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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
ABOUT THE NEW
MILLENNIUM III ACTION |
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Q: Kawai's "second generation" Ultra-Responsive ABS Action has long been known as the most stable and precise piano action in the industry. Why did Kawai need to improve upon it?
A: Since 1927, the Kawai family has been committed to perfecting the art of the piano. Our mission is to continually "raise the bar" for the piano industry by embracing new designs, technologies and materials that can make the piano sound better and perform more consistently for the player. This philosophy is the foundation of our success and the key reason why Kawai pianos are known as the world's most advanced. To answer the question, we keep improving because that's who we are. |
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Q: How did Kawai respond to these
requests?
A: First we focused on the need for extraordinary repetition. Research told us that our action could be faster if we made the ABS action parts lighter (in weight). But there would be a side effect – reducing weight alone could result in parts that were not as strong. Obviously, we couldn't accept this compromise (since ABS Styran action parts have been long known for their superior strength versus wood parts. So our engineers came to an important conclusion – before we could make the ABS parts lighter, we first had to make them stronger. |
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Q: How did Kawai decided upon the right areas for improvement
A: We interviewed top pianists at international piano competitions and asked them to respond to this question: "What would make a great piano even better?" Over and over, their answers centered around their desire for three things: (1) exceptional speed of repetition, (2) superb control when playing "pianissimo" (very soft), and (3) as much power as possible. Since these elements occur as varying ends of the dynamic spectrum, it was clear to us that skilled pianists want the most from a piano when they are trying to be the most expressive. |
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Q: What did Kawai do to increase the strength of ABS Styran.
A: We added carbon to the ABS material. This increased its strength by as much as 90%! The new composite material (dubbed ABS-Carbon™) allowed us to dramatically reduce the weight of the parts while, at the same time, making them stronger than before. The best way to describe this process is to say that "we made our action stronger so we could make it lighter so we could make it faster." Kawai grand pianos with the new Millennium Action have a speed of repetition that is roughly 25% faster than our previous action. |
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