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Kawai MP11SE 88-key Professional Stage Piano

88-key Stage Piano/Master Controller with Grand Feel Wooden-key Action, 40 Sounds, 256-note Polyphony, Keyboard-split Modes, 6 Velocity Curves, Effects, Song Recorder, Pitch and Mod Wheels, LCD Display, and Triple-pedal Unit
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$3,599.00

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Another Superb Stage Piano from Kawai

Ready for a serious stage piano? Check out the Kawai MP11SE. Incorporating triple sensors and let-off, the MP11SE's 88-note Grand Feel wooden-key weighted action feels like the real deal; Ivory Touch key surfaces and the included Triple Pedal Assembly with half-damper support complete the illusion. And the onboard Harmonic Imaging XL sounds are simply stunning. With its gorgeous Shigeru Kawai SK-EX, SK-5, and Kawai EX concert grand pianos, vibey vintage EPs with amp simulations, shimmery reverb and effects, and more; the MP11SE is a superior stage piano. But its pitch and mod wheels, song recorder, expression pedal jack, pro connectivity, and make it a superb master controller for your stage or studio rig. Incredible feel, sound, and versatility — have it all with the Kawai MP11SE.

Related Videos: MP11SE 88-key Professional Stage Piano

Grand Feel wooden-key action gives you the feel of a real acoustic piano

Kawai developed their Grand Feel used in the MP11SE to capture the distinctive touch of an acoustic grand piano. With its triple sensors and let-off, this action gives you a smooth, natural piano playing experience. Just as acoustic piano hammers are heavier in the bass and get lighter as you move up towards the treble end of the keyboard, Grand Feel action is graded for each playing range. This fastidious attention to detail gives you maximum stability when playing fortissimo passages while giving you the delicate pianissimo control you need. Ivory Touch key surfaces further heighten the authenticity of your playing experience.

Harmonic Imaging technology delivers stunning grand piano sound

Sit down at the Kawai MP11SE and play. The stunning piano sound you hear is none other than the meticulously sampled sound of a hand-crafted Kawai concert grand piano, with all 88 keys painstakingly recorded and faithfully reproduced using Kawai's Harmonic Imaging XL technology. This proprietary process accurately re-creates the immense dynamic range of the grand piano, giving you a truly impressive measure of expressiveness, from ppp to fff and beyond. If this were the only sound onboard the MP11SE, it would be a fabulous value, but there's a total of 40 amazing sounds, including concert, jazz, and pop grand piano sounds, tasty vintage electric pianos, and more. And to customize your sounds, there are six reverbs and 129 effects, all completely tweakable.

At Kawai, expertise and quality are baked into every instrument

Kawai is held in the highest regard among the serious keyboardists here at Sweetwater, and for good reason. The company has been crafting fine pianos since 1927, and they pour their considerable knowledge and experience into every digital piano they produce. Loaded with sophisticated innovations such as Kawai's Grand Feel wooden-key weighted action and Harmonic Imaging XL with 88-key piano sampling, it's little wonder that the MP11SE plays and sounds like a "real" piano. And a really fine one, at that.

Kawai MP11SE 88-key Professional Stage Piano Features:

  • Grand Feel (GF) weighted Ivory Touch wooden-key action with triple sensors and let-off
  • Harmonic Imaging XL with 88-key piano sampling; 256-note polyphony
  • 40 onboard sounds; including concert, jazz, and pop grand pianos
  • Gorgeous Shigeru Kawai SK-EX, SK-5, and Kawai EX concert grand pianos
  • Vintage tine, reed, and FM electric piano sounds with amp simulations
  • Virtual Technician lets you customize virtually every element of the piano
  • 6 reverbs and 129 effects, all tweakable

  • Intuitive panel interface with independently adjustable sound sections and assignable control knobs
  • Powerful 4-channel MIDI master controller functions for advanced zone/split creation
  • 200+ Setup Memories; USB Recorder: MP3 and WAV audio plus MIDI

  • 1/4" unbalanced and XLR balanced outputs, 1/4" inputs with Line In level fader 

  • Brand new GFP-3 triple pedal unit, engineered and manufactured by Kawai 

  • Sturdy metal chassis with black polish wooden side arms
  • Pitch and mod wheels; expression pedal input

  • Included Triple Pedal Assembly: Damper, Sostenuto, and Soft with half-damper support
  • Ships with music rest, power cable, and owner’s manual
  • MIDI in/out/thru; USB to host; USB to device

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Tech Specs

  • Sound Engine: Harmonic Imaging XL
  • Number of Keys: 88
  • Type of Keys: Weighted, Graded Hammer Action, Tri-sensor, Ivory Touch
  • Touch Sensitivity: Light 1/2, Normal, Heavy 1/2, Fixed, User Custom
  • Aftertouch: Yes
  • Escapement: Yes
  • Polyphony: 256 Notes
  • Presets: 40 onboard sounds
  • Effects: Yes, 129 types (reverb, chorus, flanger, phaser, wah, trem, delay, etc.)
  • MIDI Recording: SMF, 10 songs (up to 90,000 notes), MIDI-to-Audio conversion
  • Audio Recording: Direct to USB memory, MP3/WAV, 44.1kHz/16 bit, Stereo
  • Audio Inputs: 2 x 1/4"
  • Audio Outputs: 2 x 1/4", 2 x XLR (fixed out)
  • USB: 1 x Type B
  • MIDI I/O: In/Out/Thru/USB
  • Pedal Inputs: 2 x 1/4" (expression, footswitch)
  • Pedal Included: Yes, GFP-3 Triple Pedal Unit
  • Display: LCD
  • Power Supply: AC Adaptor (included)
  • Height: 7.4"
  • Width: 54.3"
  • Depth: 17.7"
  • Weight: 75 lbs.
  • Manufacturer Part Number: MP11SE

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Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5

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Best digital keyboard for classical pianists!

Getting this keyboard has totally changed my life! I have been playing classical piano music for more than 20 years and I was looking for a studio/stage keyboard that would be as similar as possible to the feel of a grand piano. This has it all! I'm able to do all the articulation and colors, phrasing comes natural, the pedal response is great and the sound has so much warmth and substance in it!! I have visited the Sweetwater store and tried all the digital pianos over there. This one beats them all if you are a classical pianist who wants to record music and post it online! I have bought this for my YouTube channel "Pardon my Piano" and so far after 5 months of using it I had no issues. Everyone who comments on my videos is praising the audio quality. To put it simply, it is worth every single penny.
by Michael Ronnett from Chicago on
Music background: Master's Degree in Piano Performance

Beautiful Instrument with Realistic Piano Action

Let me start by saying that I am primarily using the MP11SE as a controller. I realize that this might be overkill, but the key action really is that good. The weight, the pivot point, the hammer sensor action, the feel of the keys, all of it is just so so good. If you're looking for something piano-like, you're probably not going to find much better than this, except maybe something like the Kawai CA99 with the Grand Feel III action. The MP11SE has the Grand Feel (first gen) action.

The pianos in the MP11SE are actually not bad at all, and. If you use the virtual technician settings, you can probably really dial in the sound they way you like it to be. This is where I have to say that I haven't spent much time with the samples on the Kawai, as I'm controlling a Nord Stage 3 Compact with it and it just sounds incredible in that configuration.

One note regarding using it as a controller, specifically with the Nord series. Apparently, the Nords use a different method for processing the triple sensor midi values. The Nord won't retrigger the note without the note off command, and the Kawai only sends the note on command unless you fully release the key. This means that, for now, the Nord can't make use of the triple sensor in the Kawai. I did see that someone wrote some custom code that would run on a small PC (even a Raspberry Pi) in between and add the note off values, but I haven't tried it yet. It's not a dealbreaker, but just know that you won't get triple sensor functionality controlling a Nord, at least for low.

I briefly debated sending the Kawai back to get some other 88 key, but I took a couple days to just play it with the Nord first. It's just too good to send back. Like I said, it might be overkill to use it as a controller, but it is a really good controller. if you are looking for a fantastic piano feel and action with great dynamics, this is your keyboard.
by Jesse Davis from Irwin, PA on
Music background: Ambient, Modern Worship, and Electronic

Didn't realize a digital stage piano could be this good

Before settling on this stage piano, I tried out as many as I could find--all manner of Korgs, Nords, Rolands, and Yamahas. The Kawai MP11SE makes them all seem like cheap plasticky toys. It's really well built, has the most satisfying and expressive action, sounds amazing, and has basically no audible noise. If hooked up to a decent amp/monitors, it can give you the illusion of playing a real piano like no other keyboard of this sort that I've tried, and the default piano is super rich and warm. The MP11SE also has excellent Rhodes, Wurlitzer, harpsichord, and bass sounds. All the sounds are thoroughly customizable--you can EQ them, add effects, pass them through amp simulators, and so on. You can then save the changes, either replacing the original sounds, or in a separate bank of setups. The MP11SE is also designed to play nice with other gear. It has 4 MIDI zones, and an audio input, which can be mixed with the built-in sounds. Finally, the triple-pedal unit it comes with is as meticulously designed and built as the rest of the keyboard.

One should be aware that the MP11SE has a somewhat different philosophy from most of the competition. The idea is to focus on piano (acoustic and electric), and do it really well, but that's it. So there are no organ sounds, no synthesizer modules, no drum pads, etc. Given the very piano-like keyboard, I think that design decision makes sense, but certainly limits versatility. (Though that is somewhat mitigated by all the tools it gives you for hooking up external gear. I can bring in organ sounds, for example, via MIDI out and audio in, if needed.) Also the long wooden keys, thick metal case, and large wooden end-cheeks make this Kawai a pain to move, at 75 pounds. It's definitely not something that I'd want to haul to daily gigs, without reliable help.

If I had to pick nits, there are two minor annoyances. First, the buttons on top (for selecting sounds) feel cheaper than the rest of the keyboard. Each one of them makes a slightly different sound when you press it. This poses no functional problems, but just feels odd on something that is so exquisitely built otherwise. Finally, the menu system is not the most intuitive. It's very easy to select basic sounds, split and layer them, and maybe tweak the effects. But if you want to use the built-in recorder, save sounds, or change start-up settings, good luck figuring that out without the manual, or remembering how to do it again afterwards.

In conclusion, while, like anything else, the MP11SE has some limitations and quirks, I instantly forget all that when playing it, because the action and the sound are just glorious. It is the first keyboard I've ever had where pretty much every design decision makes sense to me, and the attention to detail is so apparent.
by Sweetwater Customer on

You buy this for the warm Piano sound

I looked long and hard for just the right Digital Piano sound, and this is it for me. I watched dozens of youtube videos, and sometimes the same person will rave about every instrument. But one reviewer who has tons of reviews, said he kept coming back to the warm sound of the Kawai, and he's right.

It has two other 'main' sounds like electric piano, and a SUB section of strings, Harps/Mallet and Bass, and a variety of +80 random sounds somewhat hidden (under Setup).

I had a Nord Stage 3 for a short time (long story) and even their premier Piano sound that you have to download, while not bad, just didn't do it for me. Everything sounded like it had too much midrange, but I just could not EQ it to my liking. You see them on stage everywhere, so it could be because of my old ears, but still...

My Kawai doesn't need any adjustments. I turn it on and start playing. The lower end of the keyboard is full of rich bass tones The high end notes are sweet and clear. All right out of the box. There are all kinds of minute adjustments you can make, even fine pitch tuning the keys. There's also Brilliance, Touch, Damper Resonance, etc if you really want to fiddle with them.

There's no wifi or bluetooth nor a big color touch screen; just a small info screen. You have labeled buttons for changing instruments without menu diving. It seems designed for a live performance.

As for gigging, well, it's a beast to move at around some 75 pounds, and it's built like a tank. There's no easy way to haul it around; if you use a case with wheels then you're looking at maybe 90-100 pounds total. For around the house I have a "Z" stand on trolley wheels, to move it around the room when I need to. You should have seen the poor delivery guy getting from the truck to my house without a dolly. He had to take a moment after getting it to my door.
by Sweetwater Customer on
Music background: Lifelong guitar player, intermediate keyboard player

A Fantastic Keyboard

I have had the MP11SE for ten months now and after using it daily I can say this is a fantastic keyboard. The feel is second to no other keyboard that I have used and I have been fortunate to own several other keyboards (Nord, Roland, Yamaha). The Kawai Grand Feel wooden keyset is stunning. The piano sounds are quite good, so good that when I went back and played my Nord Piano 2 there was a noticeable difference - for my taste the MP11se sounded much better, more like a real piano. I don't use the other non-piano sounds.

Like all keyboards, the MP11se makes compromises while excelling at other areas. The MP11SE great feel, wooden keys, solid piano sound and triple pedal action make for a very heavy keyboard. I don't think you could reasonably gig with this keyboard if you needed to transport it often. It quite heavy and when coupled with an appropriate travel case the board would weigh 150 pounds, give or take. For my thinking, it sits in my study and I use it for practicing, but if I am going to a gig or friend's house to play I take another, lighter, keyboard.

My summary, I love my MP11se. I expect to use it for years. If you want a keyboard that sounds and feels like a real piano but with the benefits of a keyboard (no tunings, probably less expensive, able to play with headphones, weight far less than a real piano) then buy the MP11SE.
by Larry Coates from Winter Park, FL on
Music background: Serious hobbyist

As the second-largest piano producer in the world, Kawai has been a household name for more than 100 years. Many of the pianists and keyboardists here at Sweetwater have been playing Kawai instruments our entire lives, and we're always thrilled to turn the players we know on to the quality Kawai pianos and keyboards we carry. People step into the Sweetwater Piano Showroom every day looking for that perfect instrument, and it's always fun to see them discover the great feel and exquisite sound Kawai offers. Whether you're looking for a digital upright for your home or a stage-ready model for your next tour, talk to your Sales Engineer about Kawai.

See also: Electric Pianos, Kawai, Kawai Digital Pianos
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