Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Kawai VPC1 in New York City?

I'm surprised that I haven't been able to find a VPC1 on the floor of any dealer's showroom in NYC. Kawai US can't help me. The authorized dealers in town don't have one on display. I'm reluctant to order one without being able to check it out first. Does anybody know where I can find one in the city? If anyone has a VPC1 they would be willing to show me, please PM me!

Thanks!

Maybe you can find a place where you can return it for a complete refund if you don't like it ?

Thanks, I'll do that if I have no other choice.

Judging by the comments by users within this forum, it is highly unlikely that you won't like it....as long as you are happy using software piano products to generate the sound and no onboard speaker system.

Did you try Sam Ash? They seem to have a broader DP/Synth floor stock than anyone else I've tried.

I did try Sam Ash. They have a great selection, but not for Kawai--only two keyboards, and the MP10 was in terrible shape, keys broken, etc.

Yes, it's unfortunate, however the VPC1 is a rather difficult model to demonstrate on the shop floor as it requires a computer with dedicated software, speakers, audio interface etc. - for many acoustic-oriented dealers, this is quite a large outlay.

Given that you have already contacted Kawai US, I'm afraid there's not a great deal I can suggest, other than to try an MP10 and a CA95/CA65 and consider the action to be somewhere in between.

I would echo the sentiments of dmd, though: in the 10 months or so that the VPC1 has been available, I don't believe I have seen any negative comments - other than the lack of pitchbend/modulation wheel.

Best of luck!

Kind regards,
James
x

And the choice of RM3II instead of GF.

Okay, that's a fair point.

James
x

My piano store has both the MP10 (with pitchbend/modulation wheels) and VPC1 on display and, to me, the VPC1 looks so much better without those wheels.

If you are mostly into playing (not mixing), then I think VPC1 has hit the spot. VPC1 looks like something that Apple (when Steve Jobs was still around) would have come up with.

Yeah, basically any time someone chimes in wishing for those wheels they are overwhelmed by people (including myself) saying they are wrong. It's not the right instrument to need to include those.

On the other hand, the desire for GF is universal.

I also think that the VPC1 is a very refined piano controller and I don't think that you would return it if you ordered it online. Most Kawai owners seem to be most satisfied with the piano action and with the VPC1 that is what you get. Another (minor) complaint I recall is the lack of Mac support for the VPC editor. If I was in the market for a controller I would buy the VPC1 in a flash as I really like the action in the Kawai pianos I have tried. Good luck!

Thanks to all for your advice!

K.

Lack of modulation wheel, pitch pend and inputs for expression pedals make it a no no for me as I would be using the VPC1 as a recording studio controller keyboard. I agree it looks very attractive but I think a computer-based instrument like this should have included all these featurees. I am very happy with my Kawai MP10 though.

Strange that, apparently, you find more VPC1s to test in a major German city (such as Frankfurt or Cologne) than in NYC...

Joking aside, to me the VPC1 has no major flaw at all. OK, a GF action might be nice, but frankly, the RM3-II (adding the third sensor to that of the MP10) is more than sufficient for most purposes. And I don't miss the wheels a bit - this thing is not a masterkeyboard for all kinds of MIDI and recording purposes (Kawai might give us such an instrument as well but then an updated mega MP10 with sounds, GF, full MIDI capabilities and controls might as well do the trick, for professionals needing such a thing, and for the rich among you). The VPC1 is for straight piano playing, period. And I like the modest price tag it has, that bit of the equation should not be compromised in updates, in my view.

My only (admittedly not major) niggle is well known: A curve editor for MacOS. Now where is our little Christmas present, James?

I'm familiar with the RM3-II action, but what is GF?

Kawai Grand Feel action, present in CA65, CA95, CS7, CS10 pianos.

GF is a more advanced sibling of RM3-II. The most significant difference are longer keys (to fulcrum) of GF, equal in length to the keys of shorter grands.
Because the GF action weights more and requires more space, Kawai have not used this action in any portable instrument yet, though, IMHO, a version of VPC with GF action could be very appealing to many customers.

Thanks Hookxs and PtJaa for explaining that. That is always the trade-off between something 'portable' and getting the best action.