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Joined: Jul 2014
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I'm tired of pointing this out...but azpianonews is just a selling site. The guy fronts it as some sort of independent advisor but his 'reviews' are clearly intended to steer people towards the products he sells or can source with the biggest cut for himself. Naive people are on here quoting him all the time. It's depressing (to me anyway) but it also shows that his tactic is successful. I've not played them side by side so I can't give you an opinion. It's a long while since I played a Kawai RH3 action but I remember being very impressed. However I did play an FP90 on Friday. I was previously a bit underwhelmed by the PHA-50 action but I came away with a very positive impression this time. I found it 'squishy' and over damped at the bottom of the key stroke before but it was brand new at the time. Maybe it's because it was thoroughly played-in this time but I liked it a lot. The FP90 piano sounds lack that last 10% of realism and fidelity to a real acoustic piano but I would say they (just) crept over the line for me in that they are just about good enough to enjoy the piano and the impressive sense of dynamics and timbral colours you can get out of it. The EPs are infused with effects and they are a bit over-styled in my opinion. There's very little timbral difference between the four modelled piano sounds but the mellow piano was pretty nice. The FP90 is a nice little package. I would simply recommend that people don't audition it side by side with a Nord (or any number of other pianos, including the Kawai ES8) because the modelled sounds aren't quite there yet. In isolation the FP can certainly be enjoyed for what it does very well. A passable piano tone in a very responsive, enjoyable product. Bigbang has owned both ES8 (& CA67) and now the FP-90. His videos are quite a good comparison of the two pianos: you can hear a comparison of his playing on the competing products over a number of different musical styles, presumably recording with the same set-up.
Last edited by Doug M.; 08/27/17 06:50 AM.
Instruments......Kawai MP7SE.............................................(Past - Kawai MP7, Yamaha PSR7000) Software..........Sibelius 7; Neuratron Photoscore Pro 8 Stand...............K&M 18953 Table-style Stage Piano Stand Piano stool.......K&M 14093 Piano stool
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Bigbang has owned both ES8 (& CA67) and now the FP-90. His videos are quite a good comparison of the two pianos: you can hear a comparison of his playing on the competing products over a number of different musical styles, presumably recording with the same set-up. Yes, I've watched a few of his videos. For me the Kawai is quite superior sounding; it just sounds more natural and realistic. But having had another go on the FP90 a couple of days ago I can say that I admire the dynamics and more or less seamless development of the timbre as velocity increases. That's one of the traditional strengths of modelling. As with PianoTeq I think any prospective purchaser needs to decide whether the piano tones are close enough to reality to put that issue to bed so the strengths of the modelling engines can be fully appreciated. They do have the edge in terms of control of dynamics. For me the FP90 is just about across the line for realism, but only just. To play it and then go over and play a Nord Piano for instance (as I did on Friday) is very revealing. The Nord sounds so much better; way better. But the Roland's action is considerably better in my opinion and its dynamics are pleasingly linear and controllable. DP buyers these days face some interesting choices....
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Joined: Jul 2014
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Bigbang has owned both ES8 (& CA67) and now the FP-90. His videos are quite a good comparison of the two pianos: you can hear a comparison of his playing on the competing products over a number of different musical styles, presumably recording with the same set-up. Yes, I've watched a few of his videos. For me the Kawai is quite superior sounding; it just sounds more natural and realistic. But having had another go on the FP90 a couple of days ago I can say that I admire the dynamics and more or less seamless development of the timbre as velocity increases. That's one of the traditional strengths of modelling. As with PianoTeq I think any prospective purchaser needs to decide whether the piano tones are close enough to reality to put that issue to bed so the strengths of the modelling engines can be fully appreciated. They do have the edge in terms of control of dynamics. For me the FP90 is just about across the line for realism, but only just. To play it and then go over and play a Nord Piano for instance (as I did on Friday) is very revealing. The Nord sounds so much better; way better. But the Roland's action is considerably better in my opinion and its dynamics are pleasingly linear and controllable. DP buyers these days face some interesting choices.... One has the same difficulty in buying a badminton racket. 1) Opt for a flexible racket shaft with a heavier head (a lot of power), but sacrificing accuracy (i.e., a flexible racket stem with wide head for enhanced sweet-spot; however, making it harder to make minute adjustments) 2) Opt for a very stiff racket with less weight in the head (less power) but gaining manoeuvrability (i.e., the ability to create more angles, change the direction of the shuttle with control). A good player will make either style work: one chooses the racket to match ones style. Greater dynamic control is key to expressing a greater range of emotion; however, do you need it for Boogie Woogie?
Last edited by Doug M.; 08/27/17 07:37 AM.
Instruments......Kawai MP7SE.............................................(Past - Kawai MP7, Yamaha PSR7000) Software..........Sibelius 7; Neuratron Photoscore Pro 8 Stand...............K&M 18953 Table-style Stage Piano Stand Piano stool.......K&M 14093 Piano stool
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I'm tired of pointing this out...but azpianonews is just a selling site. That may be true, but saying an action feels heavier or lighter is not a knock on either board, as some players prefer heavier feel and some prefer lighter, so making such a statement would not be a sales tactic to push someone toward or away from a given board. Someone else could read the same sentence that is pushing TripleSharp away from the Kawai and see it as a positive. Personally, I tried an RD2000 (which I think gas the same action as the FP90) and an ES8 in a store, and at least based on that, would agree that the Kawai has a lighter feeling action. In my case, I preferred the Kawai's lighter feel.
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Greater dynamic control is key to expressing a greater range of emotion; however, do you need it for Boogie Woogie? R.I.P. the Boogie Woogie lovers out there:)
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Personally, I tried an RD2000 (which I think gas the same action as the FP90) and an ES8 in a store, and at least based on that, would agree that the Kawai has a lighter feeling action. In my case, I preferred the Kawai's lighter feel. I wonder if the PHA-50 feature ensures a non-variant keybed for different models. If they didn't shoot the RD-2000 and PF-90 top-view photos at different angles (why would they anyway), the keyboard of RD-2000 looks a little tilted backwards tailored for keyboardists (rather than pianists I mean). Could the key weights be also lighter than FP-90's?
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I wonder if the PHA-50 feature ensures a non-variant keybed for different models. If they didn't shoot the RD-2000 and PF-90 top-view photos at different angles (why would they anyway), the keyboard of RD-2000 looks a little tilted backwards tailored for keyboardists (rather than pianists I mean). Could the key weights be also lighter than FP-90's? The keyboard actions are the same. All piano key actions slant backwards, as if a marble placed on the keys would roll towards the strings.
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I wonder if the PHA-50 feature ensures a non-variant keybed for different models. If they didn't shoot the RD-2000 and PF-90 top-view photos at different angles (why would they anyway), the keyboard of RD-2000 looks a little tilted backwards tailored for keyboardists (rather than pianists I mean). Could the key weights be also lighter than FP-90's? The keyboard actions are the same. All piano key actions slant backwards, as if a marble placed on the keys would roll towards the strings. There is no slope in the keyboard of FP-90.
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...that is, according to what is seen on the photos.
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All pianos have sloping keyboards. All.
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All pianos have sloping keyboards. All. ES8: check.
Kawai ES8, Roland RD2000, Yamaha AG06 mixer, Presonus Eris E5 monitors, Sennheiser HD598SR phones.
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All pianos have sloping keyboards. All. Ok, you're right, there should be a slight slope, but don't some of them have more?
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All pianos have sloping keyboards. All. Ok, you're right, there should be a slight slope, but don't some of them have more? Not really, they're all much the same. Photos can hide or exaggerate it.
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Just ordered my Roland FP-90...
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Good luck with it. Let us know what you think of it!
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Thank you EssBrace, I hope so.
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All pianos have sloping keyboards. All. I think you will find that in truth all pianos have been put on sloping floors.....
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Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:34 PM
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Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:23 PM
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