HSS

Thanks for the well wishes guys. Yeah, I'm 65 and getting old is not fun and compromises will need to be made. I've been using my 40 lb. QSC K12 for 6 - 8 years to cut through loud band mixes when I can't play through FOH. Moving forward, I may only play loud gigs if I can play through FOH and just use small stage monitors, like my Alto TS310's or Yamaha DBR10, or even my B208d's. I may start looking into IEM's as well. FWIW... My left knee was messed up in 1998 in Texas, when I was loading a beastly 60 lb. Roland KC500. I promptly sold it and went with lighter more portable powered speakers after that. 25 years later, it looks like a 40 lb. K12 did a number on my other knee. Anyway, sorry for my navel gazing and venting on y' all.

My QSC K12 I was a carrying is OK but my right knee is not. Now both knees are toast. I'm too old for this crap. I need to rethink what I have left of my musical life. I have a rehearsal with another band in about an hour. Lesson learned... I'm taking a little 15lb Behringer 208d and a 15lb Numa Compact 2x to it. Sorry for my girlyman whining.

I've never laid hands on a VC but as mentioned previously, it gets consistently good reviews for its AP action relative to other SW actions. Even though I know that opinions about action are highly subjective, for those in the know, do you consider the VC's action for AP playing as good as or better than the old Kurz SP4-7's, which I like a lot, and the Numa Compact 2x's, which I consider acceptable? Again, thanks.

Thanks for your prompt and thorough replies AnotherScott and jejefunkyman.

I didn't pay much attention to the VC before because I've had a Nord 5d 73 and Numa Compact 2x for about 5 years and they more or less occupy the same niche as the VC as a portable Swiss Army knife with gig worthy bread and butter sounds. Now that the price of the VC has come way down, I'm interested, especially because of the consistently good reviews about its action for piano playing. I already understand from online user reviews that it's generally thought to have good AP's and excellent EP's, but there seems to be a wide range of opinions about the quality of its B3 emulation. In the context of the above, I have a few basic questions about the VC for those in the know. I'm sorry if the answers to my questions are already widely known (or possibly buried in other threads). 1. Can the VC do a basic split and, if so, is the spit point adjustable? 2. Is there library of additional sounds from Korg that can be downloaded into the board like the Nord 5d and Numa Compact 2x? 3. How does the VC's basic B3 emulation and internal Leslie sim compare to the Nord 5D's and Numa Compact 2x's (new upgraded Leslie sim)? Can the VC's Leslie sim be toggled on/off with a sustain pedal? I think I already understand that the VC has a single option for C/V and percussion which can merely be turned on or off. 4. Are the VC's LED drawbars responsive enough for rapid changes on the fly while playing live? How do they compare to Nord's LED drawbars? 5. Can the VC's organ sound be ported to a separate output to run an external Leslie sim without effecting the other sounds? Thanks.

Probably not because I'm old, ugly, untalented, and have stinky feet. On the other hand, I'm house trained and cheap to feed, so you never know.

My old man told me when I was a teenager that drinking PBR, Falstaff, or Busch would put hair on my chest and make 'em hang low. It didn't work so now when I occasionally drink beer, I tend to go for trappist beers, with Maredsous being my preferred poison. In terms of home grown Murican beers, Shiner Bock is my favorite. I never jumped on the craft beer bandwagon. It seemed too trendy, and I have an admittedly irrational phobia about anything that's trendy. Interestingly enough this phobia excludes keyboards where I GAS for anything that's hip.

After the most recent update, I'm a very happy camper now that Studiologic has at least improved the NC2x's Leslie sim which was by far my biggest complaint. Any other improvements are gravy as far as I'm concerned. Yes, there are other things that can certainly be improved on the NC2x but at its price point IMO folks may be expecting too much. Again, good job Studiologic.

I just did the new update on my Numa Compact 2x. Studiologic fixed my biggest issues which were the unchangeable way-too-fast rotary sim and the overdrive. There are some other nice goodies in the update as well (e.g. leakage adjustment, mic position, choice of two organ models, triggering rotary with sustain pedal, etc.). IMHO the Numa Compact 2x just became an even better deal at its price point. Thank you Studiologic! 👍

I don't know... The basic concept of a keyboard with decent size keys that folds in half has been around at least since the Vax77. Maybe the big manufacturers think there's not enough of a market.

I'm leaning towards the Finger Dance board. Although it's slightly less compact (7.75 vs. 6.5" width & 4.5 vs. 2.9" folded height) and its action is a lot springier than the Konix, it's got closer to full size keys in terms of length (5.5 vs. 4.9"), more vertical key travel (~10 vs. 7mm), and a slightly better, albeit still crappy, internal speaker system (stereo vs. mono). As mentioned previously, the Midi capabilities, crappy internal sounds, folded length (~18"), and weight (~5.6 bs), of both boards are the same.

Yeah, IMHO they're both better that that folding two octave piano thing you mentioned which I believe originated in the UK. I tried one a year or two ago and returned it. But that's just my opinion... One of them, the Konix, has about half travel, while the other newer model, the Finger Dance, is pretty close to normal travel (~3/4?) but its keys are much springier. I confess that I haven't measured the travel on 'em; to be more precise maybe I will. The keys on both are full-width but a little short and become difficult to pay near the "fallboard" end but for me they're playable enough I can at least learn songs on 'em. Admittedly their actions are pretty bad but at least there is some degree of velocity sensitivity, perhaps three or four levels. Please understand that I'm pretty forgiving about actions, so what works for me may not work for others. Edit: I'm familiar with the Vax77. It's really cool but it was way too pricey for me when it was being marketed a few years ago. I'm unfamiliar with the "Lumi"; I'll have to Google it.

FWIW... I bought a couple of cheap "kids" folding 61 key pianos that retail for ~$130 - $150 each on Amazon. I only paid just 4$ and $6 each for 'em at a local Las Vegas Amazon return auction site. I also have an 88 version that I picked up about a year ago for only $11. Note: these are not the horrendous roll-up pianos, they fold in half Anway, their SW velocity sensitive actions, onboard GM sounds, and the internal speakers are as expected pretty lame but they are, at least for me, playable. The big plus for me is that they fold in half to ~18" long and fit in a carry-on (the 88 key version won't fit in a carry-on). Another big plus is they have both USB and Bluetooth Midi. They seamlessly recognize my old Iphone 6s and Ipad which I have loaded with AUM and lots of goodies (e.g. Ravenscroft, Korg Module Pro, VB3m, etc.). https://www.amazon.com/Finger-Dance-Keyboard-Weighted-Bluetooth/dp/B0B79D14X5 https://www.amazon.com/KONIX-Keyboard-Beginners-Electric-Function/dp/B09PD53NDX/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2DGOD4W6Z0110&keywords=Konix+folding+piano+61+key&qid=1675918224&s=musical-instruments&sprefix=konix+folding+piano+61+key%2Cmi%2C152&sr=1-1-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyQlBYUzBIUkgyRVlUJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDgyODgxMzVDRUhLMTJJSUdPMCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDc2OTIxMkU1SEpYOUhFMjVMOCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= I'll be taking one of them with me along with my Iphone and Ipad when my wife, son, and I fly to hang out in the Coastal Redwoods near Eureka Ca. in a couple of weeks during President's Day weekend, Feb. 17 -21. I have three gigs the following week and need to learn some songs, so I'll be in our Airbnb cabin woodshedding at night with the "toy" folding piano, headphones and MP3's. Edit: I'm hoping that one of the big manufacturers will pick up on this idea and move forward with it with better onboard sounds and actions.

I apologize for wandering off topic, but I'm old... IMHO here's a cool funky take on Mercy, Mercy, Mercy by the other Bonnie, Bonnie Bramlett. I really dig the piano groove / comping in this version. FWIW, like Bonnie Raitt, I suspect that very few under the age of 40 know who she is. https://youtu.be/tjthtfxRoBk

I didn't watch but I'm curious if Taylor Swift had a "wardrobe malfunction"? If she doesn't win any Grammys next year she might start having 'em and I confess I'll probably Google 'em. Yeah, I know, I'm a dirty old man. On a more serious note, I'm glad to see that Molly Tuttle received a Grammy. IMO she's a monster talent. I've been following the arc of her and equally talented Billy Strings' Bluegrass careers for several years now.

I love to improvise solos and challenge myself with creative ideas and technically difficult stuff in real time responding to the moment. It's an adrenaline rush and life-on-the-edge. This is also why I love to listen to and watch top shelf jazzers, and in private try to play jazz which I'm not good enough to play publicly. Unfortunately, IMHO the sad reality is that most non-musician folks in the audience can't tell the difference between a mediocre and a hot lick, and if one rips a highly creative improvisational solo in the middle of a well-known pop, country, R&B, or rock song, chances are no one will notice anyway and one runs the risk of cratering the song for a non-appreciative musically clueless audience. As a result when I'm playing a solo in pop, rock, R&B, or country songs, I improvise but I try not to stray too far. If there's sig licks, I'll try to replicate 'em or at least capture the feel (e.g. Sweet Home Alabama, Rockin Pneumonia, etc.). I play in some pop and rock bands, but my preferred gigs are in blues bands where I can improvise more. I love jazz and it's improvisational emphasis but I' m simply not a good enough musician to play it.

Yeah, like a helluva lot of other pissed off old Boomers I fell for the clickbait headline which was repeated on a bunch of sites. I made an angry "get off my lawn" comment on one of 'em. I then realized that I had been punked again by The Man who was laughing all the way to the bank.

I'm so old I even dig the slightly older Bonnie, Bonnie Bramlett.

It's a talking drum from West Africa.

"Wankfest" would be a great name for a couple of the bands I've played in. 🤣

42, which Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy says is the answer to everything.

Tommy Lee agrees. Just ask Pamela Anderson, Heather Locklear, and a bunch of other Hollywood actresses and models. They dug him because of his "huge" musical talent.

Jim nailed it. I really dig the YT video linked below of Otis Spann playing blues. Sorry if I've posted it before at KC. Otis' playing may be technically imperfect and it may violate lots of "rules" but damn it's got monstrous feel, at least for me. Edit: Despite my comment above, I went ahead and submitted some noodling to Woody trying to use just the six notes (C, Eb, F, F#, G, Eb) in the C minor pentatonic "blues" scale not as a way to express myself musically but as more of a technical challenge. I failed miserably because I was having to think too much because my fingers wanted to do other things. IMO, just as Jim said, thinking too much is the bane of many musicians when they try to play blues.

I'll give it a go as well. Nord's red color, like Kurzweil's purple color, won't help you with the babes. Nord's and Kurz's colors look Gay. If you want to score with the babes, especially at biker bars, stick with high-testosterone black boards with at most wood-colored end caps. And be sure and carry your gear in a bigly gas-guzzling pickup truck, not some girlyman van or sedan, or even worse an EV. And wear Tommy Lee wife beater T-shirts and biker or cowboy boots along with a keychain dangling off your studded belt. But then again, none of this extraordinary effort may help with the babes because you're still just a keyboard player. Disclaimer: I'm not Gay and I play a Nord and a Kurz and, until a few a years ago, hauled my gear in a Ford Focus station wagon. Sometimes I even score with my wife of 20 years.

I've had a 5D 73 since the beginning of 2018. I almost sold it a few months after I got because the pushback of the springy action, especially for AP, was very difficult for me deal with. I forced myself to get used to the NE5d's springy action and it's now my main gigging board for bands I play with. Having said this, I still wouldn't want to try to play more exposed, nuanced AP on it in a solo or duo setting. I thought about trying to swap the NE5d's springs out as others have done but I didn't want to risk opening an expensive board and messing with it, although I've opened up some of my of cheaper boards over the years and tinkered with 'em.