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1. Travel bag
As I was looking to buy a Previa bag for my ES110, I realized, no, buy one that'll fit the ES520/920 as well, which is what I'd like to end up with.

ES110:
Width: 51.6"
Depth: 11.3"
Height: 5.75"
Weight: 26.5 lbs.

ES520:
Width 52 3/4" (134 cm) + 1"
Depth 14 3/4" (37.5 cm) + 3 1/2"
Height 5 3/4 " (14.5 cm) Same
Weight 32 lbs. (14.5 kg) + 5.5 lbs.

The Previa bag is said to fit, very snugly, the ES110. So no go on that, which is a shame, the Previa bag is $79 compared to the $169 for the Kawai SC-2 bag. Both have shoulder and regular handles.

My needs are simple. Wouldn't be used that often, mostly a convenient way of occasionally transporting the board. Though it would be nice to have room for the power supply, the music stand, and pedals, like the included sustain and/or the 3 pedal GFP-3. Price is the main issue, cheaper is better if it gets the job done (reasonable scuff protection).


2. The 3 pedal accessory, the GFP-3
I would always use the sustain as a half-pedaling sustain. But does the ES520/920 allow you to use the other two pedals for something else?

Thanks

Beyond the standard Soft (left) and Sostenuto (centre) pedal functionality, the left pedal can be used to alternate the speed of the Rotary speaker effect (e.g. when a drawbar organ sound is selected). On the ES920, the "GFP-3 Mode" setting can be used to assign different Rhythm Section functions (start/stop, fill-in, variation change etc.) to the left and centre pedals.

Kind regards,
James
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James,
Oh, so there's more that the 920 does beyond 520 in regards to the rhythm section? Are there more top panel buttons for the rhythm section on the 920?

Being that the es520/920 are going to be your all time best-selling boards (!), are there plans for Kawai to come out with a bag?

Thanks,
Randy

Yes. The ES520 features 100 drum patterns, while the ES920 has a full Rhythm Section with 3-part accompaniment, variations, intro etc.


The total number of panel buttons is the same on both instruments, however the assignment between the ES920 and ES520 is a little different.


The ES920/ES520 will fit inside the existing SC-1 gigbag.

Kind regards,
James
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Makes sense, use the bag that fit the ES8 and MP7SE. Given that the ES8 weighs 12 more pounds than the es920, it ought to be plenty sturdy.

BUT, that's a lot to spend on the travel bag. Any other suggestions out there?

@ Kawai James,
Didn't know the es920 had that up its sleeve. I'd already comes to terms with the lower price and weight of the es520, and wasn't that worried about the upgraded action. But of course I'd like the handful of extra sounds, esp the upright, and now this, some further degree of auto accompaniment. The lines are starting to blur! But budget will probably be the deciding factor. Coming from the ES110, the 520 IS a HUGE upgrade, so many essential things.[i][/i]

SC-1 has wheels so it adds weight to bag.

Hi ,

I brought a bag that fitted the es110

bag

Its the Gator GKB-88 SLIM 88 Key Keyboard Slim Gig Bag.

I now have the es920 and it fits fine.

Bag 2

Yeah, I noticed. You add 15 pounds to the 520/920 and you get:
- 47 pounds for the 520
- 52 pounds for the 920

Thanks for that musicman!

I like the price and the weight, 7 pounds, and would be OK with it overall, EXCEPT that it has no shoulder strap. Dead lifting 40 pounds (bag + es520), or 45 pounds (bag + es920) would be no joke with only carry handles. I had a Nord Stage 88, and lifting that awkward 40 pounds was a bear and a half! Having at least a shoulder strap would make all the difference to me.

Many folks like wheels, which can be handy, but given the choice I'd like at least shoulder straps, and backpack straps on a well-designed bag is mighty handy for stairs!

Just now saw: the dimensions of the 520 and 920 are the same EXCEPT for the depth. The ES520 is 11.3" deep, the ES920 is 14.75" deep.

Given what a big upgrade the 920 is vs the 520 (action, accompaniment features, 4 band panel eq, more sounds including an upright, other?), I would have priced the 920 at $1,599 like it is, and the 520 at $999 or $1099. Though I suppose as as far as sales go, as a buyer you experience feature creep, and suddenly you're feeling OK and justified to go 'just another $400' more to get the es920.

Some research on the internet:

Yamaha YSCMODX8 (Yamaha Soft Case MODX8):
- Shoulder strap AND wheels
- Good reviews but they are far and few between
- $189
- 2 good sized pockets

May I ask where you saw this information, please?

It is not correct - the ES920 and ES520 share the same dimensions.

https://www.kawai-global.com/product_comparison/detail.php?n=es920,es520&ct=36

Kind regards,
James
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KJ,
Not sure, I looked at a lot of sites.

Randy

FWIW, I bought the Privia bag for my ES-110. It fits perfectly, but the bag is somewhat flimsy and I would think the Kawai bag offers more protection (although bubble wrap works wonders...) I have the same bag for my actual Privia PX5S though, with no issues. I can put the ES-110's music stand in the bag (on the bottom, below the keyboard), but that's about it. I doubt a 3 pedal pedal would fit in the pockets. Pro: it's really light and I can move the keyboard easily.

Yeah, was going to buy that bag for my es110 before I realized I WILL eventually get the 520/920, which requires a larger bag.

Funny thing, I don't have the box for my es110, and during a move 6 months ago, I did wrap it in bubblewrap! It works but is time-consuming and an 'inelegant' means to protect the board!

Yeah, the SC-1 for the 520, right? The thing with me is, I also own the MP-11 and really needed the 110 for portability (and current playing, as my MP-11 is 3000 miles away). I hope to take the 100 on the NYC subway to gigs with a trio (me on sax & piano, with a bass player and a drummer). I don't need the extras that the 520 has for that. Light is the thing!

Yeah, that would be a drag, the es520 at 32 pounds for the board and another 15 for the bag. At least the SC-1 bag has wheels AND a shoulder strap! I wouldn't want to go up flights of stairs carrying 47 pounds of awkward weight with just regular carry handles. Of course power supply and pedal(s) add to that weight. What else do you carry thru the subway system?

The lighter weight of the es110, 26 pounds, combined with the Previa bag, 3.5 pounds, is under 30 pounds! I think at a certain weight point, maybe 30 pounds?, a keyboard bag needs to be a little sturdier than what I'm guessing the Previa bag provides.

Wanted to report back now that I've got a case:
I bought the Yamaha YSC MODX8 (Yamaha Soft Case) for $188 vs. the Kawai SC-1 which costs $279.

The Yamaha bag gives you about 1/2" to 3/4" padding, so on the nominal side. No room for the GFP-3 triple pedal, but there are several 'slots' in a zippered pouch where a sustain and mod pedals could go.

I had to somewhat squeeze the es920 into the bag, but it works, and it wasn't an extreme squeeze. And I was able to put the music rest under the keyboard and still zipper it up.
Altogether I like it, but would love to fit the GFP-3 triple pedal in there.

JUST REALIZED i MADE A MISTAKE: This bag has no shoulder straps! I won't buy a bag without them, going up stairs or unwheelable terrain is absolute misery with no shoulder straps. Guess I'll just order the SC-1 bag from Kawai.

Just received and tried out my new Kawai SC-1 case. Note, this bag is made by Ritter, and if you live in Europe you can get it for about 40% less than the USA Kawai branded case, and in different sizes. In the USA it goes for $269, a bit steep IMO.

According to their interior dimensions spec there should have been an extra 2 1/4 inches from left to right, but in fact, it's pretty snug all the way around. This design of the es520/920 with no protruding knobs gives some peace of mind for transporting it.

It looks and feels like a quality bag. Oversized O rings help you locate the zippers, an ample 3/4 to 1" padding all around, skate wheels that are doubled up, large zippers, etc. Unlike the Yamaha YSCMODX8 bag I returned, it came in a large box so it didn't need to be folded in half for shipping.

I'm glad I opted for a bag with the shoulder straps. With the GFP-3 pedal loaded in, the total weight felt really heavy, like, "I hope I don't have to carry or even wheel this far" kind of heavy.

The 'pouch', which is not a pouch as in an exterior bag that protrudes from the case, is the entire size of the bag. Can easily fit the GFP-3, the music holder, etc. Once you've unzippered the 'pouch', you can use it as one big space (could probably fit an electric guitar in it), or use one of the 3 pockets, one of which is over 2' (?) long. In the ad they barely mention this pouch, but they should, it's substantial.

Didn't like the price but I like the bag, and at under 10 pounds with shoulder straps and wheels and decent padding, it gives me some peace of mind as long as I'm reasonably careful.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Randyman.

Cheers,
James
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