Buying guide · bigger grand piano

Bigger grand piano: Thomann GP 188, Kawai GX-2 or Yamaha C3X?

For you if you have been playing for some years, have a room with space for the sound – and feel that a small grand is becoming too small for the music you want to play. Here are three grands between 180 and 188 cm long.

Updated 19.10.2026 · Prices checked at the retailer

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What the length gives you

Grand pianos are measured by length, and at around 180 cm length really starts to matter. The longer the grand, the longer the bass strings can be, and the larger the soundboard. That gives you a deeper and clearer bass.

But it is not only about the bass. When the bass is clear, the whole sound becomes calmer. A chord in the left hand does not turn muddy so easily, and the melody in the right hand has something to rest on. You hear more layers inside the same sound.

And then there is the room. A grand of just over 180 cm needs a room where the sound can unfold. It is not about playing louder – it is about giving the sound somewhere to go.

A piano bench is included with all three.

Three makers, three approaches

The Thomann GP 188 is the retailer's own brand. The action and the hammer heads come from Renner, a German supplier used by many piano makers. According to the retailer, each grand is regulated and tuned by their own piano technician before it is sent out.

The Kawai GX-2 belongs to Kawai's GX series. The action is called Millennium III, with carbon-fibre parts, and the grand has a duplex scale: small sections of the strings, outside the part the hammer strikes, are allowed to vibrate along with the note.

The Yamaha C3X belongs to Yamaha's CX series. Yamaha is a Japanese maker you will know from music schools and concert halls.

What you feel in your fingers

A bigger grand is not heavier to play. But it answers back more. Every small difference in your touch is heard – including the ones you did not mean.

That can feel overwhelming in the first few weeks. Many people start playing cautiously, and their shoulders creep upwards. Do the opposite: let the weight of your arm sink calmly into the key, and listen to how long the note stays in the room. You do not have to make the sound – the grand makes it.

Use the pedal sparingly at first. On a large grand, much more rings along when the dampers lift. Listen for the moment the sound becomes cloudy, and lift your foot a little earlier than you are used to.

Three bigger grands

The most grand piano for your money: the Thomann GP 188 – 188 cm long, 153 cm wide and 350 kg. The longest and heaviest of the three, and by far the most affordable. It is delivered tuned and ready to play, with a height-adjustable bench. It is a newer brand without many years of history behind it, so try it if you can, and listen especially to whether the sound is even all the way up the keyboard.

Thomann GP 188 E/P

• The Thomann GP 188 E/P is a grand piano by Thomann in black polish. A grand repeats faster and sounds fuller than an upright. Thomann: Thomann's own brand, regulated and tuned by the retailer's piano maker.

64.600 kr checked 5.10.2026

See price at Thomann

The warmest sound: the Kawai GX-2 – 180 cm and 324 kg, with Millennium III action, Neotex key surfaces and a duplex scale. The sound is warm and round, softer than Yamaha's clear tone. If one day you would like to practise silently, the GX-2 also comes in a silent version with AnyTimeX4.

Kawai GX-2 E/P

• The Kawai GX-2 E/P is a grand piano by Kawai in black polish. A grand repeats faster and sounds fuller than an upright. Kawai: Japanese maker with the carbon-fibre Millennium III action.

207.100 kr checked 5.10.2026

See price at Thomann

Yamaha's clear tone and a grand to grow with: the Yamaha C3X – 186 cm long, 149 cm wide and 320 kg. Yamaha describes the idea behind it as a grand piano in harmony with the pianist. It is the most expensive of the three, and it also comes in a silent version with SH3.

Yamaha C3X PE

• The Yamaha C3X PE is a grand piano by Yamaha in black polish. A grand repeats faster and sounds fuller than an upright. Yamaha: Japanese maker found in music schools and concert halls.

248.600 kr checked 5.10.2026

See price at Thomann

None of them is better than the others – it is about which sound you want to stay sitting in. Try them if you possibly can, and play slowly and softly, not only fast and loud. See all models on the acoustic piano page and in the catalogue of all pianos.

Before you buy: four things

1. Space. The three grands are about one and a half metres wide and almost two metres long. With the bench and room for you, allow just under three metres from the wall – and the lid has to be able to open.
2. The room. A large grand in a small room with bare walls becomes very loud. A rug, curtains and a half-closed lid take the edge off the sound.
3. Weight. 320–350 kg. Talk to the retailer about delivery, and check that the stairs, the doors and the floor can take it.
4. Tuning. A grand needs tuning once or twice a year, and it should stand away from windows and radiators.

The deep key

At a bigger grand you get more colours to paint with, but the colours come from the way you touch the key. The Anatomy of Sound (The Intuitive Pianist, Volume III) describes, among other touches, the deep key: you let the weight of your arm sink down through the finger and on to the bottom – and stay there. The key should not just reach the bottom, it should rest in it. The most common mistake is confusing depth with force, because a deep note can be quite soft and still fill the room.

The Anatomy of Sound on Kindle

Questions

More guides: Acoustic piano · Your first grand piano · Silent grand piano · All videos