What Sets Fairkey Apart?
Fairkey was developed to make ergonomic piano keyboards a realistic, repeatable solution rather than a rare, high-risk exception.
This page explains how our approach differs — in design, materials, and process — and why it consistently delivers playable results in real instruments.
The Process Is the Product
Custom Hand Sizing
Based on how your hand actually works
You determine your effective reach using a simple, 3D-printable tool — without stretching, guessing, or relying on abstract “hand spans.”
Our system translates this directly into a keyboard layout that reflects how your hand functions in real playing, not how it looks on paper.
Instrument Measurement
Designed to avoid risk, not create it
For acoustic pianos, you or your technician take a small number of safe measurements.
No disassembly, no shipping, no irreversible steps. We verify the data remotely and design the keyboard to stay within the playable limits of your specific instrument.
Engineered for Adoption
Built to exist in the real world
Most ergonomic keyboards fail not because the idea is wrong, but because the result is unplayable or the process is unrealistic.
Fairkey was developed to avoid both: playable results first, delivered through a predictable process that works beyond rare, high-risk cases.
Built this way for a reason
Truly Tailored Key Layout
Every Fairkey keyboard is designed around the pianist’s hand, not a scaled-down standard.
Key widths and spacing are redistributed together so the layout functions as a coherent system.
Matched to the Instrument
Key geometry, spacing, and balance are designed in relation to the specific piano.
This ensures the keyboard remains playable within the mechanical limits of the instrument, rather than pushing it into instability.
Stabilized, Treated Wood
Our wood is reactor-treated (no chemicals) to reduce weight and increase stiffness — improving feel, durability, and consistency in any climate.
Low-friction Polymer Bushings
Friction and wear become critical when key angles change.
We use engineered polymer bushings to maintain smooth travel and long-term stability in cases where felt becomes unreliable.
Regulation Designed for Reality
Keys must be adjustable without endless intervention.
Our regulation system is designed to allow predictable setup and correction without relying on fragile, technician-dependent procedures.
Materials & Performance
Our Standard: Wood, Done Right
All Fairkey keyboards are made from wood — chosen for its affordability and musical feel.
When the size remains close to standard, our wooden keyboards often play as well or better than the original. In smaller sizes, performance can decline slightly — but we only build what we know will still play well in your specific piano.
Even at reduced sizes, our wooden keyboards are designed to remain playable and stable in ways most reduced-size wooden keyboards are not.
For Extreme Needs: Plastic, via Kipi
In rare cases — when ultimate performance is required, whether in very small sizes or in the largest concert grands — we use high-performance plastic keyboards built under our Kipi brand (Kaduk Improved Piano Interfaces).
Plastic delivers unmatched playability, but at a significantly higher cost.
For nearly all pianists, Fairkey provides the best balance of comfort, quality, and cost.