Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards New Mp11 Delivered and brief overview

After lurking on this board reading reviews for a couple months. I thought I might
Give hopefully a little useful information back.

At a few days of playing being a new MP11 owner I can give just an overview opinion.

First a visual impression:
Pleasing to the eye, not over cluttered, very simple construction, yet I find good quality.
No injection molded plastic. Manual says all aluminum and metal materials used and the bends / corners are crisp, with no unsightly joints. Top surface of keyboard: I would guess material (Aluminum) and Finish: looks to be black lacquered sprayed or powder coated.

The on/off rocker switch freaked me a little on first turning on. Not a true rocker it springs back, and now I find it better than a standard rocker switch.

While no one board can be everything to everyone, my main criteria was keyboard action without having to buy a big piece of furniture to get it. When testing keybed action(including materials used) as a whole on the higher end slabs and going from stage to stage keyboard, I personally found yeah one action might be better in this regard and this other brand a tad better for that. None stood out, in my opinion, as head and shoulders clear winner.

Enter the MP11

I have only a few days playing this keyboard and (let me say I am far from an expert for reviewing) I find the action very enjoyable. I was then thinking how to micro evaluated the action as a whole, the let off, key pressure, etc., but there is really no need to. Naturally I haven't looked inside, but Kawai's diagram's of material and construction not only look good on paper, it performs as well. Materials used are not make believe wood or plastic resin or whatever’s being used to save weight. Keys, both black and white feel nice. I find playing various technicals easily accomplished and feeling quite realistic.

Sound of AP's I like and really that’s what I’ll be using most. The bass options are looking like fun and I think sound very good. I'm playing the MP11 through Presonus Eris 8 monitors 90% of the time and HiFiman 400 headphones the rest of time. In the future I can see I’ll want to try using software. Don’t really want to be bothered with that now.

Haven’t toyed with the different sound and hammer etc. adjustments to fine tune, but this adjustment option reads very desirable and nice to have. Also display is more than adequate. I haven’t dived into the menu system yet. Probably right now will not be using this board to its fullest, but there’s no worries about that with me.

Overall quite pleased and very happy I waited.

Gumbysgroove…

Congratulations and thanks for the overview! Keep us posted with any new impressions you may have as become even more acquainted with the MP11!

Play On!

Congrats! I have to wait another week until I'm back in town to mess with mine more. What stand do you have? Isn't it just a pleasure to play?

Gumbysgroove, thank you for sharing your thoughts.

I will certainly pass on this positive feedback to the MP team.

Cheers,
James
x

Congrats! You are obviously very happy with your choice of instrument. It's got a brilliant action.

Gumbysgroove,

Congrats! I'm very interested in hear your experiences going forward.

One question... It appears that the power switch is on the back. Is that the only power switch? Also, does it power off automatically? I.e. do you have to keep reaching to the back to power it on?

Thanks,

Dan.

I can perhaps answer this, if I may...

There is only one power switch on the MP11, and this is located on the rear of the instrument, to the right. Unlike the previous generation MP models, the power switch does not 'latch' into position - you push the switch to turn the instrument on, and again to turn it off. It is therefore not possible to leave the power switch in the 'on' position and turn the instrument on/off by using an extension cable with a separate power switch.

In order to conform with EU energy efficiency regulations, the MP11 will turn off automatically after a defined period of inactivity, although this function can be disabled in the SYSTEM menu.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
James
x

James,

Thanks for the feedback. This is the info I need.

Where I will be installing the MP11 is directly under wall mounted shelves. Once in place, it would be very difficult to turn on the piano except to crawl under it, and reach up and behind to access the switch. I.e. NO access from the top and sides. Leaving it powered up at all times is pretty much the only alternative for me.

Below is a pic of my current workstation from a few months ago. Now there are two Rokit 5's and a Rokit Subwoofer stuffed in there, along with lots of sound insulation. The top of the piano is about 1" below the bottom shelf.

When I get the MP11, I plan on creating two small shelves on the left and right walls that stick out just far enough so that they support the MP11's little rubber feet. And I may build the side support shelves on sliders so that the MP11 will slide in an out. No sure about this. Also the bottom shelf shown will be modified to line up with the MP11's controls.

Any suggestions you have on this configuration will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Dan.

Linky to original size pic: http://danclark.smugmug.com/Other/Music-1/i-9pQRD9k/0/O/DTC_2013_0724_2.jpg

Downsized pic

I would mount the MP11 on a table stand on rollers and roll the whole shebang in that tight space. Best is to use rollers that can be locked.

Hello Dan,

Thank you for the image. It sounds like an interesting project that you are planning, and very efficient use of your allocated space.

I do not have any suggestions for your proposed setup. However, due to the power switch configuration, I would obviously recommend leaving sufficient room to reach the rear of the instrument - perhaps by allowing the board to slide forward.

Best of luck!

Kind regards,
James
x

Dan, I think the best solution would be to simply route a hole in the desktop right above the power switch. It will look neat enough. Lots of office furniture has routed holes for keyboard/mouse/monitor cables anyway. It will save all that messing around with sliding the keyboard forward and back each time.

Hello Dan,

Nice looking built-in setup. After installing the side shelves and MP11 key height sits to your liking (don't forget the height of the rubber feet about .5" or so) It's hard to see but you might have extra console height above the keys of your current piano you will not have with the MP11. That might be close to the 3 to 4 in. clearance between the top of MP11 and bottom shelf you'll need.
If not, I'd just raise the bottom shelf a couple inches if necessary (looks like adjustable shelving)
I myself don't install the factory music stand either but place a metal adjustable orchestra stand behind the keyboard and adjust the bottom of music shelf about 4 in. above top of piano, similar to what your music stand would be if raising the shelf a little.

Gentlefolk,

Thanks for the good feedback. Below are current pics of the workstation. Given the foam sound insulation and the speakers, moving the shelves around isn't feasible. I like the idea of a hole in the wood shelf, but I think that would be under the right speaker.

I think the best alternative would be to create a locking, sliding shelf for the MP11 to sit on. I.e. slide MP11 out, turn on, and then slide back in and lock. I believe James said that the you can set an option to leave it on constantly. That would also help eliminate hassle.

James, can you post the location measurements of the power switch - from the top and sides?

Thanks and regards,

Dan.

p.s. I think this should be my last post about my workstation because we're taking the thread off track.

Original, hi-res image:
http://danclark.smugmug.com/Other/Music-1/i-dg2t3V6/0/O/DTC_2014_0305_78.jpg

Downsized:

To clarify, the MP11's power switch does not latch, therefore it cannot be left in the 'always on' position. However, once turned on, and with the 'Auto Power Off' function disabled, the MP11 could be used constantly if necessary.



I would recommend measuring such dimensions yourself before proceeding with this stand project. However, this image should provide a reasonably accurate idea of the positioning.



Cheers,
James
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GG,
After thinking about your suggestion more, that might work. The key issue is first placing the white keys at the right height. With the Casio, the distance from the white keys to the bottom of the wooden shelf is six inches. That leaves a one inch gap between the top of the piano and the shelf.

If you wouldn't mind checking, what is the measurement from the top of the white keys to the top of your MP11?

Thanks,

Dan.

James,

That's a rough approximation Works for me!

Thanks,

Dan.

In your situation if you can't do the hole thing because of speaker-placement, I would rig up a sliding rod under the shelf with a U-shape in it, so that when you pull the rod towards yourself, the other end of the U pushes on the switch. This could be attached to the underside of the wooden shelf above it to avoid defacing your MP11. It depends how handy you are with inventing things, but I'm confident I could get this idea to work with minimal effort.

Imagine a wooden block fixed to the underside of the shelf, with a hole drilled through it that faces you. Through that hole runs a rod which your hand can pull on (maybe make a little bend for a handle). At the rear of the wooden block, the rod bends down toward the floor, and possibly, but not necessarily, another bend that can push on the switch. You could put a rubber boot on it so it doesn't scratch the switch.

I'd prefer this to the hassle of building a sliding shelf, but I guess it's up to you. The advantage of the sliding shelf is that you would have easy access to the connections on the back. But if you plan to set it up in a single configuration, I'd go with the idea I described above. Just gotta get a bit creative!

I'm thinking the weight of the MP11 might make it difficult to have a sliding shelf. You may not have a problem reaching around once you get everything in place and at the height you need. I'm with GG on this, try fitting it first and see if a solution is needed.

Morodiene,

I think you and GG are correct. From the white keys to the top of my Casio is 5". If the MP11's keys-to-top distance is 4" or less, my hand can probably reach the on/off switch. If you have a spare minute, can you measure the keys-to-top distance on your MP11? (That is when you aren't playing trills. )

Thanks,

Dan.

p.s. I may need to add a sliding shelf for the MP11 to sit on because at 71lbs, it may be difficult to move after it's installed. There are drawer sliders that can handle between 100 and 500lbs so they can probably handle the MP11's weight.

I'm out of town until next week, so I'll try to remember to measure if you still need it then.