After an incredibly (for me!) stable period of gear ownership, it's time to make some changes...

I already had a couple of pieces that I've been meaning to get round to selling because they are basically surplus to requirements and never get used. But a post on KC a couple of months ago, and a gig last weekend, have spurred me to make more radical changes...

I played for a wedding both in church and afterwards in a marquee in a field at the bride's parents' farm. The weather was terrible and it rained really heavily and persistently. For both parts of the gig, I had to lug in and out the CP4, stand, bench, and a QSC K10 speaker.

After many months of being used to using the MODX8 (13kg) for most of my band gigs (such as Both Sides Now), it struck me that even at a fairly modest 18kg, the CP4 is no fun to cart around any more. So...

IN: Casio PX-S1000. A ridiculously light 11kg, this will be my new 'travelling' solo piano rig, with a new lighter monitor (QSCs are also too heavy) to supplement the built-in speakers. I've ordered the triple pedal and the case and they are due to arrive tomorrow. Is it the best piano sound ever? Of course not, but I think it's going to be perfectly good enough for the road. I looked at the 3000, but decided the lower model is going to be OK, as anything more sonically complex I have covered with the MODX8.

OUT: (Probably). CP4. I'm going to keep it for a little while until I get the next step sorted out, which will be...

IN: Kawai MP11SE. Aha, didn't see that coming, did you? But some will recall my comments about getting one – strictly for the studio – in the Nord Grand thread. I'm still a little on the fence with this one, feel I really need to play one first. But I don't have the room for a grand at home (or the money) and with the finances available to me, this is about as close as I'm going to get for a serious practice instrument.

OUT: Hammond SK1. Farewell, faithful servant. Much as I prefer the Hammond's organ sound and its touch, my Nord Electro 5D 73 can cover all those bases, does better on extra voices and is a viable 'one keyboard' portable solution for very tricky gigs.

OUT: Kurzweil PC361. I've had a hell of a lot of mileage out of this synth, and it owes me nothing, but it's not getting played and just taking up space.

OUT: Tyros 5. Great for what it is, but a bit of an indulgent gimmick and it's taking up a LOT of space.

OUT: QSC K10s. Just too heavy again to be fun to cart around, and I no longer lead my own band to need a pair. So just one lighter maybe 8in monitor. Any recommendations?

I'll report on the Casio tomorrow, hopefully. Now excuse me, I have some serious sales photography to see to...

Never hurts to thin down the stage rig for practical reasons.

I was always careful with gear purchases. I had a couple of redundant pieces that I sold long ago. When I wanted to leave my Kurzweil MIDIBoard controller in the studio and use something else for the stage, I was not happy with the current stash of new controllers. Used MIDIBoards by then were cheap so I opted for a 2nd one for the stage. This turned out to be a really good move because I did not have to learn a new piece of gear and I already had a hard case from gigging the 1st one. Plus I can do my MIDI configuration development in the comfort of my studio and transport the MIDI sysex to the stage rig using portable media.

For my current stage rig I opted for as much rackmounted stuff as possible. Mixers, effects, sound sources. The danger was building a rack that was too heavy. I played many different styles over the years so I segregated different modules to each rack based on the genre I would need it for, with a central mixing/MIDI matrix rack that had the universal gear in it. Took a lot of planning but it was well worth it. I also aimed to reduce the cabling during setup/teardown so a lot of the rackmounted gear is pre-wired internally. I built my own I/O panels; the panels are placed in the racks such that as I stack them, the panels are right next to each other permitting short cables. For the stereo signals, I opted for two conductor cables with TRS plugs/jacks. My interconnect cables between racks are between 10 and 18 inches long - very light packing and cartage, and very quick setup.

Stage keyboards were thinned down to a whopping three - master MIDI controller, XK3 clonewheel, and Andromeda. That's it. All MIDI controlled.

This is the most compact rig I've built, with the widest palette of sounds I could need. I wish I had done this years ago.

Good for you! I heartily recommend the QSC K8.2 for a lighter, more powerful monitor. The K.2 series really blows the original K series away, and I'm continually amazed at how good the little 8.2s sound.

Thanks for keeping us in the picture Aidan. Hope you like your new setup.

So your only non-hammer will be the Electro?

Cheers, Mike.

Adan,
I've got a K8.2, but I'm still looking for lightweight speakers known for good sound at a low price point, and two that have caught my eye recently-

Turbosound Inspire IP300, $399
- 2 x 6.5" + 4 x 2", the tweeters are splayed for more even room coverage, 122 db spl, so probably not suited for loud rock
- Bluetooth
- Stands tall at 28" so in some venues you wouldn't need to stand mount it, stylish looking
- Weighs 26 pounds
- Mixer controllable from iOS devices
- Good reviews for sound quality

Bose Pro S1, $599
- Under 16 pounds, battery operation for 6-10 hours depending on volume
- Excellent reviews for sound quality and volume, all with the understanding that this is a small speaker
- 1 x 6", 3 x 2.25"
- Bluetooth
- Hi/Low EQ and reverb on two channels! Wish there were more speakers like this that allowed you to keep your mixer at home! There's also switchable tone match which optimizes voice and guitar
- At $599 it seems a bit pricey, but for some folks totally worth it


Besides wanting small speakers to bring to parties/jams, I've been on the lookout for speakers that would be small/light enough to mount on my keyboard stand for an awesome stereo personal keyboard monitor.

Randy

A drummer friend and his wife, a vocalist, just bought a pair of the K8.2s for their PA on my recommendation.

The QSCs replaced a pair of at least 20 year old JBL Eons - either 12' or 15" - that weighed a ton !

They also replaced an old and large 16 channel Mackie board with the A&H Zed 10FX. Again on my recommendation.

They are overjoyed with the vocal sound and portability. If they do any gigs larger, they will hire a sound company.

I'm still generally ok with the CP4 weight but wouldn't mind having the Casio for certain gigs where space is cramped and you're having to maneuver the keyboard around various obstacles- people, tables, chairs, etc.

I spent some quiet time on the MP11Se at NAMM this year. No argument that it's the best stage piano action. The new sample sounds good and overall, there's nothing not to like about it. But after about 15 minutes the player connection and overall tone wasn't my thing. I did prefer playing the Yamaha P-515, although the action was inferior. You might want to check that out just for the heck of it Aidan.

I too was tired of lugging around a K10. I went with the EV ZXA1. It sounds fine for my purposes, but I don't have as much as a discerning ear as others here. QSC also recently came out with the CP8 which is a similar size to the EV but a few pounds heavier.

As keyboardists, it's our god given right and (and our duty as good consumers, keeping the economy flowing) to redesign our rigs as the need fits!

I keep telling my wife that.

MP11SE? Intriguing... No, I didn't see that coming, Aidan. I haven't yet explored the SE versions of the MP7/11, though I was quite enamored with the original MP11 when playing it at Sweetwater a few years back. I suspect the SE will be a monster.
The PX-S1000 sounds great in demos I've checked out; it has an older, refined sound - akin to a vintage Steinway. Looking forward to trying it out at Gearfest.
Much as I've also enjoyed the Hammond SK1, I can understand your focus on the Electro 5,73 instead. Having a versatile, multi-purpose stage instrument that also happens to be a clonewheel organ is more practical for many of us. I'd covered some gigs on an SK1, 73, but many times found myself 'hitting the wall' when it came to needing in-depth synth tones (plus a handful of bread-n-butter stuff the SK just doesn't have). And that's where 'seeing red' comes in handy.

Good luck with the subsequent gear sale. Looking forward to hearing reviews of the new gear, soon!

Cheers guys. Will check out the QSC 8.2 for sure, although the Bose also looks intriguing. Richie, I did in fact have a single ZXA1 at one time and like a fool sold it on. Ah well...

Dave F, hear what you're saying about the P515. Certainly a contender. I also loved the Kawai MP7 in the studio when I briefly had it (proved too heavy for on the road), so I'm hoping the MP11SE will suit me. If it doesn't, I kind of already know that the little brother MP7SE could well be an option. I certainly don't want to buy the MP11SE without playing it as it will be a heavy bugger to pack back up and return!

Looking forward to the Casio's arrival tomorrow – watch this space.

I supplement my Casio PXS3000 ( which I love) with a 17 lb (8 kilos) customized Fender Rumble 40 amp which I love ; see signature below.

Have you (or any forumite) tried/used the kawai es110 for gigging?

Has your Andy been reliable? No fidgety panel changes resulting in sudden weird sounds?

I wish mine were reliable. With 16 voice multi-timbral and multi-mode it would make a very nice gigging board.

Every couple of years I have to re-seat the ribbon connectors on the front panel boards. That's what causes the abrupt panel self-edits. I also configured the knobs so they don't cause the panel to jump to their position, helps reduce sudden weird sounds. Other than that it has been reliable, and it's a beta unit.

Try an Alto TX8?

Great to hear, appreciate the info. Glad that an Andromeda is getting some stage exposure. Hopefully it gets an ooh and ahh from time to time.

I wanted to like it but the ES110 is impossibly over-bright. Every demo I've heard of it, it sounds like a damn harpsichord.

The doorbell went early this morning. I excitedly opened up and was handed...the triple pedal package. For some reason the bloody piano isn't rolling up until tomorrow, even though they were both dispatched at the same time. Damn you, FedEx!

I get lots of oohs and ahhs, not so much the Andromeda. When I first joined they asked "Do you know what all those knobs do?!?" That's about it. Our sound engineer gives us a lot of constructive feedback on how we sound, I get next to nothing so I must be doing something right.

As for gear lust, there's only a couple of gear hounds out my way. Not complaining.

I've never played the MP11 series, but I picked up a VPC1 a few years back. RM3 GFII is a step down action wise from the MP11se but that action is still excellent. Paired with Pianoteq it sounds excellent. I really dig the versatility I get out of Pianoteq, right now the Steingraeber 272 being my favorite model. The Rhodes models are also great.

The VPC1/Pianoteq combo is the best studio digital piano I've ever used and I'm very happy with this setup. I'm still using a 2009 Macbook Pro to drive Pianoteq, with no issues. So it's turned out to be quite a cost effective digital piano solution.

However, VPC1 is a little old at this point and I've not heard tale of a VPC2 on the horizon with an updated action. I think there are good deals to be had on these controllers now.

Technically the VPC-1 does not have Kawai’s premiere action as found in the MP11/SE. RM3 vs GF actions.

Looking forward to the return of the CP4 in 2 month's time.

LOL Bobby, you old cynic you Technically, it's gone nowhere yet!

Actually it might be a tad hard to find the CP4, at least new, around again.

I've never seen a keyboard disappear so quick ! Out with the old, in with the new !

Maybe there is existing stock around, but nobody seems to be talking about it online.

Agh. Now I'm contemplating changes as well. Agh.

seems like used ones, few and far between, cost hundreds of dollars more now than 3 years ago.

Congrats on your new rig Aidan! Let us know what you think! (Hopefully it won’t end up being the fourth time buying a Yamaha CP4...)

Looking forward to hearing how your new line-up goes Aidan.

I’m considering a shake up of my gear too, largely due to a slipped disc in my back. I’m thinking of surrendering my CP4/Montage combo for a PX-S3000/NE6D. The weight saver being the biggest reason, but also the idea of having in-built speakers is a huge plus. I’m about to inherit an acoustic piano which helps justify me letting go of the CP4 (still on the fence until I can try the Casio though). Look forward to hearing your report on the PX-S1000.

Hey Kayriss, initial thoughts are on the main S1000/3000 thread but in short, very impressed so far. I'm now pondering the external speaker question, and I'm quite tempted to look at the Bose S1 Pro. However, need to try the Casio through it. Fortunately, I now have a piano which is quite easy to take to a store to demo amplification!

I have QSC 8.2's and 10.2's, but for dining room/banquet solo gigs, I have recently been very happy using 2 QSC CP8's on floor in monitor position (on each side of my stool facing forward) on their default setting with my CP4 running directly into them via XLR cables. The speakers' projection is indirect, in essence, and when I've set the piano to play back a recording and then wandered around the hall, the sound seemed even and nondirectional, much like an acoustic piano would be.

The CP8's are each lighter than my K8.2's (21 vs. 27 pounds) and they are also a bit smaller (16.2 x 10.7 x 10.1 inches vs. 17 x 11 x 10.6), and of course, quite a bit cheaper.

I bought them to replace a pair of aging K8's used as stage monitors for our low to moderate stage volume gigs, but have really enjoyed the sound and ease of using them sans poles and sans pre-amp with the CP4 (with some very slight CP4 slider EQ adjustments).