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#K500 #Fridolin #Kawai
Welcome to another piano comparison video here at Merriam Pianos. Today, we’ll be looking at the Kawai K500, and the Fridolin Schimmel F130.
While the K500 is probably already known to many of you, the F130 is a relatively new entry to the market that you may not have heard of.
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Fridolin F130
Background:
The Fridolin F130 is a 51” upright piano that falls into a small, but growing category - the European/Chinese hybrid category. Some of the best known offerings in this category include C. Bechstein’s Zimmermann, and Steinway’s Essex pianos. Offerings from this category in the past have typically been inconsistent at best, but there’s been real strides made over the last few years.
The Fridolin stands as one of the best examples of European/Chinese collaboration, and really serves as a genuine alternative to a part of the market dominated by Kawai and Yamaha. It’s 100% designed from Schimmel, uses many high end European components, and is assembled by Pearl River in China. The F130 stands as the tallest piano from the Fridolin upright line, and musically speaking, is a totally different musical experience from the K500.
Piano Tone:
I’m not sure how much the design contributes to this, but a quality I find consistent with a lot of Schimmel’s is an interesting harmonic wash effect. That’s not to say clarity is sacrificed, but there’s this definite washiness to the overtones.
The F130 features duplex scale in the treble section (as does the K500), which is fairly unique among upright pianos. Compared to the K500, the treble is not as dry and not quite as precise, making for a colourful and different overall tonal palette.
The mid range has a ton of cabinet resonance, much more so than the K500, which tends to be more soundboard heavy in the tone. Looking at the back of the cabinet, very solid spruce backposts contribute to the very active and resonant cabinet. The sustain is excellent, with a different character than the K500 since the F130 has a white spruce soundboard, compared to the Sitka in the K500.
Kawai K500
Background:
The K500 is part of Kawai’s K series, and is entirely made in Japan. The K series received a substantial redesign several years ago, and incorporates many of the same design innovations found in Kawai’s GX grand line.
The K500 also stands at 51” tall, and is positioned and compared against the Yamaha U3 constantly. Compared to the Fridolin F130, both instruments are very good, but sound totally different and will ultimately appeal to folks with different musical preferences.
Piano Tone:
The K500 is definitely a more powerful piano as compared to the F130. It’s a little bit more colourful overall, which is likely due to the tapered soundboard (untapered on the F130.) Tapering a soundboard allows more of the soundboard to activate and resonate, especially at mid and lower dynamic ranges.
The K500 has longer key-sticks in the action, which allows the player greater control over the action, also especially in lower dynamic ranges.
The K500 also has duplex scale in the treble section, and it definitely helps thicken up the tone. The attack on the K500 is more focused with more attack, but less washy than the F130.
The mid range is much more colourful and dynamic than the F130, generating more overall sound to work with. There really isn’t anything to dislike about the K500’s full bodied mid range.
When it comes to the break, the F130 has definitely one upped the K500 here with a smoother transition. Some folks might actually prefer the abrupt transition, but if smoothness is the goal, the F130 is the winner here.
Summary:
These are both great instruments, no doubt. In my opinion, for serious classical players, the K500 might be a better choice due to a faster action that offers more control. For folks who play other styles, it becomes much more subjective and really comes down to which tone you prefer. Definitely check both of these pianos out if you’re looking for a great, tall upright piano.
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