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Solely in terms of piano action, do you think FP-30 is a better option to go with instead of a Yamaha DGX-660? I am unable to decide between these two. While I am not concerned with the features of dgx, but I do want the piano to have that feel, while playing classical pieces. Unfortunately, at the stores in my place, instruments are not available for demo, as they only get them on order basis.
Also, is it true that FP-30 is not a suitable instrument for playing the pieces that involve fast trills, quick repetitions, frequent octave jumps etc? I mean, can I expect to be able to play advanced classical stuff if FP-30 is the only instrument I am practicing on?
Hi Vishal,
Of the 4 beginner level home portable pianos (the P115, the pX160, the FP30 and the ES100) I tried at the store, the FP30 was the only action I would have taken. I believe the ES110 is a good competitor for the FP30 in that regard. These models retail between £500 and £650 depending on whether they come with stands.
For that money, you could buy a second hand digital piano that would have a much better action. I paid £750 for my MP7. The CP4 might be a good instrument to get second hand, as it's action is good at fast trills: as it's not as good as the MP7, you might find something like that. Even a Roland RD700NX would be good. I feel about digital pianos much as I do about cars: never buy new, buy 1-3 year old models from a good house from someone who likes playing gently (Oscar Peterson style, not Horowitz lol). DGX-660 is an arranger digital piano. Are you're making arrangements and playing with accompaniment as a solo entertainer?
Have a look on gumtree, craigslist and ebay (or even Facebook marketplace) for a digital piano, slab or portable piano for around the range you're willing to pay for and let us know what you find!
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
I owned FP30 for over a year (and then got rid of it giving it as a gift). In this price range it's my favourite. Simple, portable, good speakers (much better than PX160, ES110 and P115). I also find Roland old SN piano sound the best from the pack. Actually, it was my favourite piano sound in digital until I tried Grandstage/Kronos and CFX in new P515. Prefer it over Kawai's SK-EX sounds.
Piano 1 sound has is a bit too hard, so I was using Piano 2 (Mellow) most of the time for solo piano. It has some metallic 'twang' when hit hard, but I believe it's quite natural.
Solely in terms of piano action, do you think FP-30 is a better option to go with instead of a Yamaha DGX-660? I am unable to decide between these two. While I am not concerned with the features of dgx, but I do want the piano to have that feel, while playing classical pieces. Unfortunately, at the stores in my place, instruments are not available for demo, as they only get them on order basis.
Also, is it true that FP-30 is not a suitable instrument for playing the pieces that involve fast trills, quick repetitions, frequent octave jumps etc? I mean, can I expect to be able to play advanced classical stuff if FP-30 is the only instrument I am practicing on?
Hi Vishal,
Of the 4 beginner level home portable pianos (the P115, the pX160, the FP30 and the ES100) I tried at the store, the FP30 was the only action I would have taken. I believe the ES110 is a good competitor for the FP30 in that regard. These models retail between £500 and £650 depending on whether they come with stands.
For that money, you could buy a second hand digital piano that would have a much better action. I paid £750 for my MP7. The CP4 might be a good instrument to get second hand, as it's action is good at fast trills: as it's not as good as the MP7, you might find something like that. Even a Roland RD700NX would be good. I feel about digital pianos much as I do about cars: never buy new, buy 1-3 year old models from a good house from someone who likes playing gently (Oscar Peterson style, not Horowitz lol). DGX-660 is an arranger digital piano. Are you're making arrangements and playing with accompaniment as a solo entertainer?
Have a look on gumtree, craigslist and ebay (or even Facebook marketplace) for a digital piano, slab or portable piano for around the range you're willing to pay for and let us know what you find!
I understand your point Doug, but unfortunately, it is difficult to find a "house" here, let alone a "good" one, as far as second hand option is concerned, and that too within my range of $1000. I live in India, and sadly, in general, here people aren't too much inclined towards pianos, western classical music etc; so its difficult to find a good second hand digital piano. Spotting a grand piano is a rare sight here, I am yet to see one lol. Regarding DGX, I am sure I won't be going for it, as I see its quite bulky, and I want at least some degree of portability.
Solely in terms of piano action, do you think FP-30 is a better option to go with instead of a Yamaha DGX-660? I am unable to decide between these two. While I am not concerned with the features of dgx, but I do want the piano to have that feel, while playing classical pieces. Unfortunately, at the stores in my place, instruments are not available for demo, as they only get them on order basis.
I own a FP30 but have never touched a DGX-660, so I can't compare them myself. But I also own an Kawai ES110, which is Kawai's entry-level DP, which is in our other flat in Amsterdam and which my wife uses, so I can compare those. Between these two, I personally prefer the FP30 overall although the sound is better on the ES110. Personally, I use a VST, Pianoteq running on a PC hooked up to the FP30 by MIDI to generate my sound instead of the onboard sound generator and prefer that.
Originally Posted by Vishal Pant
Also, is it true that FP-30 is not a suitable instrument for playing the pieces that involve fast trills, quick repetitions, frequent octave jumps etc? I mean, can I expect to be able to play advanced classical stuff if FP-30 is the only instrument I am practicing on?
I've tried a number of entry level DPs, including not only the FP30 and ES110 that I own, but also the Yamaha P125. So far, the FP30 has felt to me personally like it has the best keyboard action. I have tested fast key repetition on it, and though I am still a piano learner, so I can't say my key repetition is as fast as advanced pianists or professionals/piano teachers, but I have tested/used the following key technique in just the last week on my FP30, and found it works completely fine on this DP:
That is, I think my FP-30 would be capable of playing a Scarlatti sonata - now I just have to become capable of it myself!
Feel free to ask any other questions about the FP30. I made an post above this near the beginning of this thread.
Originally Posted by Vishal Pant
I live in India, and sadly, in general, here people aren't too much inclined towards pianos, western classical music etc; so its difficult to find a good second hand digital piano. Spotting a grand piano is a rare sight here, I am yet to see one lol.
I've been chatting with someone about this situation and personally have a lot more awareness of this now than I did some months ago. I know you are new here on PW - I would encourage you to stop by the ABF Forum on PW where one of your compatriots has been very active these last months. I've been very impressed by how she's embraced piano learning, classical music and Bollywood showtunes, altogether in a very nice and bracing package
across the stone, deathless piano performances
"Discipline is more reliable than motivation." -by a contributor on Reddit r/piano "Success is 10% inspiration, and 90% perspiration." -by some other wise person "Pianoteq manages to keep it all together yet simultaneously also go in all directions; like a quantum particle entangled with an unknown and spooky parallel universe simply waiting to be discovered." -by Pete14
[quote=Doug M.][quote=Vishal Pant]Hi Doug, I understand your point Doug, but unfortunately, it is difficult to find a "house" here, let alone a "good" one, as far as second hand option is concerned, and that too within my range of $1000. I live in India, and sadly, in general, here people aren't too much inclined towards pianos, western classical music etc; so its difficult to find a good second hand digital piano. Spotting a grand piano is a rare sight here, I am yet to see one lol. Regarding DGX, I am sure I won't be going for it, as I see its quite bulky, and I want at least some degree of portability.
Hi Vishal,
In that case, you could check out on YouTube the following models:
Casio PX-S1000 Kawai ES110 Roland FP30 Yamaha P125
You might be able to find a used model that you can import from elsewhere. I sold my arranger keyboard to a French woman living in Ireland. However, I guess these models at least can be shipped by the manufacturer into India under their responsibility.
In there is also the Casio Celviano AP-620BK Digital Piano which looks like a good deal.
Kind regards,
Doug.
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
I've tried a number of entry level DPs, including not only the FP30 and ES110 that I own, but also the Yamaha P125. So far, the FP30 has felt to me personally like it has the best keyboard action. I have tested fast key repetition on it, and though I am still a piano learner, so I can't say my key repetition is as fast as advanced pianists or professionals/piano teachers, but I have tested/used the following key technique in just the last week on my FP30, and found it works completely fine on this DP:
That is, I think my FP-30 would be capable of playing a Scarlatti sonata - now I just have to become capable of it myself!
Feel free to ask any other questions about the FP30. I made an post above this near the beginning of this thread.
Hi Tyrone, this reference was very insightful, thanks a lot. Achieving it would definitely require a lot of effort, but the fact that you have confirmed it will be attainable on this DP with significant practice, is a big relief.
So, shall I take it that, advanced pieces like- la campanella, or Chopin's winter wind, Ballade no. 1 etc, can be played on this DP, given that we spend a considerable amount of time on building the technique?
In that case, you could check out on YouTube the following models:
Casio PX-S1000 Kawai ES110 Roland FP30 Yamaha P125
You might be able to find a used model that you can import from elsewhere. I sold my arranger keyboard to a French woman living in Ireland. However, I guess these models at least can be shipped by the manufacturer into India under their responsibility.
Hi Tyrone, this reference was very insightful, thanks a lot. Achieving it would definitely require a lot of effort, but the fact that you have confirmed it will be attainable on this DP with significant practice, is a big relief.
It's doable but could tire your hands when playing louder. See this article. It is more doable to play fast repetitions softly on the FP30. Therefore you can work around this but simply adjusting the touch setting on the FP30 to "light" or "very light" which will allow you to reach higher dynamics without using that much key velocity. This would just be a workaround though, and obviously not ideal.
You can see many examples of the FP30 at work on more advanced classical repertoire on Youtube:
Originally Posted by Vishal Pant
So, shall I take it that, advanced pieces like- la campanella, or Chopin's winter wind, Ballade no. 1 etc, can be played on this DP, given that we spend a considerable amount of time on building the technique?
It seems obvious to me that more advanced music would benefit from a even better instrument, but that said, of all the entry-level DPs, I think the FP30 may be the best for advanced classical repertoire, given that it has a double-escapement simulation which other DPs at this price point or below, do not have. This simulation allows you to play above the escapement, which is a technique needed for very advanced music with very fast key repetition that is very soft.
across the stone, deathless piano performances
"Discipline is more reliable than motivation." -by a contributor on Reddit r/piano "Success is 10% inspiration, and 90% perspiration." -by some other wise person "Pianoteq manages to keep it all together yet simultaneously also go in all directions; like a quantum particle entangled with an unknown and spooky parallel universe simply waiting to be discovered." -by Pete14
It's doable but could tire your hands when playing louder. See this article. It is more doable to play fast repetitions softly on the FP30. Therefore you can work around this but simply adjusting the touch setting on the FP30 to "light" or "very light" which will allow you to reach higher dynamics without using that much key velocity. This would just be a workaround though, and obviously not ideal.
You can see many examples of the FP30 at work on more advanced classical repertoire on Youtube:
It seems obvious to me that more advanced music would benefit from a even better instrument, but that said, of all the entry-level DPs, I think the FP30 may be the best for advanced classical repertoire, given that it has a double-escapement simulation which other DPs at this price point or below, do not have. This simulation allows you to play above the escapement, which is a technique needed for very advanced music with very fast key repetition that is very soft.
Thank you for taking your time for answering my queries Tyrone. I think you really like to help out the amateurs like me . I understand that at this price point, not everything can be expected, unless I increase my budget, which will certainly take a lot more time. I have had a PSR E-353 61 key keyboard for around 3 years now. And frankly speaking, I do not feel like playing on it anymore. Hence, I must upgrade to a DP, and I think FP-30 should do for now. As no matter how I think about it, I am still light years away from even attempting to play very advanced classical pieces. So, better I work on building my technique, and hopefully FP-30 will act as a stepping stone to my gradual progress.
Unfortunately, at the stores in my place, instruments are not available for demo, as they only get them on order basis.
I faced that problem with the Roland FP30 as well. But I was able to demo a couple of Yamaha and Casio DPs in my city. If you are spending a lot, planning a trip to one of the bigger cities (if you don't stay in one) for visiting showrooms might be a good idea. Also ask about the warranty and servicing policy.
Originally Posted by Vishal Pant
so its difficult to find a good second hand digital piano.
I have noticed that almost all major DP sellers in India (Furtados, Music Shack, Theme Music) are associated with Music Institutes that are generally sister concerns. During one of my visits, I saw an old DP (8-10 years old) that was being sold after refurbishment. I guess the client arrived via the music institute side of the business. Might want to ask about such things.
We had a power outage this morning here and now my FP30 doesn't want to power on. None of the lights on the DP turn light up at all. I've changed the outlet and it doesn't do anything. Could this just be a power transformer issue? Has anyone had this happen on their piano and if so, how did you resolve it? I'm planning on calling Roland in a few hours, but am wondering what they could possibly do over the phone.
across the stone, deathless piano performances
"Discipline is more reliable than motivation." -by a contributor on Reddit r/piano "Success is 10% inspiration, and 90% perspiration." -by some other wise person "Pianoteq manages to keep it all together yet simultaneously also go in all directions; like a quantum particle entangled with an unknown and spooky parallel universe simply waiting to be discovered." -by Pete14
We had a power outage this morning here and now my FP30 doesn't want to power on. None of the lights on the DP turn light up at all. I've changed the outlet and it doesn't do anything. Could this just be a power transformer issue? Has anyone had this happen on their piano and if so, how did you resolve it? I'm planning on calling Roland in a few hours, but am wondering what they could possibly do over the phone.
I hope nothing serious is in there! Power outage is usually not a problem. It could be worse if there was a short voltage boost before the outage as it could damage electronic components.
We had a power outage this morning here and now my FP30 doesn't want to power on. None of the lights on the DP turn light up at all. I've changed the outlet and it doesn't do anything. Could this just be a power transformer issue? Has anyone had this happen on their piano and if so, how did you resolve it? I'm planning on calling Roland in a few hours, but am wondering what they could possibly do over the phone.
I hope nothing serious is in there! Power outage is usually not a problem. It could be worse if there was a short voltage boost before the outage as it could damage electronic components.
I hope Roland put a voltage limiter in their transformer...
Ugh. This might accelerate my upgrade timetable! I hate to be under time pressure though
across the stone, deathless piano performances
"Discipline is more reliable than motivation." -by a contributor on Reddit r/piano "Success is 10% inspiration, and 90% perspiration." -by some other wise person "Pianoteq manages to keep it all together yet simultaneously also go in all directions; like a quantum particle entangled with an unknown and spooky parallel universe simply waiting to be discovered." -by Pete14
We had a power outage this morning here and now my FP30 doesn't want to power on. None of the lights on the DP turn light up at all. I've changed the outlet and it doesn't do anything. Could this just be a power transformer issue? Has anyone had this happen on their piano and if so, how did you resolve it? I'm planning on calling Roland in a few hours, but am wondering what they could possibly do over the phone.
If it was the UK I would suggest a fuse inside the plug. I wonder if there is an equivalent somewhere for continental Europe or the US.
Hello, should I buy a fp30? I currently have a dgx630 which I think it lacks in the dynamics and the control you have on the keys. I would like opinions on the fp30. If it's a good one, how is the action compared to clp(I have one on my piano class to be more specific is a clp220 and I felt like the weight of the keys is just perfect). How are the sounds alone and with a little tweaking. Thank you for your opinions!
I played only FP30 and Yamaha P-125 in this price segment and I found FP30 superior in terms of both action and sound. The sound of the competitor from Casio which I heard on the Internet once I didn't like at all.
I hope Roland put a voltage limiter in their transformer...
Ugh. This might accelerate my upgrade timetable! I hate to be under time pressure though
Try to turn in on in one hour again. Once it magically helped to resurrect one of my old DPs.
Thanks, I will try that. I need some "magic thinking!" LOL
across the stone, deathless piano performances
"Discipline is more reliable than motivation." -by a contributor on Reddit r/piano "Success is 10% inspiration, and 90% perspiration." -by some other wise person "Pianoteq manages to keep it all together yet simultaneously also go in all directions; like a quantum particle entangled with an unknown and spooky parallel universe simply waiting to be discovered." -by Pete14
This might accelerate my upgrade timetable! I hate to be under time pressure though
May it be a sign from above that you should upgrade right now?
Oh hush you...
across the stone, deathless piano performances
"Discipline is more reliable than motivation." -by a contributor on Reddit r/piano "Success is 10% inspiration, and 90% perspiration." -by some other wise person "Pianoteq manages to keep it all together yet simultaneously also go in all directions; like a quantum particle entangled with an unknown and spooky parallel universe simply waiting to be discovered." -by Pete14
A bit late in the game for this recommendation but I usually plug my DPs via a power surge strip protector i.e. DP-PSU -> to power surge strip -> to wall outlet.
Maybe one for your upgrade...not meant to say that am I?
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