by andyg » 16 Mar 2016 16:51
Kawai ultimately do control Lowrey's destiny, yes. But from the outset in 1988 when they took over, Kawai said that Lowrey was going to be run independently. OK, the internals of all Lowreys have been Kawai-made since then, but things like the voicing, style programming and cabinet design were initially 100% USA (though I still have nagging feeling they nicked some of my Kawai sounds in the first NT series!). What the balance is now, I couldn't tell you.
As long as there are decent profits, Lowrey will continue. If that should change, then expect Kawai to pull the plug fairly quickly. With Lowrey's pricing, I'd imagine those profits will be there until such times as they reach market saturation, with no more well-heeled people willing to pay the high prices.