Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Console vs. Stage Revisited

Hello - New to the forums, but thrilled with the amount of advice, reviews, and great information here. I could use some help:

I'm a longtime classical pianist with an upright piano that is more of a sentimental piece of furniture than a working instrument. I'm a Navy spouse, so many years of moving have taken a hard toll on it. To this end, my husband has offered to buy me a high quality DP that will move with us for the next 15 years (approximately 5-7 more moves). Where I am stuck is whether to go with the more portable stage DP or the console? In college I played more stage DP's when accompanying some singing groups, but that was a while ago.

I have tested and like Roland HP 302 & 305 for the sound, but not so much on the key feel. The V-Piano is just - wow - for sound. But again, still not enamored with the key actions.

I have tried Yamahas - not thrilled with sound or play (only my personal preference). It's been a while since I've played a Kurzweil - I'm searching for a local dealer.

I do like Kawai. Having sampled the CN33, CN43, and CA63, I feel like I would probably pick the CN43, ALTHOUGH I truly loved the key action of the 63. I'm assuming this is the same play I could expect for the MP10, which makes that intriguing. Alas, trying to find one to actually try is impossible right now.

So I'm stuck. As a classical pianist, I like the feel and consolidation of the console. However, you can't pack a console into a professional shell to protect it in multiple moves. I am not a stage player, although very occasionally I have played weddings.

My top priorities - high quality sound, good weighted key action
Bonuses - USB connection, midi abilities, recording abilities
Life needs - portability every 2-3 years for the next 15 years (crossing fingers)

This is a place holder until retirement from the military when I get to shop for my true piano. Thanks for any help!

Doesn't the top part come off of the consoles for shipping, and then you reattach em with screws or hinges or something?

Either way if you were going to be moving frequently from one place to another and didn't mind the techie setup, keyboards are pretty easy to pack up in a case along with the Speaker/amp settup. Pickup the stand you either made or fold it up if bought and carry that on out to.

If your looking for which is better id say the 43 would beat the mp6, but the mp10 would beat the 43 for feel and sound even though it gives you much less in voices (still if ur aiming for piano that's what it's got) compared to the 63, id prolly rather have the 63. I mean it's the same sound chip, same action and feel. But the 63 can do a lil more, plus it's fun to tinker with it.

I'm almost sure you can disassemble those home consoles though. However that could be a pain doing that multiple times to.

Then again if you have movers do it, peace of mind and let them carry the thing around. They usually weigh around 200 lbs.

You can, however, buy a new one every two to three years. There's also renting instead of buying.

You may want to try a Roland FP-7F. Very good action, built-in, yet admittedly not very powerful, speakers, very portable. Get a good set of headphones and you're all set.

May I ask why? These two models both utilise the same keyboard action (RH with let-off) and 'PHI' sound...although I expect dewster might question this.



Well, the MP10 and CA93/CA63 both feature 'UPHI' sound, however the MP10 features piano samples not found in the CAs, and offers far more flexibility in terms of sound customisation.

Cheers,
James
x

Piano Jenn, welcome to the forum!

Given your situation, I believe there are both positive and negative aspects to owning either type of digital piano, so I expect it essentially comes down to which model you enjoy playing the most. However, if you have any further queries regarding the Kawai DPs, please feel free to ask.

Cheers,
James
x

As I understand it, the only Kawai that can handle the CA93/CA63's excellent dual voice mode for (E-)piano voices, a high number of different voices (80) and also inherits some of the specific MP10 features is the new top-of-the-line CS9.

Thanks for the input! Truthfully, I found myself preferring the console models because it just "feels" right. And since I'm letting go of my beloved acoustic upright because I just don't enjoy actually playing it anymore, "feeling right" just seems the way to go. However, I am trying to keep the military needs in mind as I have watched several pieces over the years of moving get destroyed. How I would hate for my DP to suffer the same fate. We've been trying to figure out the best way - even taking it apart for each move - how to protect all of the pieces and especially the DP board itself. If I go with a console, then we'd have to really take time to figure out how to protect it the best way we can. And the contract movers that the military uses do not always do that themselves.

True, the layering of two different piano/EP voices can alter the sound's character quite considerably. However if I was interested in tweaking voices, the MP10 would still be the best Kawai DP to go for.

Ah, and there's nothing to say that 'Dual' mode (within the same section) couldn't be added to the MP10 with a future software update... [this is purely conjecture on my part]

Cheers,
James
x

Piano Jenn, most console DPs can be disassembled relatively easily by simply following the assembly instructions in reverse.
If you hold onto the box that the instrument is shipped in (including all the Styrofoam packaging, etc.), and pack everything away neatly, you should be able to transport the piano with a reasonably high level of confidence.

Cheers,
James
x

Interesting: personally, this would renew my interest in the MP10.