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Casio Privia PX-S1000 ($600) and S3000 ($800)


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Just had the thought-what about the PX-560? It is $400 more than the PX-S3000, but it offers alot for someone in this market

+ MIDI din plugs

+ Color touchscreen that gives access to many features, including sequencer

+ Pitchbend AND mod wheels

+ Pretty blue color

+ Possibly better ePiano sounds

+ Hex layers

+ 2 sounds for the lower split if desired

 

- Not as slim

- keybed / piano sound not as acclaimed as the S1000/3000

- No Bluetooth

 

I haven't had any 88 note boards on my radar because of the weight/schlepp factor. The PX-S3000 changed that because of the near universal praises for the keybed, piano sound and the low price point which would make it worth it, esp at 25 pounds. This would get me back to my piano roots, the pleasure of a good piano sound and action is hard to beat! The closest step up in piano action and possibly sound is probably the Yamaha P515, but its twice the weight and lots more money.

 

I play the 560 regularly and quite like it for a light weight "schleppable" 88k weighted digital piano with built in speakers. The Casio flight bag for it is compact and light as well. Just don't turn around and bang it into any doorways. No doubt its going to sound better than the S1000 or 3000 in just about all sound categories other than the acoustic pianos which are probably very similar.

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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I guess maybe I should re-evaluate the idea of going directly to the computer. Ive always heard that the audio interface is the better route though.

 

The audio interface is to process the sound from the computer.

Plus you board directly into your computer with the USB B to A cable.

Your computer then plugs into your Audio interface.

 

If your keyboard was older and didn't have USB Midi, that is when you'd use the audio interface to connect your board to the computer i.e. Keyboard>MIDI DIN in/out>AUdio Interface MIDI DIN in/out >computer USB in.

 

For now your easiest and cheapest is to just get the USB cable. Connect your keyboard to the computer.

 

Are you using PC or Mac?

 

If you want your audio from the computer to go thru an Interface there are plenty of interfaces that are USB powered for $100 and less.

 

Don't overthink the issue :)

 

Ok I think you solved my problem. I thought I had to go through the audio interface. I am using a surface pro which only has one usb...so I just need a cheap usb hub instead of a usb-b midi din thing. I knew I was missing something obvious...thanks!

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Just had the thought-what about the PX-560? It is $400 more than the PX-S3000, but it offers alot for someone in this market

+ MIDI din plugs

+ Color touchscreen that gives access to many features, including sequencer

+ Pitchbend AND mod wheels

+ Pretty blue color

+ Possibly better ePiano sounds

+ Hex layers

+ 2 sounds for the lower split if desired

Yes, good EP sounds. I prefer the PX560/PX5S EPs to those in the comparably priced Korg Kross 88, Roland DS88, Yamaha MX88.

 

Some other advantages over PX-S3000 from what I can tell from the manuals:

+ fully editable sounds (vs. only being able to edit the effects)

+ quicker patch selection (hard buttons for access to registrations; ability to group disparate favorites on to a single screen for one-touch patch change)

+ 3 very customizable assignable knobs (vs. 2 knobs with limited assignability)

And hex layers provide a lot of flexibility. For example, you're right about 2 sounds for a lower split in normal operation, but with hexlayers you can also go beyond that... more sounds, multiple split points, etc.

 

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 guess the deal breaker for me is that there is still that same plunkiness in the mid range. When you play a key lightly at around B5 or C5, it has a hollow sound that sounds a bit electronic.

 

This is the main issue I have with the piano in my PX-5S, and if it's still there it's very disappointing. I'll give it a personal test run in a few days hopefully. I appreciate the report LX88.

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Im thrilled again with this board now that David set me straight on the usb issue. Thanks again!!

 

I hear the digital thing you guys are talking about in the middle but I think overall the sound is plenty good and can be worked with, certainly for live situations. I mainly wanted this for a good feeling light weight controller for piano vsts etc. For me the Casio piano is just an excellent back up for situations where I dont want to use the computer or in case I have an issue.

 

Also I think the action is versatile enough (not too heavy) if I wanted to play a jazz organ gig or whatever.

 

Id still be interested to upgrade if they make a 5s successor.

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If you get the chance, try the preset tone called "stage piano". It's not on the PX-S1000 unfortunately, but is on the PX-S3000. To my ears, it has quite a different timbre from the concert grand preset. I'm not sure what "plunkiness" is, but the stage piano preset might be what you want.
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I'm not sure what "plunkiness" is
A rapid decay from the initial attack to a much lower level.

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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How come the Privia PX-360 is $899 and the 3000 is $799?

I think my 360 piano, Rhodes, speakers, and action are all good. I paid $729 for mine when it was new.

 Find 660 of my jazz piano arrangements of standards for educational purposes and tutorials at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas Harry was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book."

 

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I don't know. What makes it worth more?

 Find 660 of my jazz piano arrangements of standards for educational purposes and tutorials at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas Harry was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book."

 

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I don't know. What makes it worth more?

I guess a subset of what's listed for the PX560 above, i.e. these...

+ MIDI din plugs

+ Color touchscreen for quicker access to numerous functions

+ 2 sounds for the lower split if desired

+ hard registration buttons for quick access to favorites

 

...and from what you've posted, possibly better EP sound?

 

Though the new model has advantages of its own as well, of course. Depends what you need more...

 

I suspect that losing the touchscreen was a significant cost saving decision to get to the lower price.

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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Another Scott nailed the definition of plunkiness. Thank you Scott.

 

Yamaha digitals have it too, from the CP33 era, and many of the Motif sound sets. It's right where you don't want it to be - in the mid range where many melodies reside.

 

Roland seemed to be to able to avoid it, which is why I am keeping my RD300GX.

 

 

 

 

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Right, Yamaha has multiple graded actions (i.e. MODX8, P255, CP4 are all different), and multiple non-graded (balanced) actions (CP1/CP5 vs. Montage 8 vs. probably CP73). All balanced vs. graded tells you is whether the keys are weighted the same from bottom keys through top, vs. heavier on bottom and lighter on top. Theoretically, any weighted action design could be manufactured either way, depending on whether they use the same or different weights throughout the key span. This is why, based on the total weight and the nomenclature, I guessed that the BHS action of the CP73 might be a non-graded version of the GHS of the MODX8, etc.

 

Thanks for setting that straigh t... I was not aware of that...I thought all the stage keys (Montage/Motif - MOXF8/MODX hhad the same keybeds respectively and I thought all the Motifs had the same weighted one. Didn't realise they made different ones for the home pianos

There is no luck - luck is simply the confluence of circumstance and co-incidence...

 

Time is the final arbiter for all things

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I dont hear plunkiness in the Casio piano sound. Its a very alive sounding piano and the notes sustain nicely.

 

Are you guys judging based on the onboard speaker sound in a large noisy music store or what? I took my own headphones to GC but didnt have the 1/8 adapter so I ended up with a crappy pair from the store. Not ideal. Ive also seen keyboards at GC many times hooked up to those terrible sounding Roland keyboard amps.

 

If you prefer the Roland piano sound, thats fine. However, it is sometimes easy when you already own one brand to look for a quick reason to dismiss another brand when it doesnt immediately reach some magical, non-existent standard.

 

Ive been down the piano vst rabbit hole. Right now, I like the pianoteq Bechstein quite a bit but to be perfectly honest its only slightly better than many digital pianos.

 

 

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I dont hear plunkiness in the Casio piano sound. Its a very alive sounding piano and the notes sustain nicely.

This may not be representative of all the S3000 piano sounds, but you can hear it quite a bit in the Tom Brislin clip earlier in the thread (or

), e.g. in the section between roughly 5:00 and 6:20. Listen for when his right hand lands on and holds a note or chord, and your ability to continue to hear the held note/chord ring as opposed to it quickly disappearing under his left hand part. This has been common with Casio for a while. But then, to keep it in perspective, these are still budget instruments.

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 dont hear plunkiness in the Casio piano sound. Its a very alive sounding piano and the notes sustain nicely.

 

I can only speak of the PX-5S - but when you play an expressive legato melodic line in the area about an octave above Middle C (C5) the notes feel like they disintegrate beneath your fingers - decay too fast, and the samples in that region don't blend well with the rest of the piano.

 

For many of us this is a crucial area of the keyboard, and exactly the same area ID'd by LX88 as being weak on the PX-S1000. It's the first thing I'll check when I get a chance to play one. I'm hoping for the best, because I'd really like this piano to work for me.

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A question for long time Pianists/Casio users who use the keyboard on regular basis:

 

Does the keybed stand the test of time? Any uneven height deviations...say after 2 years or so? Obviously I'm talking about older Casio keyboards.

 

 

www.youtube.com/c/InTheMixReviews
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A question for long time Pianists/Casio users who use the keyboard on regular basis:

 

Does the keybed stand the test of time? Any uneven height deviations...say after 2 years or so?

No one can say of these new models, of course, but the only issue I've seen of the previous gen (PX-5S, PX-160/360/560, etc.) has been the occasional dirty contact. Most of us have had no issues with the action at all.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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IThere are 4 levels of string resonance and 4 levels of damper resonance if you want more sustain. It definitely makes a difference.

Resonances should not significantly alter the initial decay envelope or sustain length/levels.

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'm sticking with my PX-360 :) for now. And my Mojo 61 has become my main "players axe" ; Mojo 61 is so fine sounding now that I have a tube amp for my Right Channel and a solid state amp for my Left. Great jazz organ tone and a superb Rhodes!

 Find 660 of my jazz piano arrangements of standards for educational purposes and tutorials at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas Harry was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book."

 

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Bill H. describes the plunkiness phenomenon well. Notes that decay too quickly.

 

I never had a chance to demo the PX5S, but I have heard this characteristic in many Casios , which is why I have never picked one up.

 

For whatever reason, it happens in the B5/ C5 range predominantly, in Casios and some older Yamaha as noted above. Right in an area that I play A LOT.

 

As in clonewheel organs, it is somewhat of a deal breaker, the way chorus vibrato is to jazz players. I don't want a clonewheel with sub par CV, because I am always going to be wanting more.

 

So what I do not want is to buy something only to wind up chasing the latest greatest thing hoping it won't have " issues" .

 

I debated attempting to be a " nice guy" and not say anything.

 

But I thought... what would I want to hear? I value good information and that is part of the reason I come here for information.

 

 

 

 

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No one can say of these new models, of course, but the only issue I've seen of the previous gen (PX-5S, PX-160/360/560, etc.) has been the occasional dirty contact. Most of us have had no issues with the action at all.

 

Good to hear that. Thanks!

www.youtube.com/c/InTheMixReviews
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BTW I demoed the Casio PXS 1000 with a pair of AKG 240 headphones.

 

Apparently a lot of very valid artists are behind the Casio product, so by all means don't listen to me! I wanted Casio to work this time....So it comes down to personal taste and what you choose to support with your purchase.

 

If you don't hear the issues I do... by all means enjoy it! I would love to have a portable 88 that ran on batteries and weighed 25 lbs.

 

I think that the Yamaha Montage/ MODX / CP 88/ P515 is on to something in regard to getting beyond the deal breaker stage. In the budget category ( as stated above) the best sample I am hearing is in The Roland FP 30. But I haven't lived with any of these, just played them relatively briefly in stores. And always through good quality phones.

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The new Casio CDP-S350 arranger's DP decays faster than the new Roland FP-30... just played them side by side and checked that specifically ... if that is any indication of the new PX's. I'm not 100 %sure if they use the same samples and schema. I have a PX5s but have always midied my NE5d to it for piano sounds. I tend not to use it's onboard DP's...I like the wurly and synth section (Hex and Non Hex)sounds and some of the Rhodes on it and the action... it is a pretty good controller ... but there is the plunkiness factor in the DP's in PX5-S ... that is true!

 

but for $399 the CDP-S350 isn't bad for the price I must say and it navigated some of my passages better than the FP-30 which sounded considerably fuller than the Casio and had a much better DP sample.... But the keybed on the FP30 feels great for most playing but the key return is faster on the cheaper CDP-S350 and allowed me to play Big Chief without fumbling all those chrunch parts in that tune, a bit more articulate, at least for my choperoos... Casio did a good job with those actions...I like them, some folks don't I know . . there is something in there not exactly like an AP's action but I still like them alot

 

the FP-30 IS a cool little axe too! Amazing what you can get on the cheap now

 

 CP-50, YC 73,  FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122

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but there is the plunkiness factor in the DP's in PX5-S ... that is true!
It is improved with Mike Martin's alternate piano download on the Casio forum, which softens the attack (among other things)... it may not get you the decay you really want, but it reduces the sense of an immediate dropoff.

 

the keybed on the FP30 feels great for most playing but the key return is faster on the cheaper CDP-S350 and allowed me to play Big Chief without fumbling all those chrunch parts in that tune, a bit more articulate, at least for my choperoos... Casio did a good job with those actions...

I think that's why so many people also look at the Casios as controllers for VSTs/iOS pianos or as a weighted board to trigger pianos from a non-hammer Nord, etc. Of course, the latter is hindered by the lack of a MIDI jack on the newer models. But the former is still easy.

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 was at Guitar Center today to try PX S1000 and the FP30, which I decided was worth trying from YouTube videos. I'm on board with Casio S3000. I liked action more and the sounds were very serviceable (every DP is a compromise IMO.) Things I didn't like about FP30. Action with lighter and too bouncy and felt like a very shallow key dip. The Casio might have similar key dip but I didn't notice it (which is good IMO.) I really dislike the lack of effects on Roland and that they don't have 1/4" outputs. I understand it's how they market this level of piano but kudos to Casio for taking a different approach on S3000.

AvantGrand N2 | ES520 | Gallien-Krueger MK & MP | https://soundcloud.com/pete36251

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OK, finally made it out to GC to try out.

 

Was really wanting to be bowled over, have a divinely delicious pianistic experience, ready to move on from the synth and semi-weighted boards, most of which have been only 61 notes.

 

I like piano action 'cause it's what I grew up playing and 'cause it gives good control over volume, but it's been awhile since I seriously played weighted action Unfortunately I was NOT pleasantly surprised. Took a fair bit of exertion for me, guess I was hoping for something between a semi-weighted and a weighted. On the plus side, the action did NOT feel mushy and vague, and perhaps with time I'd get used to it and like it, hard to tell. Like someone else mentioned, the last half inch before you hit the fall board is noticeably more difficult to play.

 

The sound was coming from the onboard speakers in open space,and it was decent, but there wasn't much volume happening. I can imagine that pushed up against a wall there'd be much more volume.

 

Have to say, the form factor is pretty compelling, so not-deep, so light, so battery powered, and the music stand is solid.

 

 

So.... now that the PX-S series has opened me up to getting an 88 note instead of a 61 or 73 note board, I'm wondering what else out there has an action that I'd like and weighs 25 pounds or under- am wondering about the PX-560-

 

Ideally:

MIDI out / music stand / 25 pounds or less / audio in / battery powered / powerful speakers / action inspires dynamic expression / iPad friendly

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

Yamaha Melodica and Alto Recorder

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