Best keyboard feel?

[m2]

Hi,

I've got an Alesis QS8, and I've never really liked the feel of the keyboard. Seems kinda squishy if that makes any sense. When you try to dig in dynamics-wise, it just doesn't seem there. I'm not the greatest piano player in the world, but even still, I think I play much better when playing a real piano, as far as timing goes. There's something about a "synth" and midi, etc., that just doesn't seem right.

 

Anyway, my question is, what keyboard do you think has the best feel, and/or is most like a real piano?

 

Thanks,

Macle

http://angelfire.lycos.com/rock2/3songs

[Dan O]

Hello ,

The Kawai MP9000 by far has the most realistic piano feel . It has a real grand piano action ! This does increase the weight of the instrument to over 70lbs which can be a problem . Yamaha P80 would be the next heaviest action in my opinion . However the the P80 does not offer many sounds . Dan o

[beduina]

I have now a Roland A90ex and

I love her feel.

 

sorry but I speak spanisk

[mwisniewski]

Try out the Roland XV-88 or RD-700/600

Also the Yamaha P200. I also like the

Yamaha P80 especially for the price.

 

The A-90Ex is really nice too but I had

a hard time getting one locally (San Francisco)

since it's discontinued. Ended up with the XV-88.

[Mezzo]

In my opinion, nothing beats the Yamaha p80 when it comes to the action.

[joegerardi]

I'll do the other side of the coin: In recent months, while out playing all the synths I could, I think I found the crappiest action out there - The Korg N1.

 

It's laughable that they consider that a piano-type action.

[m2]

The Kawai MP9000 sure looks like it could be the one. I was surfing around and found some user reviews, and everyone seemed very very happy with it.

 

Thanks everyone for the replies so far.

 

Macle

http://angelfire.lycos.com/rock2/3songs

[Sergievsky]

Roland A80. Really. Just ask anyone who has one.

 

Raul

[mwisniewski]

When my girlfriend sits on my keyboard, that's the best keyboard feel n http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

Now that's what I call music.

[b3wiz]

I have been on a piano hunt for about 6 months. Our guitarist manages a big music store and lets me test drive everything that comes in on live gigs. That is where the rubber meets the road. Many of the keyboards mentioned in this thread feel, play and sound great in a studio setting. But live is where playability is most noticeable because you are competing against guitar, bass, sax, drums etc, not to mention bad acoustics and drunks.

 

I finally ended up with a Fatar SL 880 controller and use a personally tweaked piano card in my Korg Triton for sound. While the Fatar seems somewhat light and bouncy in the studio, it just really gets the job done for me live. My hands fingers and arms just don't experience near the fatigue as they did in the other boards. When playing with other musicians, the Fatar seems to play more piano like than all the others even though, in reality, it really doesn't.

 

I realize that many other companies use Fatar action so I don't know if it is different than those or if, perhaps, it just responds nicely to my Korg pianos. The acoustics as well as the rhodes sounds just play really great on it in live performance.

 

What is very nice is the fact that Fatar is coming out with a new model and most of the stores are selling the 880 for under 500 bucks. That is as cheap as the 990 which isn't nearly as flexible as the 880.

 

Others may think I have a screw loose. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

[Gregg Seibert]

I will second the vote for the Roland A80. I have had mine for years and it still feels better than anything else I have found. I keep searching however for something that will feel like the Yamaha 7'6" (full concert action) that I had access to at one point, but alas, nothing still comes close.

 

Gregg