For many years, serious pianists looking for a top-quality upright have naturally turned toward the established European brands first. Japanese piano makers have earned strong recognition in schools, studios, and performance venues alike, though the highest level of upright design has long stayed rooted in those classic European traditions.

Kawai’s Master Series represents a refreshing breakthrough, opening up a new tier of Japanese upright pianos. The team has drawn directly from the meticulous standards and artistry behind their Shigeru Kawai grands, applying that same level of care across this impressive upright collection. Every instrument is put together with thoughtful attention to the little things that matter most, blending modern components for lasting reliability with time-honored techniques that shape each piano’s unique musical personality.

The Kawai MS134 serves as the crowning model and largest in the Master Series. At 53 inches tall, it packs real commanding scale and sonic power, making it a great fit for spacious living rooms, advanced teaching studios, or music rooms that just can’t fit a grand. It already looks impressive from across the room, but the real magic happens the moment your hands hit the keys. The MS134 gives you this exceptional mix of volume, warmth, and expressive detail that puts it in a different league. It feels like a genuine concert upright, not just the tallest one in the family.

The MS134 is fitted with Kawai’s advanced Millennium III upright action. Instead of sticking only with traditional wood, they’ve added ABS-Carbon composites in the key spots. It makes the whole mechanism much more stable when the seasons change and humidity swings around, with barely any difference in how it plays day to day. Those changes make the action feel considerably more responsive overall.

When you sit down to play, the touch feels smooth and dependable right away. Repetition is clean and quick, and it handles everything comfortably, from the softest, most delicate touches to bold, energetic playing. The black keys are genuine ebony for that nice natural grip, and the white keys use NEOTEX with its simulated ivory surface, so your fingers don’t slip and stay comfortable even after putting in several hours at the bench.

Kawai has always been known for pianos that have a warmer, rounder tone. It’s a noticeably different character from the bright, crisp sound you often get with other Japanese makes. The MS134 builds on that nicely and opens it up even more because of its size.

When you play through the full keyboard, the tone feels perfectly balanced and musical from one end to the other. The bass has good weight and depth that fills the room, while the treble stays clear and singing. It handles intricate classical pieces just as comfortably as jazz improv or lighter modern music.

The solid spruce soundboard, along with the reinforced frame and back posts, gives the piano a solid foundation. You can really open up the dynamics, and the sound stays rich and together; it doesn’t thin out or get harsh even when you push it to its limits.

All the hammers on the MS134 are underfelted. This gives each note a clean, clear attack that then fades away gently instead of stopping short. They’ve voiced them to match the rest of the piano, so you get incredible definition and presence without any sharp or harsh edge creeping in.

It ends up giving you more control over how each note speaks, whether you’re playing very lightly or digging in with more power.

At the center of the MS134 you’ll find a tapered solid spruce soundboard. Since this is the biggest model with a larger scale and stronger construction, the piano produces an impressively rich and full tone for its height. The bass gains extra warmth, weight, and nice sustain, while the middle and upper registers stay clear and precise without any muddiness or overly bright edge.

The cabinet of the MS134 features an elegant, understated design that blends comfortably into a variety of spaces while maintaining a refined, sophisticated appearance. The lift-up top board is a thoughtful addition, echoing the style of a grand piano and allowing extra projection when opened. Inside, bird’s-eye maple accents on the sideboards provide a noticeable added touch of luxury, quietly referencing the aesthetic of the Shigeru Kawai grand pianos.

Other thoughtful refinements round out the impressive specification list: hand-wound bass strings, a pressure bar fitted with a stainless bearing bar, and the useful ability to engage the muffler mechanism and sostenuto pedal at the same time, a detail missing from many uprights. Taken together, these elements create an instrument built to maintain excellent tuning stability and musical character for years, delivering a rewarding experience for pianists at any level.