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Since its beginnings in 1887, Yamaha has achieved legendary status as a manufacturer of world-class musical instruments. With its first upright piano produced in 1900, the company has continuously set new standards in piano manufacturing, always striving to advance performance and musical possibilities.
This commitment is strong — Yamaha invests more than $200 million in research and development each year and consistently creates top-ranked musical instruments favored by renowned artists, educators, and institutions worldwide.
Read on to learn about Yamaha’s achievements in introducing SX grand pianos, including the series’ handcrafted history and its unique advancements. Then, meet the SX pianos and discover how to experience an SX for yourself.
When Yamaha debuted the SX series pianos in 2017, it changed how we think about pianos. The company used everything it learned in creating the limited-edition handcrafted CF series pianos to craft the SX — an instrument suited to serious musicians, conservatories, recital halls, and intimate stages. Now, with nearly seven years of performance history and worldwide accolades, these SX series pianos are another of Yamaha’s great success stories.
Yamaha SX series pianos are almost entirely handcrafted, featuring flawless, meticulously chosen materials and inspired design advancements at every manufacturing level. The result is an instrument of exquisite tonal beauty with astonishing responsiveness and control.
It’s at Yamaha’s famed Kakegawa factory in Japan — the most advanced piano factory of its kind — that each SX series grand is made. Only the finest and most seasoned piano builders are involved in making these exquisite instruments, and they inspect every stage of manufacturing.
Each SX series piano is built under the watchful eyes of Yamaha master piano artisans, who ensure each instrument is meticulously crafted to the highest quality standards. Each piano is voiced, regulated, and tuned numerous times to ensure that each instrument is an individual work of art.
The goal of each Yamaha craftsperson is to build a piano as unique as the pianists playing, creating a level of expressiveness and a series of grand pianos unlike any other.
On the grand stage of musical excellence, four key features elevate the SX series pianos to a distinguished status:
Previously, for wood to produce its highly coveted “sweet sound,” much like a prestigious older violin, most experts assumed it had to be aged for many years before production began.
Yamaha’s patented wood-reforming Acoustic Resonance Enhancement, or A.R.E. technology, has changed all of this by using specialized equipment to precisely control temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure to accelerate the evolutionary process of the wood.
Yamaha first perfected A.R.E in guitar making, and when applied to piano manufacturing, it makes it possible to precisely control (season) the aging of wood in the rims of the SX pianos to produce a mature, rich, lush, and elegant tone.
This non-chemical and low environmental impact process, perfected through fifty (50) prototypes, literally restructures the wood molecules and cells, giving the piano a more resonant sound, producing an extraordinary palette of colors, and creating a dream-like intimacy of sound and tonal beauty.
SX series soundboards share the same DNA as Yamaha’s flagship CFX concert grands, which, in just a few short years, have achieved extraordinary worldwide acclaim.
Combined with Yamaha’s A.R.E process, these soundboards deliver additional warmth, texture, and tonal beauty. They originate from European forests and are crafted of the finest European spruce available, harvested at peak timeframes, and seasoned at Yamaha’s famed Kitami Mill in Hokkaido, Japan. They are then carefully matched and fitted to each piano.
This process ensures the soundboards are optimized for their instruments, enhancing sound quality and resonance. The resulting tone is stunning.
Hammers, which strike the piano strings, are one of the most critical elements affecting the piano’s tone, playability, and expressiveness. The piano hammer is made of two components: wood and felt. Unlike many piano makers, Yamaha designs and manufactures its hammers.
In fact, over 100 prototype hammers were tested before Yamaha found a perfect blend of short and long wool fibers that make up those used exclusively in the SX-Series instruments. The result is the warm and resonant sound for which SX pianos are now known.
The under-beams of the SX series pianos have been greatly enlarged to help (along with the cast-iron plate) withstand the inner tension inside the piano and to prevent the piano back frame from bending slightly and losing energy. This extra support makes the piano more stable and minimizes the forces created by fortissimo playing, producing richer reverberations.
There are many benefits to owning and playing a well-made grand piano, and the advanced SX series stands out.
Made for the stage with its elegant and expressive curves and unmistakable tone, the SX is available in four lengths. Each is designed with meticulous attention to detail, ensuring a superior musical experience, and is ideal for professional musicians and institutions seeking high-quality, versatile instruments.
For those who seek technology enhancements, each model is also available as a Silent piano or with Disklaver Enspire Pro technology.
Personal preference plays a significant role when choosing a piano. The best way to determine which model suits your needs is to try them out in person and evaluate their sound, touch, and overall playing experience.
Is an SX series piano right for you? We invite you to see, hear, and play these majestic and luminous pianos in our showroom.
