Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Kawai upright shortage in Canada?

Hi everyone,

Is it normal to wait 2-3 months for a Kawai upright delivery?
I live in Canada and purchased a K-300 a few weeks back and was told I have to wait two to three months for delivery.
I bought the piano from the main (only?) Kawai dealer in GTA.

This is my first acoustic and I am not sure if this a widespread issue or only related to this specific model.

Thanks in advance!

Yes many pianos are on back order currently from Yamahas and Kawais and Baldwins all the way up the line to Steingraebers, Faziolis and Bosendorfers. Be patient. You will have a nice, spanking brand new Kawai to be enjoyed for years to come at which point you wont remember the mild delay.

Generally speaking, there is a shortage on so many items, low- as well as high-priced ones, so this does not surprise me. Others on this forum have been told to expect many months waiting for a piano to arrive, depending upon their location/country.

Did you think to ask the dealer to explain the delay?

Regards,

Hi Keith,

Thanks for quick reply!
I feel much better now!

One more question,
Are all North American K300s made it Japan?
I was told that model is made in Japan but searching the web, I noticed they are made in Indonesia in some markets!

Thanks again,

Are you able to buy the floor model?

No, they just had one and they said they needed that for their showroom. I think I stick with my digital and my teacher’s acoustic for now!

In the "good old days" when dealers had a stock of brands and models of pianos that they regularly sold, one could try out maybe two or more models of the same piano and choose the one that better suited ones taste. Further, since floor models usually received maintenance, voicing and tuning attention while on the floor, those pianos usually were much better "settled" in and the buyer was more secure in what s/he was getting. Purchasers were even advised to check the serial number of the right piano, record that serial number on the bill of sale and make sure that that was the piano delivered to the home.

Ordering a piano that one has never played leaves the purchaser at the risk of not necessarily liking what comes into the home, since every piano has its own tonal and action characteristics. That doesn't mean that a piano would be deficient in any way, just different from another of the same model in touch and tone.

It just may be one of the risks that one has to take these days, but it can be an unsettling one.

Regards,

Hi Bruce,
They said there was a shortage even before I told them which piano I’ll choose.
I also wanted to pick up a floor model since that was the recommendation I received here and during my research.
Unfortunately, that was not possible but the salesman told me that Kawais are quite consistent and they usually sound similar. The dealer is quite reputable which is a plus in my book.

There’s a world-wide supply chain backlog, due to the pandemic. If you google it, you’ll see many related news stories.

Thank you all for your replies!
I’ll keep waiting!