Need advice on Digital Pianos

[Dan Worley]

I'm looking to buy a digital piano for my business partner, Carolyn. She gives concerts at churches and records here at our studio. The genre is Chordal Folk Rock.

 

Anyone know of a unit that fits this criteria, or comes close?

 

• Great piano sounds
  
• Very simple to use
  
• 76 weighted/or semi-weighted keys
  
• Light in weight
  
• Onboard speakers
  [*} Good display (she's has very bad eyesight)
  

 

As a plus, I would like it to be a good controller for the samplers and synth modules we have here; but if that's not possible it's okay.

 

Thanks,

 

Dan Worley

[Dave Bryce]

Anyone know of a unit that fits this criteria, or comes close?

 

• Great piano sounds
  
• Very simple to use
  
• 76 weighted/or semi-weighted keys
  
• Light in weight
  
• Onboard speakers
  [*} Good display (she's has very bad eyesight)
  

 

 

An Alesis DG8 fits some of the criteria - it sounds great, is very easy to use, has a spectacular onboard sound system, and a huge easy-to-read display - the biggest one I've ever seen on a digital piano. Plus, you can get a Sanctuary expansion card for it, and add all sorts of worship-related sounds. The problem is, it's 80 pounds...

 

I'm inclined to think that you may have trouble finding a lightweight piano with speakers built into it. Those require amplifiers - that's gonna take up some weight. The Yamaha P200 weighs a bunch as well (under 70 pounds). The Roland FP9 is the lightest at around 60 pounds, but it's sound system is the worst of the bunch by far, IMO, and it's also the most expensive one.

 

I'm not aware of any 76-note digital pianos with onboard sound systems.

 

Hope that helps some...

 

dB

[Dan Worley]

Yeah, that does help, Dave. Thanks. Looks like I'll have to give up on the onboard speaker idea. She and her husband can't go carting a 70 or 80 pound piano around. I wanted to get her something so she could also practice playing and singing without hooking a bunch of stuff up, or having to bring an amp and speakers along with her--guess that's not going to happen.

 

Okay, using the same criteria (sans the onboard speakers), what would you recommend?

 

Thanks again,

 

Dan Worley

[Steve44]

Actually the Roland ep-70 is quite lightweight, I remember selling one this past summer to someone who was playing in hospitals and old age homes, and she was a woman of small stature but was easily able to carry it around. It's a very simple digital piano - just 6 or 8 patches, with 76 semi-weighted keys and a decent stereo amplifier. The speakers aren't fabulous, but they work well and accept an alternate stereo input as well. It comes iwth the stand and is only $600. The stand is also easy to take apart and take with you, thogh it doesn't come with a bag.

 

Check it out at Zzounds:

 

http://www.zzounds.com/love.music?p=p.ROLEP70C&z=1051548705948

 

 

Other than that, all the 76 key Digital pianos don't come with speakers. Other models I can think of: Kurzweil SP76, Korg SP-100, and maybe the Roland RS-9, which is more of a synth, but has a piano section as well.

 

I think the Ep-70 would be perfect for you.

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by Steve44:

Actually the Roland ep-70 is quite lightweight

snip

[/b]I think the Ep-70 would be perfect for you.[/b]

 

Good call, Steve - I had forgotten about the EP series...not the best sound system around, but fine for many applications, and certainly good enough for monitoring.

 

Of the others that Steve mentioned, I'd probably recommend the Kurz...however, if she doesn't mind spending a bit more, try the Yamaha P-80. It's an 88, but it has an excellent piano sample, and a nice keybed.

 

Good luck!

 

dB

[Laurie Z.]

Originally posted by dan@earthen.com:

Yeah, that does help, Dave. Thanks. Looks like I'll have to give up on the onboard speaker idea. She and her husband can't go carting a 70 or 80 pound piano around. I wanted to get her something so she could also practice playing and singing without hooking a bunch of stuff up, or having to bring an amp and speakers along with her--guess that's not going to happen.

 

Okay, using the same criteria (sans the onboard speakers), what would you recommend?

 

Thanks again,

 

Dan Worley

 

Dan - I have to urge you to reconsider the DG8. I know this instrument better than anyone else ('cept dB), and it's absolutely unbeatable. Yes, it's heavy, but I manage to deal with it just fine. What I do is use an upright dolly to roll it right up to the gig, and the only place I need a hand is to help lift it into my car and then onto the stand at the gig. What used to be a 20 minute setup with my speakers (which aren't light, either), cables, etc....now takes 2 minutes and I'm ready to go.

 

BTW, the speakers are the Alesis studio powered monitors, and I can attest to the fact that they power a large room and kick any other onboard speakers butt.

 

The audience loves the sound, I love to play it, and the expansion cards are unbelievable.

 

There you go - my 3 cents!

 

Laurie Z.

www.mp3.com/lauriez (as of today!)

[marino]

Hi Dan,

 

GeneralMusic has a new line of pianos called PRP with a small internal amplification and rather lightweight. The 76 key model has an half-weighted keyboard that feels quite pleasant to me. I don't have a URL, but I know GEM is distributed in the USA by Peavey.

 

Or you could try the new Kawai ESX. It has 88 fully weighted keys and internal speakers, it costs a little more, weights a little more (40 lbs), and sounds wonderful.

 

Hope this helps

 

marino

[Dan Worley]

I thank each of you for your advice and suggestions. I'm still looking, of course, but I'm leaning towards the P80 because of its keyboard and weight. Having experience with mostly Alesis and Kurzweil, I'm not familiar with Yamaha's digital piano sounds these days. I have an old PF1500, and if I were to go by that, I'd go running off screaming with my hands over my ears. But that's not fair, due to the age of that unit.

 

From what I've been reading, I understand that Yamaha's piano samples are some of the best around. What's your opinion? Are they good, very good, great, exciting, boring, what?

 

I live in the boonies, so I can't just run down to the music store to check one out. I'll have to buy one, and if we don't like it we'll send it back, but I would like to hear people's opinions.

 

Thanks,

 

Dan Worley

[marino]

Dan,

the P80 has one of the best sound/weight/price ratios for sure.

However, since now you seem oriented toward an 88-key instrument, I invite you to check out the Kawai ESX. It's about the same weight of the P80, PLUS internal speakers. I've played it and it sounds fabulous, to me at least; in the same league of the bigger K9000.

 

marino

[Dan Worley]

Thanks, Marino, that sounds promising, I'll definitely check it out.

 

Much appreciated.

 

Regards,

 

Dan Worley

[Guest]

Yeah, the EXS Kawai sounds like it would be the ticket. I played one recently and was very impressed. It doesn't have a big display but it is a simple layout that would be easy to feel your way around on. The internal speakers are decent, although nothing like the DG8 Alesis. The action is very nice and the piano samples were, in my opinion, top notch and inspiring. It felt to me like it probably weighed in at around 35 lbs!

The DG8 is a better board, but weighs a ton, is much bulkier and costs about 600 bucks more. If you only need 76 keys Kurzweil makes a nice little semi weighted keyboard for around 500 bucks that, although it doesn't have real piano action, isn't too bad, is light, but doesn't have on board speakers.

[Dan Worley]

So sorry, I didn't mean to waste everyone's time, but now it looks as though we're going in another direction. Word has come from on high:

 

Dear Daniel,

 

Go ahead and try to sell the Taylor, the Alesis, and even the Martin. I

have the Kohno and Takemine that I play better, and we could use the

money for a much better keyboard. For recording, we can always borrow

one of Dale's guitars if we have to.

 

When we have enough cash, let's get a keyboard we both like.

 

C

 

You know, I've always wanted a K2500 (or 2600), but selling off this equipment won't give us enough to get one. Besides, my friend Dale (a different Dale) has one that I can use when I'm ready to lay down tracks. So that brings up another question: What's out there in the $2,500-$3,000 range that has 76-88 weighted keys, great piano and orchestral sounds, is an excellent master controller, and has tons of sounds available for it? Piano sounds and action are the most important things to me, but I would like these other features as well.

 

Thanks for all your help.

 

Dan Worley

 

p.s. it's nice to have friends named Dale http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif