Jezebez Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Hello, I'm a dueling piano player. My bar has Yamaha CP33s. The keys and keybeds keep breaking and needing costly repairs. This is mainly due to spills and some players beating the hell out them. This is part of the gig. These keyboards get played a lot, by different players, and hard! Rock'n'roll all night long. My repair tech said the Yamaha boards use a lot of plastic and they just get worn out in various spots. It may not be worth fixing them anymore. Can anyone recommend some other stage piano models that have a good history of durable keys and keybeds? We require easy access to the transpose function. It needs to be a button on the panel. Preferably under $1500. I have owned a Kurzweil Sp-88x that has held up very well for years. (It's got metal in it!) Does anybody know if the S4-8 is just as hardy? Thanks for any insights! Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drawback Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 I don't know about the SP4-8, but the Artis not only has transpose buttons right out there (as opposed to being accessed as a "function" ), they are on the left keybed block. Probably the most accessible and usable on all DPs these days. Second to that would be the Yamaha CP4/40. Up there on the panel, dedicated +. Can't speak for any mechanisms being any more industrial strength than the above. ____________________________________ Rod Here for the gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dongna Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Can't comment on the CP33 specifically, but I've always been under the impression that Yamaha's pro-level keyboards have about the highest build quality going. I'm surprised to read that repair tech's comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonksDream Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I've long believed that pianos and drums in bars should be considered consumables and replaced on a regular schedule. They do it with glasses and point-of-sale tills. Why not with the musical bar equipment? Can't you class it as a capital asset, take depreciation on it over 4 or 5 years, and then replace it when it's written off? Instrumentation is meaningless - a song either stands on its own merit, or it requires bells and whistles to cover its lack of adequacy, much less quality. - kanker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
churchkeybob Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Hello, I have owned a Kurzweil Sp-88x that has held up very well for years. (It's got metal in it!) Does anybody know if the S4-8 is just as hardy? Thanks for any insights! Neil I've been playing a Kurz SP4-8 for the last three years. It's worked well for my use. However I don't think it would hold up any better then the Yamaha's your using now. Maybe contact a few keyboard companies and offer your facility for a durability test lab . ~BOB I'm practicing so that people can maybe go "wow" at an imaginary gig I'll never play. -Nadroj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuzikTeechur Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I play Kurzes and Yams. My Kurz key beds (Fatar?) have held up to my abuse and piano-drumming far better than my poor cringing Yamahas. Muzikteechur is Lonnie, in Kittery, Maine. HS music teacher: Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, History of Rock, Musical Theatre, Piano, Guitar, Drama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthaholic Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Keep in mind the available tech support in your area. If a drink gets spilled in your Kurzweil and there is no one to service it, it doesn't matter how good the keybed is. Maybe they should look into the cheaper Casios that get good reviews? The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
area51recording Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Man, I must be a wimp! Been playing better than 40 years on a whole bunch of different gear and have never broken a key on any of 'em, ever..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brettymike Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 They are probably abusing it because they don't like it (for certain). Invest in something seriously Great sounding and tuff (with the famous Fatar action) > The new Kurzweil Forte , also with the transpose button just above the pitch/mod wheels. Make them put $1 or $2 into a lockbox each time they play it to help pay for it. They will then realize good keyboards are not cheap. (Help your country by buying 2 Fortes ) Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Martin Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Many dueling piano bars nationwide now using Privia PX-350 or PX-5S. -Mike Martin Casio Mike Martin Photography Instagram Facebook The Big Picture Photography Forum on Music Player Network The opinions I post here are my own and do not represent the company I work for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthaholic Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 They are probably abusing it because they don't like it (for certain). Invest in something seriously Great sounding and tuff (with the famous Fatar action) > The new Kurzweil Forte , also with the transpose button just above the pitch/mod wheels. Make them put $1 or $2 into a lockbox each time they play it to help pay for it. They will then realize good keyboards are not cheap. (Help your country by buying 2 Fortes ) Brett I can't agree, Brett. If they are letting anyone get anywhere near these keyboards with liquids in their hands it makes no sense to spend more than is absolutely necessary. The other solution is to require all players to bring their own board. The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brettymike Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Insurance? , and a neon sign saying > "The piano player who brings drink near this keyboard will be shot , then warned later". They deserve what they get if they don't learn to keep drinks away from electronics , no matter how cheap or expensive. Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lekanout Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 What a good thread! Playing rock,roll...glissendo blues(etc)i thought some days about how my keyboards are on torture after so many hours of practise and gigs. Just my personal opinion about them(i own and played)all these in present or past): -CP4: Very good sensation about reliability -Rd800/Rd700 nx: Never had a problem but some vibrations appears.. -NORD(stage 2/nord piano 1/nord piano 2): Like yamaha,never had a problem. Very good! -KURZWEIL PC3K8: Same fatar series keybed,and same good feeling as NORD -Yamaha MOXF8: Consumer plastic and a good bang for the buck. So very good synth but the keybed (even if pleasant to play)feels plastic and i don't know if it will support all my glissendos in the future like my CP4 I trust more in the CP4 keybed. -KORG(3 sv1): RH3 problems....lateral move on the keys...strange reliability feeling! I had 3 SV1 and 2 of them had keybed problem(velocity response and cut off note) Kronos: I had a kronos 61 with reliability problem(os?,system?...i bring it to the shop after 2 weeks),and take another who was correct. But i have some pro and semi pro friends in france who had reliability problem with the Kronos heavy keybed.(well known issues) A good friend of mine bring 2 times his kronos 88 for keybed problem. For me today KORG is the baddest brand for reliability. That's why i bought so many different brands but never bought the last korg. In 25 years of synth buying,i never had a problem with yam and roland,or nord..and in the last years i had problems with 3 korg i bought(2 SV1 and a kronos 61) Just my story here,hope that helps. Korg was my first pro synth,but i loose all my trust in korg pro synth reliability now. ( i have in my set a high class level korg keyboard:the PA3X pro 76.never had a problem with it,but it's made buy korg italy) Nord stage 2 EX88,Nord electro 5D,roland RD800,Roland FA08,Korg kingkorg,Korg PA4x,Yamaha PSR s970 Native instrument maschine studio et komplete 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt W Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 What are dueling pianos and dueling piano bars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Stranger Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 ^^^^ Here is the wrong answer to your question. [video:youtube] PCLinuxOS user Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillplaying Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Ah yes. Blackpool. Just south of Fleetwood and that famous breeding ground for Blues and Roots music, the Red Marsh Industrial Estate Delta. Duelling Pianos - nothing to do with Jewelling Pianos which was a skill Liberace looked for in a piano tech. I'm the piano player "off of" Borrowed Books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brettymike Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Dueling maybe , not exactly any Antlers crashing together is there zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ( Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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