Add Kawai to the web site?

[wally]

I was in a piano dealership (not a Yamaha dealer) yesterday and saw the latest line of Kawai digital pianos. They are quite impressive, although I wouldn't trade my CVP for one. I love how they've built a digital into a traditional grand piano case. They even have different sized digital grands. They're beautiful, but the user interface is daunting!

But it got me thinking. Should I add a users group for Kawai digital piano users? I wonder how many people own Kawai digitals. What do you all think?

[Eric Brinkerink]

Wally, in The Netherlands Kawai isn't as popular as Yamaha or Roland, so there aren't a lot of stores offering them and so I have no experience with them. However, if you check the Digital Pianos Forums at Piano World, there a lot of threads about Kawai.

Are you thinking about another forum inside cvpug.com or a new website like www.kawaiug.com (catchy name!)? If it's the first, then you probably should consider if you want to keep this site to be the CVP User Group. If not, Roland is also popular and maybe there are other brands whose users also want to communicate. Do you want to keep this a community meant for CVP users or do you want to attract other people?

[John RH]

Wally,

This is an excellent site for the users of Yamaha digital pianos - and it's probably one of the reasons why I ended up buying one (I love my 305).

While doing the research into digital pianos I was disappointed not to be able to find a similar site for either Kawai or Roland digital pianos, a pity because I value the opinions of real users, not that of marketing departments.

So, why not expand the brief of this board.

Don't just limit yourself to one brand - cover the market. Of course still retain what you have here on Yamaha product, but broaden the main categories to cover the other major players in the market.

It will mean a new direction for the site, probably a rename, and I guess a lot of work - but it would also provide a fantastic hub for all things in the digital keyboard world.

Be prepared for anitmated Roland vs Yamaha discussions
Go for it!

regards - John

[krugera]

Wally, before trading my CVP209 for a CVP309GP I looked at Kawai. I always wanted a grand piano and Kawai has a beautiful digital grand and it comes also in white. I really liked it. But I went with Yamaha simply because of past experience with that brand. I have a manual for Kawai's CP205 and when I compared it to the Yamaha 309, it was almost identical. Thus I went with Yamaha.
That does not mean that Kawai is bad and I think it would be good to get opinions and experience from folks with a Kawai. Maybe it will provide us with some additional nice styles.
As one of the other members said, it will mean more work for you. But if you don't mind, go for it!


Alex
CVP309-GP

[Ian J. Evans]

Wally

I feel inclined to take an opposing view to the previous posters.

I have a long way to go before I will be an accomplished CVP user. I think that the additonal information, unrelated to the CVP, created by the inclusion of other makes of digital pianos will just be very confusing.

It is interesting to hear about other pieces of equipment, but I doubt that it will be productive in the manner that the present user group is, exclusive to the CVP.

If there are many users of Rolands, Kawai, etc, then why not let one of them run a website. I am sure that there are very competent techys out there amongst them.

If you are looking for more work then perhaps you could set one up for them and either continue to run it or pass it on.

I occasionally look at the PSR website and it does relate to our CVP to some degree, but would hate to see it combined with ours...information overload soon gets to me.

I hope that this does not come across as being meanspirited.

Ian

[Midi Magic]

Wally

"Should I add a users group for Kawai digital piano users"

By all means start a NEW group but DO NOT add it to this one.

It's not as if this group is lacking posts or members.

The short answer is NO.

[pianogirl]

Wally,

I too, must take the opposing viewpoint. It would be way too confusing for both types of users.

I come to this site every day for info on my CVP, not Kawai. I too checked out this brand before purchasing my Yamaha. Since I used to work for a Kawai dealer I had a great deal of access to the digital piano lines. In my opinion they may be considered acceptable by some, but I wouldn't spend my money on any one of them. I guess you could say I'm a Yamaha purist (except for the occasional Steinway model D concert grand):D.

My answer is NO. Whatever you decide Wally, thank you for asking for the users input.

pianogirl

[Eric Brinkerink]

Rereading my previous post, it may seem that I'm positive to adding a Kawai group to this site. However, I also favour to keep this site for CVP users only. There already are other general forums.

But I wouldn't keep you from creating www.kawaiug.com, www.rolandug.com or whatever. Putting a link from one site to another wouldn't bother me.

[BrianC]

Kawai pianos are on my list of consideration along with Clavinovas, so I would not be at all opposed to a forum here.

I think though that the confusion would come from the Latest Discussions section on the front page. In that list there is no identification about which forum a posting in, and many message subjects are not specific enough to indicate if they are for Yamaha or Kawai postings.

If there could at least be an indication of the forum for each latest posting then the confusion would be avoided.

I do think though that because Kawai DPs are not very popular compared to Yamahas, even if you added a forum for Kawai it may see little activity and not get a critical mass of participation.

Brian

[dbjorck]

Hi!

That would dilute the contents of Latest Discussions, making it contain less CVP material than today proportionally.

People who already have only a CVP and are not planning to shop for something new, don't want the info about Kawai or Roland.

I'm all for the idea of creating a new Kawai GROUP and a Roland GROUP - but not new FORUMs within the CVP GROUP. Keep the CVP group only for CVP matters - that's what makes it useful. Otherwise we might as well include forums about buying Mercedes cars - there are people interested in that as well ;)

Brgds

Danny

[Midi Magic]

"Otherwise we might as well include forums about buying Mercedes cars - there are people interested in that as well"


Well I was, but since I bought a CVP I can only afford a push bike !!!

[Jane]

I say, go for it!
Create another section like the Everything Else
In that, create a Kawaii forum, and anything else that seems appropriate.

As an analogy... one of the boards I sometimes read/post to is GlockTalk (http://www.glocktalk.com/) . Even though it's obviously oriented toward Glock firearms, it also has subforums for other manufacturers' guns. (http://www.glocktalk.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=164) as well as off-topic areas.

Nobody seems to complain that the forum isn't purely Glock-related...

Jane
NRA pistol instructor ;)

[bassclef]

If I were interested in a Kawai, a Roland or a Berstein Grand, I would look up their respective sites.

I have a CVP and am interested in the CVP, so I belong to the CVP users' group.

Let's keep it simple!

bassclef
CVP309PE

[dbjorck]

Hi!

Wally, if you're still thinking about this, I propose you put up a new poll on the home page, so we can vote.

Brgds

Danny

[wally]

No, a vote won't be necessary. I've decided against adding a Kawai forum to this group. You all made great points!

I'm considering developing a much larger digital keyboards web site that the CVPUG would be just a part of. It would have similar sub-sites for all the other manufacturers.

And then, on the other hand, maybe I'll just sell off the CVPUG and let someone else run it for a while -- I suspect Roland might be interested in buying it. :D

[Ian J. Evans]

Originally posted by wally
No, a vote won't be necessary. I've decided against adding a Kawai forum to this group. You all made great points!"


Thanks Wally


>"And then, on the other hand, maybe I'll just sell off the CVPUG and let someone else run it for a while -- I suspect Roland might be interested in buying it. :D

I like your sense of humour, but please don't leave us now...!

Ian

[dbjorck]

Hi!

I must admit, that even though I have a tart, cynical sense of humour myself (adore Monty Python) I had to read Wallys post twice before I understood it was a joke. I guess I was just in shock when I read it the first time.

But if the choice is between Wally or no Wally, then by all means Wally, go ahead and add forums about whatever you want. Then I wouldn't be opposed to a forum about how to clean those pesky goldfish under the fins. I learnt the hard way that deodorant didn't do much good, and pummelling wasn't much better.

Besides I've screamed at my Norwegian parrot so much and called it all kinds of names, but it still hasn't turned blue.

Brgds

Danny