Is Kawai ES-120 Worth Buying Today?

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[drkl]

I’ve been playing the piano for over 10 years and just recently moved into a small studio apartment far from home for work. There was no way I could fit anything close to an acoustic piano in here. Your recommendation really saved my life. The key action is so freakin’ satisfying. It’s actually unreal for the price point. The sound is so crisp and accurate I almost thought it was a real piano. I can also wear headphones when I play at night, so I don’t disturb my neighbors. It really brightens up my mood after a dull and tiring day at work.

[WunHungLo]

As a professional keyboard player and former owner of a Kawai 2.3m grand (how I miss it), I have to say the sound is incredibly authentic, especially for the money.

[KevinRi]

I've played many grand pianos from my very own GL20 157cm, to the RX2, RX7, GX5 and GX7, some Steinway D and Fazioli and Shigeru Kawai. To me this is the most satisfying digital piano for the price, the touch is the utmost important next to sound quality. I feel like playing an expensive grand piano with regulated action under my fingers. It feels really good playing ES120.

[mssnipes]

Theres nothing more satisfying than high quality action

[minatimurmu]

One thing that always makes your reviews so interesting is your honesty not to mention you play so beautifully!

[PLANETWATERMELON]

1000% totally agree. This piano is competitive with others twice as much. No surprise as Kawai has been the leader for some time now. There’s a reason why Yoshiki plays on Kawai’s.

[paxwallace]

I play gigs all the time in coffee shop size venues I use my ES 920. I constantly receive compliments about the acoustic realism ! It's achieved through the amazing sound engine along with the company's outsourced Onkyo Custom Speakers.

[pgtips]

I could just sit and watch your reviews all day Jeremy. You just have a great gift in bringing out the features pros and cons of pianos.

[andyzzz]

I bought an ES 920 about 8 months ago and I completely agree with you on everything you said. This keyboard is top of the line and comes pretty close to the acoustic piano feel as far as electric keyboards go. Also the sound is very similar to an acoustic piano. Of course nothing compares to the real acoustic piano but this is still a great keyboard and certainly worth every penny

[MisterPotats]

I've been shopping for over a year for a Piano to begin my learning journey. I was looking for something I could grow with that wouldn't hold me back in the future and you've absolutely sold me on this piano. Thank you so much for the review and I'm now subscribed!

[bpbeygh]

So many reviewers spend too much time testing sounds and not enough on important factors like action, so thank you for actually talking about it in detail. Especially the difficulty of playing higher up the keys and the slow motion.

[Steve-lcbf]

Great review. I upgraded to this a week ago from a cheaper non weighted Yamaha and love it.

[ulrap]

I played this a few days ago at Sam Ash because I wanted to check out the action. It is good, but I didn't necessarily feel it was noticeably much better than the others such as Roland, Yamaha, Casio or Korg in the lower price range. Also I prefer a key surface that is smooth and not textured like the Kawai. The piano sounds are good but the other sounds are just okay. There was a used Korg Kross 2 88 for the same price in the store that I liked better. Smooth key surface, decent action, and many many far superior sounds.

[Frank-in-NY]

Hey Jeremy, No question the Kawai piano sample sounds fantastic, and I can see you really enjoyed playing it. The action really suits you. As always, your playing is killer good. Thanks for the insight on this board, and your recommendations.

[felixecho]

I've never practiced on an electric piano and bought this one after watching several reviews and also trying a number of them at the store. I'm not well versed in much of the terminology to make sense of the user manual. I know it would vary from each individual taste but it would be cool to see a video on how to mess around with settings to get the best sound possible out of the es120

[johne]

For $100 more you get a lot more from the new Roland FP-E50, plus the controls are laid out much better on the Roland. Without the Kawai manual, who can remember which keys to press to change all the various functions and settings? That’s a huge weakness of the Kawai, IMO.

[Zoco]

I'd like to mention some fun things I've discovered about the ES-120. I saw the video a while back, so please excuse me if I repeat anything that Jeremy said.
1. It's competitively priced at the moment - well under 700 euros.
2. It is very light to carry - only 12Kg.
3. It's 100 rhythms include 2 swing beats, plus Ragtime, Tango, Beguine and Habanera.
4. It runs on 12 volts.
5. It has an upright piano patch.
6.The EQ on the internal speakers can be adjusted.
7.The 4 registration memories are a godsend for gigging musicians.
8.It has a simple internal recorder.
9. It has lineouts of course.

This might be a good second instrument for a pro musician who doesn't want to carry his/her heavy stage piano to the smaller gigs and rehearsals. There are precious few portable pianos at 12Kg with lineouts, quality sounds and a promising action.

[aashishbhosaale]

Hey Jeremy, you have explained the features very well and in detail as always. Please continue to share your reviews of digital piano. I recently purchased Korg B2 after listening your review and I find it quite magical. Thanks for your review.

[FancyPelicanRL]

Became immediately infatuated with the sound of this keyboard ever since I first watched this video, and have yet to find one that sounds quite like it. My only regret now is not pulling the trigger on it when it was still $899! Nevertheless, I'm hoping to have enough set aside to pick one of these up around Christmas🤞 Thank you for this beautiful demo showcasing the full capabilities of this incredible instrument! Can't wait to have one of my own in the (hopefully) near future.