difference between keybed on Kurzweil PC4 88 and K2700?

[LeesKeys]

Has anyone played both, and if so which do you prefer?

[Delaware Dave]

The K2700 uses the Fatar TP40L which is the same keybed as my Forte7. Nice action, lightly weighted. Organ playing is possible but not a great experience, it's fine for acoustic/electric piano playing.  Have not played the PC4 88 key so i cannot comment on the differences.  @Dave Weiser can probably speak to the differences.....

[CEB]

I guess I have played both then.  I now do a guitar gig and the keyboardist’s plays a Forte 7.  I have a PC4-88.  The Forte is better action hands down. It reminds me of the top line Yamaha Balanced action. 

 

The PC4 has a great deal of adjustability.  Every curve I’ve used comes with a trade off.    I find it playable. I bought it due to board weight.  You put in enough reps on the board you shouldn’t have any issues.   Gear is overrated. 
 

I set the board depending on material. 

[Mighty Motif Max]

They're pretty different feeling - if you're not playing a lot of uptempo music (ragtime, modern pop/disco stuff), you should be fine with the PC4's keybed. I however am not...having owned one since 2021, I just find it frustrating when I do a gig with it because the keybed just isn't where I want it to be, and the pianos also don't work for me really. When I first got the PC4 and was just playing slower pieces and classical stuff (no jazz/ragtime/pop gigs because of COVID), I actually really liked the keybed, as you'll find in some old posts from me. But over time I grew to really dislike it. If you like the feel of Roland's PHA4-Standard/Ivory Feel G keybed (Juno DS88, FA08, FP30/30X, etc), you'll be fine with the PC4. I'm not a fan of either. There's just a point where the action physically doesn't return fast enough for some parts, and no amount of finger strength can overcome that (think for disco string lines at 125bpm).

 

I'm actually planning on upgrading to a Nord Stage 4, which has the "M"/medium variant of the TP40 action in the K2700 - which is the "L"/light version. That's still not a super heavy action even in the medium variant, so I'm sure the K2700's is not in the same position as the PC4's keybed.

[CEB]

I'm with Max.  I like the PC4 on slow stuff, mostly old standards and classical pieces.  My favorite piano is #5 Recital Piano set to one of the Heavy Velocity curves (Heavy 1 or 2).  The piano darkens and brightens nicely according to dynamics.... but it feels too slugish for the stuff I do on Blues and Honky Tonk gigs.   When I set the Velocity curve to Light 2 the response is quick but the pianos becomes harsh for me.  Maybe I just haven't got it figured out yet.  I gig with curve Light 1 right now.  It still is harsh if I get heavy handed.

 

It's good enough to get the job done though and its like 28 pounds.  My other stage piano is like 60 pounds.

[Jim Alfredson]

The Medeli action of the PC4 is a nice compromise for the weight but the Fatar in the K2700 is far superior and more enjoyable to play. But that comes at the cost of increased weight. The PC4 is under 28lbs. The K2700 is almost double at 52lbs. 

[The Piano Man]

I have a PC3a8 with the same action as the K2700. It’s superb. You can feel the quality. It’s quick, light for faster passages but still solid and responds really well to the piano sounds.

 

I also have a Grandstage 73 which has a similarly solid action. It feels a touch more solid and piano like to me.

 

I own a Korg XE20 which has a passable action and, similar to what you are saying about the PC4, fine for slower passages but limited for faster quicker playing. It reminds me of the sluggish Roland actions. 
 

As often stated, if you can stretch to a couple of keyboards, you can have different tools for different jobs.

[Delaware Dave]

14 hours ago, CEB said:

Maybe I just haven't got it figured out yet.  I gig with curve Light 1 right now.  It still is harsh if I get heavy handed.

 

Ed, it sounds as though you dont like the PPP samples in the PC4 when you play heavy handed. This could be a result of the PC4's samples being a derivative of the Forte's monster large samples. If you go to the layer tab in edit mode you should see 6-8 layers of different samples, ppp to PPP (Pianissimo to Fortissimo). Eliminate the PPP and stretch the PP to cover the PPP, this should eliminate some of the harshness when you get heavy handed. Kurz samples are stereo so there will be a left sample and a right sample, so you'll have to correct both sides.

[CEB]

Thanks Sir!!!

 

[LeesKeys]

14 hours ago, Jim Alfredson said:

The Medeli action of the PC4 is a nice compromise for the weight but the Fatar in the K2700 is far superior and more enjoyable to play. But that comes at the cost of increased weight. The PC4 is under 28lbs. The K2700 is almost double at 52lbs. 

If I was going to use the keyboard at home only, I would have gone with the 2700. But alas, weight does matter.

[The Piano Man]

There’s always a trade off in this game.

 

You can it all but with a sore back or you can save your back and either:

 

- need to bring a wallwart

- need to use a sub par action 

- lose some keys

- suffer plastic construction

- plan for several trips in with various bits of gear

 

Or a combination/all of the above.