piano headaches

[BluesKeys]

Napster, I don't think you are "giving everyone another headache with this kind of post." I just feel you are the only one that understands your needs.

 

I know on my Roland RD700 there are some darker more jazz or munchie gig piano sounds that would work. Though I am not pleased with the the bass sounds on it. I have an old Kawai K4 that has a very realistic acoustic bass that I don't have with the Roland or my Motif6.

 

I don't see you as being "snide or sarcastic" you have legitimate questions and this is the place for them.

 

Good luck in your search, I have heard good things about the Kawai and GEM though I have never played them. Do try a search of the forum on them you will find lots of good info.

 

Let's have a beer when you find one.

[K K]

Originally posted by Napster:

...the problem is I am an old Kurzweil guy (K1000) and might be looking for a keyboard that is really not manufactured these days. By that I mean that I am looking for more of a less bright acoustic piano sound as well as a really good acoustic bass sound for splitting the keyboard, which I may be forced to do if I can gig again. I've tried some of the usual cast of characters (Yamaha, Roland, Korg) Maybe it's just me, put I have had problems with the newer triple strike, triple velocity layered samples...

I still enjoy my old Kurz stuff (which has the same samples as the K1000) and also recently added a Kurz PC2XL (just back this summer).

 

I perfectly understand what you mean, as I also needed time getting accustomed to the newer samples. Part of the reason why they sound brighter is that they deliver a 24 bits definition instead of the K250/K1000 16 bits. So it takes time especially if like me you used to play those older samples/instruments a lot.

 

I mainly play classical stuff now, so initially, I thought I would only use the PC2X for pieces that needed a more "dry/bright" sound like for contemporary composers, honky stuff , etc. But after a month, I had time to do a little more programming on it and found that it's easy to get back the old Kurz feel (darker sound) with the newer instrument.

[Napster]

Thanks for the kind words. I have done a search and have found helpful information on the Kawai and GEM portable keyboards in my price range ($1200-$1500) They look promising. A Kawai dealer near me is getting the ES4 in very soon and I will be able to try that one. Maybe part of the problem for me is that I don't have the technical knowledge on how to tweak the acoustic piano sounds on some of the boards I have already played in order to get the darker sound I am looking for. There are some distinct disadvantages of being an old fart! I played my Kurzweil K1000 so long and was so happy with it that I never kept up with modern technology on the keyboards that were introduced as time went on. Oh well, maybe it's not too late for an old dog to learn new tricks.

Thanks again.