Noah DC

For what it’s worth as reference, I preordered a 73 from Sweetwater in January and last week got notice it’s been pushed back to late June/early July. Studiologic has been pushing back the date every two weeks for more or less the entire run.

I kind of don’t see what the problem is here? Seems good to have high-profile support for the development of more and better clonewheels across the cost spectrum, especially considering the inevitable increase in B3 scarcity over the long run?

Great stuff. I'd love to see a post on how you did that - or just a couple close-ups for inspiration. I might give that a try with my 18880...

*Just in case anyone is considering going this route, periodic reminder that it is not possible to play sitting down at normal keybed height using Invisible stands with piano slabs that are similar in height to a CP4.* Also, if any Mojo players are interested in the easiest way to add third-tier synth on the cheap, grab a Yamaha Reface CS for $250 and place it on top of your Mojo - setup couldn’t be simpler, keys couldn’t be closer together. You can even pick it up for a keytar solo, if that’s your thing. Behringer Model D also fits up there adjacent to an Arturia Keystep.

I mean, except for the internal power supply, this is exactly what the Numa X Piano is supposed to be (and what some folks who have received theirs are confirming that it is). If you’re using a magnetic iPad case, you can likely just drop it firmly on the top panel for a tight fit - a version of the “slot on top of the keyboard” that you’re looking for. I personally agree that the Nords and other costly, high-end boards are (often) overkill for most gigging purposes.

I don’t quite get the appeal of Gator cases at those prices. A Gator 61-slim costs 130 plus tax at Sweetwater, but you can get the Soundwear Stagebag 61, a much better gig bag with the same dimensions plus a padded shoulder strap that the Gator lacks, for something like 180 shipped from Thomann. I just bought an open box Pelican Vault v730 for 145 shipped. So the Gator prices just don’t add up - you can get better quality elsewhere.

Knox Gear Universal Portable Piano Keyboard Stand (Black), Accordion Style with Adjustable Width and Height 30 bucks used. I have one, I put the back of my Mojo 61 on it, it works well. Not sure why folks are recommending stands intended for other purposes that cost way more - I would just buy this kind of accordian-style keyboard stand.

Man, I pre-ordered mine in January and it’s not expected for another month at least. The downside of ordering at Sweetwater or other more popular dealers, I guess…

For what it’s worth, folks on other forums have found this same issue - see discussion below or the attached screenshot. Certainly hope there’s a workaround or a firmware fix - you could drop a message to Studiologic asking about it. https://www.supportimusicali.it/forum/view/8/44/92955/1/

It’ll be killer if that Studiologic computer plate is compatible with the Numa X Piano 73 - instant new real estate to hold an iPad for extra sounds and a Korg Nanokontrol for drawbars and various other knobs and buttons…

Bit silly for anyone to say these modules aren't gig-ready in terms of being able to protect them on the road. Just spend sixty bucks on a used Pelican case that fits it perfectly in foam like this one? That's what I'd do if I were buying one.

Been looking into this ahead of my Numa X Piano 73 preorder delivery (couldn’t tell you much re: the 88, though I’m sure some of this research applies). Just going by interior dimensions listed online, for the 73, the Gator Slim 61 is the closest fitting option for the least dough. But it offers no shoulder or backpack straps to support the 25-pound Numa. The Fusion F3-19 K 6 B fits perfectly with the included foam blocks in place and features both types of straps (shoulder and backpack). But it is out of stock and won’t be available from the company until July. The Soundwear Stagebag from Thomann also fits the 73 very well, isn’t that much more than the Gator Slim, and offers a shoulder strap. Can recommend this brand highly since I use the 88-key version for my Yamaha CP4. In terms of hard shell cases, the Pelican V730 should fit the 73 exactly right when you cut into the fitted foam. The Cabela’s Wheeled Tactical Rifle case should work as well. Both are 100-200 dollars depending on where you buy. Other hard cases are either much more expensive (I.e. SKB keyboard cases) or too thin in terms of height (I.e. the Apache 9800).

Dave Doerfler is selling this very thing in the classifieds right now

One of my favorite albums. Love this video.

Yes, if you plug in an iPad with one single cable and pull up Ravenscroft, it becomes a much better board. With that boost, it sounds as good as any other 73 key board you could find, in my opinion. Otherwise, yeah, it’s fine.

I found somebody selling one in the area for just a few hundred dollars and figured I had to jump on it - so I can confirm that yes, the P-121 would hold up just as well as any other board in a soft case. One thing to know that is not mentioned in many reviews is that this board sits somewhat high on a normal keyboard stand. That is because it is designed to sit normally with its custom stand (which you can get online used or b stock for as little as 30-40 dollars). See the picture below. With its stand, the keyboard rests on the edges and thus its height is normal for a piano. But without the custom stand, it rests on the bottom, elevating the overall height. This could be totally fine for you, but just a heads up. IMG_8086.heic

I couldn’t say if they have those particular boards, but my favorite music shop is Downtown Sounds in Northampton and they always have keyboards out on display - worth giving them a ring!

Sweetwater message I got last week on the Numa X 73: “We got another delay on the keyboard. Looking at Mid June now”

I would never have considered adding one of these bulky, heavy cases to my rig, but a few of these recent threads - and some upcoming gigs out of town that include van/plane treks - have me wondering about the gun cases. It is just wild how this particular area of the market works - Gator and SKB apparently just rip people off, selling essentially same product as the Pelican and Apache gun cases for twice as much without even marketing any keyboard-specific features to differentiate. Very odd/bad! For what it's worth, this Pelican Vault 700 case appears to fit the Mojo 61, and although it doesn't have wheels, it only weighs 16 pounds and has linear dimensions of roughly 62 inches, bringing the whole package in under checked baggage weight and size limits without incurring extra baggage fees (at least according to my untested estimating abilities). Here is how the V700 fits into an OB-6. For whatever reason, Adorama is selling a bunch of them open box right now for $89. In contrast, SKB appears to be just stealing money by charging at least double the price for all their 61-note hard cases. If I were going to get a hard case for some of the more compact 73-76 note keyboards like the CP73, I would probably get the Pelican Vault 730, which has wheels and is selling for less than most higher-end soft cases and half the cost of a Nord case.

Wonder if that MODX case would fit the Numa X Piano 73 when it comes out since it’s a similar size … was looking for a decent backpack strap case for it.

I gigged for several years with a used $200 Surface Pro 2 (ie earlier model than the OP suggests) and a Komplete Audio interface - never had a single issue running Pianoteq and Wurlie. Now that some boards have built-in interfaces requiring just one cable, my take is that there really isn’t any reasonable grounds to call an iPad or tablet rig any more complicated than, say, one of the hardware modules that are so popular around here. It’s a no brainer in the most basic sense. But, as always, to each their own.

Yeah, I guess it's all really just a matter of priorities. I see a lot of time and effort put in around here slicing and dicing the minute differences between various extremely expensive keyboards. This is a very legit pastime! And I do it too when looking for gear I'd play at home on studio monitors. But (again, just based on my personal priorities) it makes much less sense when you're talking about a board intended for gigging the way most people gig - i.e. in bars, restaurants, and small venues. No one in the audience or your band is going to be able to hear these differences in Wurlitzer decay or piano attack, etc. - or if they can, it is to a negligible degree. This adds a huge amount of relative value to boards like the Numa and other smaller, more affordable gear with built-in audio interfaces: they beat the form factor of boards costing thousands more and as of recently, the audience can't tell the difference in tone. Even if the audience could tell the difference, you can just plug in a $200 iPad or Surface tablet and with one cable and one click of a button, play Ravenscroft or Pianoteq, which sound as good or better than the $2-3k boards. This all may be way off topic (apologies) and I'm not saying that sound and form factor are the only variables - or even that the Numa X Piano is a worthwhile board (jury still out). Just making this one small point about how people often underestimate the very recent loss in relative value of expensive boards resulting from advances in sound quality and built-in audio interface technology.

Work Song - I like this one Oscar Peterson version.

No, I didn’t get an email (although it’s possible I’m not on the various listservs). I saw this through a social media post…

Anyone ever find a solution to this issue the OP raised? I'm having the exact same problem.