Kawai K2 vs K200 vs K20 - Which is best? Where made?

Dan wrote to us asking for some clarity of the differences between the Kawai K2, K20, and the K200 so I put together this article whilst eating fresh strawberries and drinking 0% Guinness in my local Wetherspoons. The image shown above is a mid-70s K20, 124cm tall.

K2, K20, K200 at a glance – production years and quality

  • K2 and K200 are both viewed as “entry level” pianos
  • The K20 is a higher-end model, aimed at professional use and studios
  • The K20 is much taller with longer strings and a large soundboard for a deeper, richer sound
  • The original Kawai K2 was made in Japan in the 1970s and 1980s
  • Production stopped in the 1990s
  • K2 production ran again from 2000-2014 and may have been made in Japan AND Indonesia (TBC)
  • The K-200 was launched in 2014 and is viewed as the successor to the K2
  • K20 production ran from the 1960s-1970s

Design differences

The K20 and the original K2 from the 60s, 70s, and 80s used a traditional wooden action. The 2000s K2, by contrast, featured Kawai’s Millennium III action, which incorporated carbon composite materials instead of wood. Some players describe this as offering a lighter, quicker response, while others feel it makes the touch overly light.

The K200 introduced in 2014 built on this design with longer keys, improved hammer felt, and a redesigned soundboard for better tonal projection and control.

  • The K20 was 124cm tall
  • The K2 was 114cm tall
  • The K200 is 114cm tall

Pricing

In the UK, original K2 models from the 1970s and 1980s typically retail for between £2,500 and £3,000. The modern K-2 from the 2000s is usually priced between £3,000 and £3,500. A new K200 generally sells for between £4,000 and £4,500. A K20 will usually be around £2800-£3300

Availability

The original K2 and the K20 are both quite rare
The 2000 K2 is quite readily available
The K200 is still in production

Conclusion

The most important thing to do is ignore everything you’d read on this page and sit down at each of the pianos and buy the one which sounds the best. If you can’t do that, then you should try to decide if you prefer higher quality used pianos or lesser quality new pianos. The higher strings, larger soundboard, and higher build quality of the K20 give it a clear advantage but you have to balance that against it being around 50 years old so you would need to make sure it had been reconditioned recently to a good standard and that it comes with a strong warranty.

Please send questions and corrections to ::email::

Thanks
Mark