THE PIANO
THE KAWAI EX CONCERT GRAND
Kawai is well known for making the construction of pianos an art form.
At the pinnacle of Kawai artistry is the renowned EX Concert Piano, a world-class instrument. In 1989, Jean Tews and her husband Lothar purchased a Kawai EX for over $50,000 for her recording studio.
Each EX Concert Grand piano is individually handcrafted from the finest materials. The EX is created by Kawai's elite Master Piano Artisans in the famed Kawai Piano Research Laboratory. This facility provides the meticulous care and handcrafted attention-to-detail necessary to build the ultimate musical instrument - with the full support of the latest technological advances.
After completion, each EX Concert Piano is painstakingly tested and adjusted in Kawai's unique anechoic chamber. State-of-the-art computer systems evaluate every aspect of the piano's tonal performance. Only after these stringent quality control tests is an EX ready for its ultimate destination - the concert stage.
At that time, this was the only Kawai EX piano to be purchased by an individual performer and artist, and not by an orchestra or concert venue.
THE SURFACE TEXTURE OF THE KEYS: NEOTEX™
Many of today's synthetic materials, such as acrylic plastic and phenol, lack the subtle texture and moisture-absorbing properties of ivory and ebony. Normal perspiration from the fingers can cause that type of key to be "slippery" and difficult to play, especially during long performances or in warmer climates.
NEOTEX™ is Kawai's exclusive keytop material made of cellulose fiber. It offers the smooth, understated texture of natural ivory and ebony... and a semi-porous, silica-filled surface to absorb the hand's natural oils and perspiration. Since NEOTEX™ material is used for both the white and black keys, the feel of the keys is consistent across the entire keyboard.
RECORDING THE KAWAI EX
Only a handful of Kawai EX Concert Grand Pianos were made in 1989.
Lothar Tews set up a custom digital recording studio for Jean in London, Ontario, and as an audiophile and instrument maker (he taught himself to make award-winning cellos), he knew the importance of having a quality microphone as the centerpiece of the studio.
He chose the $10,000 Calrec Mark IV Soundfield microphone.
The Mark IV Soundfield Microphone is the result of over 10 years of research by mathematicians, scientists and audio engineers. It stems from the most exhaustive study ever conducted into psychoacoustics, the hearing mechanisms of the human brain and their relationship to natural sound reproduction. The Soundfield Microphone forms part of the Ambisonic Surround Sound technology which was developed under the auspices of the United Kingdom National Research Development Corporation and is the subject of 3 separate UK and US patents.
Inside are four ceramic gold plated tetrahedral capsules, producing an unmatched low noise performance, and the heated mounting stem conducts through to the capsule mount to eliminate condensation.
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