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Travel piano: best action under 1m (39.5")?


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I'm a piano student that travels regularly. I have a nice upright at home, and I miss the feeling of a weighted keyboard when practicing away from it.

 

I have owned a Yamaha NP-12 for a short time, but I did not like the feel of its semi-weighted keyboard.

A few months ago I bought a Yamaha P-121 and the feel of the GHS keyboard is very nice. However, the keyboard is too long (about 4" too long) and I cannot easily transport it by car, together with family and luggage.

 

So I ended up buying a used basic semi-weighted 49-keys MIDI controller to connect to my iPad for travel practice. The feel is nothing special, but it was cheap and as I read even more expensive keyboards with semi-weighted keys aren't that much closer to the feel of a real piano.

 

I'm in the market for any keyboard (stage piano or controller) that is less than 1m (39.5") long and has fully weighted keys. So 64 full size keys and small "bezels" is the maximum that fits my car. 73 keys are too wide, without even considering any bezels.Unfortunately, it seems that there is no product with such specs on the market right now, so I might have to consider a keyboard with semi-weighted keys that come close to the feel of a real piano.

 

Yamaha P-121 (73 keys) and Roland RD-64 (64 keys, discontinued) are both about 44" long.

 

The Studiologic SL-73 MIDI controller has the nice and light Fatar TP/100LR action, but it's 1.5" too long, sadly.

 

Back in 2004-2005, Studiologic released the VMK-149 and VMK-161 MIDI controllers with Fatar TP/40 hammer action, but they were since both discontinued.

 

I hope that one day Studiologic will make a 61-key version of the SL-73, or Yamaha a 61-key version of the P-121.

Or, that Roland or Yamaha will upgrade their 61-keys Go:Piano or Piaggero NP-12 with a hammer action keyboard.

Not holding my breath, though: I just mailed Yamaha and they told me that no such product is in the pipeline.

I mailed Fatar and got no response.

 

Every now and then there have been attempts at making and selling a modular or foldable piano (see "VAX77", "KOMBOS", "piano de voyage" in this thread), but the prices were usually very high or the performance below expectations. The travel piano should not cost more than upgrading my car.

 

I'm also considering DIY projects, but since I'm not particularly skilled with electronics, I suppose the safest choice would be getting a used RD-64 and re-package it so that the buttons are behind the keyboard instead of at the left.

 

Thanks in advance for any alternative suggestions, including solid (pun intended) semi-weighted keyboards.

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Your a piano player that wants to practice on 61 or 64 keys?

It's all Mozart needed.

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-mozart-piano-vienna/mozarts-piano-returns-home-to-vienna-idUSLNE89O02O20121025

 

Though unlike the OP, Mozart's issue wasn't trying to fit it into the back of a car.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Nothing currently available with 61 keys has a decent weighted action - so its really a matter of deciding if you can live with that compromise. The two keyboards with the correct travel form factor are the Roland Go Piano and the Hammond SK1. They are also almost the exact same size - around 35 inches in length. Outside of those two the pickins get worse.

 

I think its also important to note that while many pianos are portable its not the same thing as a travel piano.

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Nothing currently available with 61 keys has a decent weighted action - so its really a matter of deciding if you can live with that compromise. The two keyboards with the correct travel form factor are the Roland Go Piano and the Hammond SK1. They are also almost the exact same size - around 35 inches in length. Outside of those two the pickins get worse.

There are zero hammer action 61-key models currently available.... though this guy custom fabricates them from larger boards.

 

http://www.minetticustomkeyboards.com/

 

The two keyboards with the correct travel form factor are the Roland Go Piano and the Hammond SK1. They are also almost the exact same size - around 35 inches in length. Outside of those two the pickins get worse.

Also about that size... Nord Electro 6D (which I would take for piano over the SK1). Also Yamaha MODX6, Korg Kross, and some Casios, with actions of varying quality... Maybe Vox Continental? I haven't played one, but some reports say it's pretty decent for piano, as non-hammer actions go.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Thanks for the many suggestions. Finding a used VMK-161 is not easy and I would not want to spend more than my 73-key P-121 costed.

So I suppose I will continue traveling with a roof box for a while...

I'll give the Go Piano and the other options a try, though, if I see them in some shop.

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Thanks for the many suggestions. Finding a used VMK-161 is not easy and I would not want to spend more than my 73-key P-121 costed.

So I suppose I will continue traveling with a roof box for a while...

I'll give the Go Piano and the other options a try, though, if I see them in some shop.

 

I just bought a Go:Keys - same format but more sounds - for £130 slightly used on EBay :like:

Sounds great!

 

 

Yamaha CP70B;Roland XP30/AXSynth/Fantom/FA76/XR;Hammond XK3C SK2; Korg Kronos 73;ProSoloist Rack+; ARP ProSoloist; Mellotron M4000D; GEM Promega2; Hohner Pianet N, Roland V-Grand,Voyager XL, RMI
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There is a french guy trying to do a kind of modular weighted keyboard (like you buy two modules two octave each and you connect them together to get a 4 octave keyboard).

No idea if it works and how; this is the URL:

 

https://pianodevoyage.com

 

Actually, from the FAQ it seems that the first version will not be weighted.

 

Maurizio

Nord Wave 2, Nord Electro 6D 61,, Rameau upright,  Hammond Pro44H Melodica.

Too many Arturia, NI and AAS plugins

http://www.barbogio.org/

 

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I just bought a Go:Keys - same format but more sounds - for £130 slightly used on EBay

 

I just looked up the difference between Go:Piano and Go:Keys and here is what I found.

 

Both keyboards have the same synthy spring-loaded 'touch/velocity sensitive' key action - and are identical in almost every respect.

 

Specific to GO: Keys:

1. Loop-Mix function

2. 500+ sounds

3. it is RED

 

Specific to GO: Piano:

1. Damper Resonance on the Piano Tones

2. Metronome

3. Music Rest

 

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...I realised that 49 keys are indeed not ideal. Since I travel by car, I can fit 61 or 64 keys.

So I dropped the idea of getting a hammer-action 88-keys controller (such as Studiologic SL-990) and modding it to only use the 48-keys part (they comprise a left part with 40 keys and a right part with 48 keys). I could of course use more keys, but I haven't found any sensor boards (switchboard) for individual octaves.

I truly wish Studiologic made a SL 61 or SL 64 (with Fatar TP100LR action, which seems to be a good compromise between portability and feel.

 

But speaking about real products, my favorite choice would be getting a used VMK-161 (or a RD-64, which I'd have to try to re-package in a shorter case), as these seem to be the only options with weighted keys. But these units are rare and I've haven't been able to find one so far).

 

So, unless I'm lucky, it has to be semi-weighted 61 keys.

Roland Go:Piano seems to be a good choice, but I never played one, so I'll have to see whether I can test one in a shop.

I'm quite happy with the Yamaha C5 and other free Soundfonts on my iPhone, played back trough bismark bs-16i, so the alternative would be getting a semi-weighted 61 keys controller instead of my current 49 keys, but those with decent action do not come cheap, and even those seem to be quite distant from a real piano feel.

 

In the meantime, I also got two Fatar 61 TP/9S cheap on eBay ($10 each). I'm thinking of pairing one of them with suitable electronics. So far I've found the FatarScan2 board, and the MKE (Universal Midi Keyboard Electronics) board. The latter has MIDI out and the velocity curves have been "optimised for the Fatar keybed 61 TP/9", so that one should be ideally suited. I'm not thrilled by the action of the TP/9, but apparently it does not get much better than this.

 

Can anyone compare the action of the Go:Piano to the TP/9?

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If you're considering the Go Piano, have you looked at the Yamaha PSR E463? It is 2.58" longer but still only 37.24", under your max width, and it gives you a PB wheel and 2 fun knobs to play with. Am surprised at how decent the action is for a super inexpensive SW.

 

I feel you on needing at least 61 notes. I complained about 61 notes until I started playing a 49 note board (iRig Keys I/O), and have since realized 61 notes is the minimum number of keys I'd like to play on.

Numa Piano X73 /// Kawai ES920 /// Casio CT-X5000 /// Yamaha EW425

Yamaha Melodica and Alto Recorder

QSC K8.2 // JBL Eon One Compact // Soundcore Motion Boom Plus 

Win10 laptop i7 8GB // iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB

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Surprisingly decent. Even on the cheapie boards, Casio and Yamaha put a good piano in them.

Numa Piano X73 /// Kawai ES920 /// Casio CT-X5000 /// Yamaha EW425

Yamaha Melodica and Alto Recorder

QSC K8.2 // JBL Eon One Compact // Soundcore Motion Boom Plus 

Win10 laptop i7 8GB // iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB

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  • 2 months later...

Update: I've bought, and resold, a used Go:Piano. I didn't like the action at all, and the velocity curves also felt weird.

 

I realised I definitely need a hammer action keyboard.

 

So I've decided to ask a specialist to manufacture my own custom MIDI controller by cutting a Fatar TP/40GH keybed.

It can be up to 68 keys long, resulting in a total length of 98 cm.

My question is now, which 68 (consecutive) keys should I choose? I will be playing mostly classical music.

Mozart's own piano had 5 octaves and ranged from F1 to F6. Most 5 octaves pianos tend to be preset to C2 to C7.

So I feel that F1 to C7 might be a sensible choice. Besides, this was the standard range in 1800, before 6-octaves pianos became common.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

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I can't speak to the classical repertoire, but even as a modern keys guy, your F-to-C sounds good to me. It encompasses the typical 61-key range long associated with organ manuals and so many modern keyboards, the full 64-key range of a Wurlitzer EP, and the full range of a clavinet (only 60 keys, but F-to-F).

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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I don't see the [url:http://www.dexibell.com/prodotto/vivo-s1/?lang=en#1525703248246-3f27b6a0-8355]Dexibell Vivo S1[/url] in your list (I think it would be perfect) but it has semi-weighted action which you're not into.

 

However, you might consider the key range for your TP/40GH chop.

____________________________________
Rod

Here for the gear.

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Wow, that's quite a board and a price to match, $1,499. It's a little long for the OP at 43", and the lowest note goes down to an A. The sounds are stunning though, and at 18 pounds its very portable.

 

Given the overall quality, I would wager the SW action is pretty decent, even for piano.

Numa Piano X73 /// Kawai ES920 /// Casio CT-X5000 /// Yamaha EW425

Yamaha Melodica and Alto Recorder

QSC K8.2 // JBL Eon One Compact // Soundcore Motion Boom Plus 

Win10 laptop i7 8GB // iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB

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Thanks for suggesting the Dexibell S1, but it's too long (39.5" is a hard limit; I already have a Yamaha P-121 which is 43" and does not fit into my car) and semi-weighted is a compromise I cannot live with.

 

But I'll consider the A1-E7 range.

(there are so many note names: in this notation middle C is C4).

 

So now the question is: what keys are more important?

1) F1 and G1 (Contra octave); or

2) D7 and E7 (4-Line octave)

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