sapele Mahogany or limited-edition Pyramid Mahogany
Features: Kawai Millenium III ABS-Carbon action ~ “Shiko Seion” hammers from New Zealand and Australian wool ~ Tapered and tuned solid spruce soundboard ~ “Temaki” Kawai-made hand wound bass strings ~ Hand notched bridges ~ Hand planed ribs ~ Thinned hammer shanks ~ Rock maple and mahogany rim ~ Bird’s eye maple inside rim ~ Agraffe duplex scale ~ Aluminum action rail ~ Nickel plated tuning pins ~ Solid brass hardware ~ 10 year warranty
Every Shigeru Kawai SK-3 comes with a 10-year transferrable warranty as standard.
PIANOS MADE TO
PERFECTION
MAKING PREMIUM PIANOS SINCE 1999
CONSERVATORY GRAND
SHIGERU KAWAI SK-3
The materials are unmatched, but it’s Kawai’s unique components that bring the SK-3 to life. A custom-tapered soundboard provides the Shigeru Kawai SK-3’s rich tones, precision hand-wound bass strings give a full, rich character and concert-length key sticks make playing easier and offer exceptional control.
The Shigeru Kawai SK-3 Grand Piano model is part of the Shigeru Kawai’s Concert Series, an exceptional range of concert grand pianos inspired by the designs of the company’s founder, Koichi Kawai.
Extended Keysticks
Each keystick has been extended to make playing simpler and more touch-and-response from the front to the rear of the surface.
Temaki Bass Strings
Temaki literally translates as “hand-wound.” The artisan meticulously directs the winding of specific bass strings by hand for absolute precision.
All-Spruce Beams
Spruce is well recognized for its capacity to efficiently conduct and store sound energy.
Kigarashi Soundboards
Every Shigeru piano comes with a custom-made soundboard composed of only the highest-grade spruce. That spruce has been aged by a time-honored traditional kigarashi process that uses only the forces of time and nature to induce the wood to achieve a state of natural balance. The result is a rich tonal quality exclusive to Shigeru pianos.
Shiko Seion Hammers
Shiko Seion hammers are named for the Japanese words for “ultimate voicing.” They are the exquisite work of specialized Master Piano Artisans who oversee their formation. Every hammer is processed by hand. No heat or artificial hardeners are used in the process. The results are hammers that deliver exceptional response and expression.
Konsei Katagi Rim
The unique Konsei Katagi rim (Japanese for “mixed temperaments”) is composed of a unique blend of distinct hardwoods that provides the perfect balance of tone. Unique to Shigeru pianos, the rim’s interlaminated synergy of both large and small pore hardwoods creates a well-rounded, bold sound appreciated by musicians all over the globe.
Concert-Length Key Buttons
To enhance stiffness and improve energy transmission, the Shigeru Kawai SK-3’s key buttons are composed of hardwood maple. These sturdy key buttons have also been elongated to increase power while adding strength to the key.
Stretcher Over-Lap Design
The Stretcher Over-Lap Integrated Design (SOLID) framework in the Shigeru Kawai SK-3 is exceptionally durable and rigid, allowing for efficient tensioning of the strings.The pin block is carefully fitted to the plate by hand in SOLID construction. The pin block and overlapping stretcher bar are then joined into a single entity and firmly anchored to the rim. This exclusive design ensures stable tuning resulting in less maintenance.
Extended Keysticks
Each keystick has been extended, giving the pianist much more control from the front to the rear of the surface. The keysticks also have a taller profile for strength and more power.
Millennium III Action
A pioneer in the use of composite parts in piano actions, Shigeru Kawai is utilizing the Millennium III action in every Shigeru grand piano. Carbon fibre parts are stronger and lighter than comparable wood parts. Thus, the action provides faster repetitions and better control than actions with wooden parts.
Concert Agraffes
Shigeru Kawai concert agraffes are manufactured from billet brass rods in the same manner as our renowned EX concert grand piano agraffes, which provide more accurate alignment of the strings that pass through the agraffes. The end result is a bright, powerful, and imposing tone.
Temaki Bass Strings
Temaki literally translates as “hand-wound.” The master piano artisan meticulously directs the winding of certain bass strings by hand for absolute precision and tension. The unhurried temaki technique ensures deep character and excellent depth of tone.
All-Spruce Beams
Spruce is well recognized for its capacity to efficiently conduct sound energy. It is, however, generally considered too valuable to be used as a structural material. All of the underside beams on Shigeru Kawai SK-3 pianos are made entirely of the highest-grade spruce.
Specifications
THE PREMIER PIANO OF JAPAN
Length: 6’ 2” (188 cm)
Width: 5’ 1” (152 cm)
Weight: 736 lbs. (334 kg)
Finish: Polished Ebony, Brown Sapele Mahogany Polish or limited-edition Pyramid Mahogany
Size comparison
Resources
| Size | Length | 6’ 2” (188 cm) |
| Width | 5’ 1” (152 cm) | |
| Height | 40″ (102 cm) | |
| Weight | 736 lbs. (334 kg) | |
| Touch | White key surfaces | NEOTEX™ |
| Black key surfaces | NEOTEX™ | |
| Action | Millennium III Action with Carbon Fiber | |
| Hammers | All underfelted | |
| Sound | Soundboard | Solid Spruce, Tapered |
| Agraffes | 1-54 keys / Shigeru Kawai concert agraffes | |
| Duplex scaling | Front & Aliquot | |
| Beams | 4 | |
| Exterior design | Pedals | Damper, Sostenuto, Soft |
| Casters | Double, Brass | |
| Lid props | 3 | |
| Fallboard | Soft Fall Closing System | |
| Music rack | Position | 5 positions |
| Hard Finish | – | |
| Lock | ✔ | |
| Other features | Stretcher Over-Lap Integrated Design (SOLID) | |
| Longer Keys | ||
| Steel-reinforced keyslip & keybed | ||
| V-pro plate | ||
| CORE system | ||
| Vertically laminated treble bridge | ||
| Longer period of natural drying process | ||
| Select hand-wound bass strings | ||
| Dual Pivot Damper Action | ||
| Spruce beams | ||
| Reinforced Hammer Shank | ||
| Hand-craft Process | ||
| Final voicing by MPA (Master Piano Artisan) |
“I insist on a Shigeru Kawai for my recordings, my concerts and my home. It is the only piano I want to hear my music played on.”
Adrian Farrugia
Shigeru Kawai SK-2
Shigeru Kawai Artists
Unparalleled Legacy. Unsurpassed Craftsmanship. Unrivaled Advancement.
Shigeru Kawai STORY
Shigeru Kawai was born on July 28, 1922 in the Shizuoka Prefecture of Japan. He entered the piano business as a young man in 1946. Although he was a member of the Kawai family, Shigeru spent his early years learning the piano building process as a regular worker. He put in long hours laboring diligently in the manufacturing area, sometimes sleeping overnight in the factory as an expression of his dedication to the craft. He loved the work so much that, in later life, he would often remark, “Creating pianos was the greatest job I ever had!”
“Koichi taught Shigeru the “methods of origin” by which pianos are built entirely by hand. He would often say, “As long as you are building pianos, you should strive to build the finest ones in the world.” Shigeru listened attentively to Koichi’s every word.”
