🎹Yamaha C2X vs Kawai GX2 Grand Piano Comparison, Review, & Demo🎹

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#C2X #GX2 #Yamaha

Welcome to another piano comparison video here at Merriam Pianos. In today’s video, we’ll be comparing the Yamaha C2X with Kawai’s GX2.

These are two of the most popular institutional pianos in the world, and also a common choice among folks seeking a professional quality grand piano for the home. They’re almost always compared directly by consumers, so we hope this video will help in breaking down the exact differences between these two titans.

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Yamaha C2X

The Yamaha C2X is a 5’8” Japanese professional grand piano, and serves as an evolved version of the famous Yamaha C2. There’s a lot of things to like about the C2X, which we will cover below.

Piano Sound:

Yamaha’s traditional tonal profile is often thought of as a brighter sound, and in recent years the tone has been frequently referred to as “crispy”. There’s a couple of reasons for this including hammer design, and more importantly, the scale design - Yamaha’s tend to have a higher scale tension and shorter strings than Kawai’s.

The C2X is definitely still brighter than the GX2, though not as bright as other models from the past, such as the C2. Yamaha has changed their hammer design, as well as the material selection for their strings, which has resulted in a more colourful and less metallic tone. The midrange is really clear, which makes the C2X a good option for recording.

While not as thick as the GX rim, the rim here has been made thicker than past models, which is another improvement worth noting.

Action:

The action is very quick and responsive, with a lighter overall touch curve so to speak, meaning higher volume levels come quicker, but at the expense of control in the lower dynamic ranges. This is definitely a solid all around action.

Kawai GX2

The Kawai GX2 is a 5’11” Japanese grand piano, and is an evolved version of Kawai’s previous generation RX2. While the GX2 is three inches longer than the C2X, the longest bass string is actually even longer than 3 inches as compared to the C2X due to differences in the scale design. Despite the size difference, these two models are still positioned against one another in the market.

Piano Sound

It’s noticeable right off the hop that the GX2 has a warmer, darker tone than the C2X, and it’s also very clear when playing in the lower dynamic ranges that the GX2 has a more active cabinet and soundboard. The GX2 uses a tapered solid spruce soundboard, compared to a non-tapered soundboard in the C2X. Tapering a soundboard allows more of the soundboard to activate and vibrate, especially in lower dynamic ranges.

There’s no doubt that these two instruments sound quite different with their own distinct characters - no one is going to come away after playing the two of them and view them as sounding similar.

Action:

The action on the GX2 is also very different from the C2X. For starters, the GX2 has extended length keysticks, approximately an inch longer than the keysticks on the C2X. Longer keysticks means you’re working with a longer lever, resulting in more torque at higher dynamic levels, and more control at lower dynamics.

The other big difference is in the action parts themselves. Yamaha uses a more traditional wooden action, whereas the Kawai GX2 utilizes a carbon fibre reinforced Millennium III action. Aside from the musical advantages of carbon fiber that Kawai argues for, the mechanical advantages from a maintenance standpoint are undisputed - carbon fiber doe not shrink and well with changes in humidity, and is more durable over time, which is why precision parts in most industries are no longer made with wood.

This action is lightning fast and a pleasure to play.

Summary:

These are two distinctly different differences, and one’s own musical perceptions will ultimately drive which instrument they prefer. From a build quality standpoint, both are very well made without a clear front-runner. The GX2 is going to provide a more colourful palette for solo piano playing, but the C2X might be a better option for recording.

Thanks for watching!

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