A Change For The Better

Determined to find a solution for wood’s failings, Kawai craftsmen began to study the properties of alternative materials. An intensive search led them to a polymer composite material called ABS Styran, which had the perfect traits for the task:

• It was much stronger than wood to reduce breakage;
• It was dimensionally stable… virtually unaffected by changes in humidity;
• It had a successful track record in many other industries.

ABS Styran required precision molding, a fact that would mean enormous long-term investments in tooling to sustain production. Nevertheless, Kawai craftsmen felt certain that the use of ABS would enable a Kawai piano to maintain stable touch and tone longer than any other. With bold confidence, Kawai moved forward to become an industry pioneer in the use of ABS Styran in piano actions.