New Music Gear Monday: Keybird L1 Mini Acoustic Piano

It’s very easy to get great piano sounds from either an electronic keyboard or virtual instrument these days, but I think everyone will agree that there’s nothing like playing, feeling, and hearing the real thing. The problem is weight and size, which keeps most players from putting one in their home studio. But what if there was a real piano that was small enough to fit almost anywhere? That’s what you’ll find with the new Keybird L1, the world’s smallest acoustic piano.

Keybird L1 is a 4-octave (49 keys) portable acoustic piano that weighs only 81 pounds (which is less than a Rhodes electric piano by the way). It has the same feel and touch of an acoustic piano because it is an acoustic piano. It can be separated into 2 pieces for easy transport, and can easily tuned from the top of the piano.

You can upgrade the L1 with a specially designed felt, engineered to replace the middle pedal, and a Silent Mode allows you to play in silence using a unique foam bar that prevents the hammers from striking the strings while maintaining the natural feel of the keys.

Not only that, the L1 can easily be connected to your computer and used as a MIDI controller using the built-in USB-C connector. Plus, the pedals are MIDI-enabled as well.

How The L1 Came To Life

According to the company bio, “The idea for Keybird began to take shape while Lander Pinson was studying composition at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent in Belgium. His curiosity about tuning systems and the mechanics of pianos gradually expanded, especially as he became more interested in themes like sustainability and mobility. This curiosity led him to pursue a degree in Engineering Design in Denmark.

During his studies, Lander lived in a small room on an ecological farm near the university. It was there that he realized how much he missed playing an acoustic piano. This limitation sparked a question: how could he enjoy playing “acoustic keys” in a space that didn’t allow for a full-sized instrument?

That question became the seed for Keybird. Lander took an old acoustic piano, carefully removed the middle section of its sound body, and rebuilt it into a more compact and lightweight version—one that could finally fit both his room and his lifestyle.”

The company has also been making a 61 key version for a few years, but decided to go the Kickstarter route to gauge interest in the product. You can find out more about the Keybird L1 here, but the price is about $3,900 before taxes and shipping.

You can hear what it sounds like in the video below.