The action is more even over it’s lifetime, since there is no wear-and-tear on the components – even in the mid-range.The action can be regulated to a tighter tolerance, since no gaps need to be left to allow for the expansion and contraction of the wood.The action materials are lighter in weight, allowing for less leading of the keys and generally a faster ‘reset’ speed of the action.The actions do not change in their response depending on temperature or humidity.The principles are straight-forward: carbon fibre doesn’t react with temperature and humidity, and therefore several advantages can be gleaned: Kawai claims, and has published academically-scrutinized research, that their actions are more responsive, faster, and easier to maintain than traditional wood actions. Both use carbon composites to replace parts traditionally made of wood, with the very conscious exception of the hammer and shank. Kawai’s last two versions of its composite action series have been received with overwhelming enthusiasm: The Millennium III Action, and the Ninja M3 action. It really wasn’t until the late 1990’s that the tide began to turn, and by the mid 2000’s, all written publications were dismissing the arguments against Kawai’s actions as nothing more than fear-based propaganda. It was within this climate of distrust that Kawai released their first ABS composite action, and for the next 20 years, spent an enormous amount of time and energy proving the merits of their design. The backlash was swift, and the narrative throughout the industry quickly turned against all ideas of improvement. Unfortunately, there was an insufficient field-testing of the innovation, and in a short period of time owners discovered that the bushings had loosened and were causing loud, audible clicking throughout the piano. For the same reasons that Kawai was developing it’s composite actions, Steinway had tried to replace traditional bushing material with Teflon, to reduce the dynamic friction caused by seasonal changes in North America. Many companies have tackled this problem, the most well-known of attempts being Steinway’s failed experiment with Teflon bushings. However, wood also reacts with temperature and humidity, and so seasonal changes have always played havoc with the regulation and overall mechanical behavior of pianos. Compared with other materials available to piano builders, wood was light, strong, inexpensive, and could be milled, carved, and bonded easily. Quite the contrary – wood was nothing more than an economical, easy material to manufacture with. It has long been acknowledged that the use of wood in piano actions was a compromise at best – one of the biggest misconceptions is that because actions were traditionally made of wood, it must have been for an acoustic or musical reason.
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