Hi all,

About four months ago, I bought the VPC1 from Kawai to replace my Yamaha CLP-430. Unfortunately, there is no optional cabinet available for the VPC1 so last week I decided to build one myself. It was quite easy and the VPC1 was untouched during the process:



They construction is solid as a rock. I still need to paint it, but did not have time for it so far. I guess satin piano black is the right color for it, lol... Or maybe Kawai can provide me the colorcode from the VPC1 unit. I can and will make a tutorial in PDF, but I want Kawai's approval first. I will make new pictures when the construction is painted and finished. Cheers!

Really nice design Mick! Looks sleek and sturdy.

Nice design, and looks like a solid build!

Modern and minimalistic! LOve it. Have fun, it`ll be good whatever you paint int with . . .

Is there any small part of the case that you can remove temporarily?

Many paint supply stores (hardware stores, lumberyards) have an automated colour matching program. You put a piece of whatever you're trying to match into a scanner and it will tell you the exact mix of paint colours you need to get what you want.

I've used one of those scanners a few times to scan parts and match paint to it, and it works amazingly well.

Great job MickL!

Which part of the VPC1 are you hoping to colour match, by the way?

Cheers,
James
x

More than one way to skin a cat. And your cat's been skinned, bare!

Nice job.

Is the backboard 2 pieces of MDF?

Great job! I myself am interested in seeing instructions for this being streamlined into a PDF tutorial. I am currently considering replacing my ES7 with a VPC1. However the lack of nice integrated stand is currently stopping me but if I can construct something like this with a matching paint, I would definitely go for it.

I would like to color match any part of the casing. Are there different color codes used for those parts?

DP manufacturers and car manufacturers aren`t as fussed as you are, Colour coded (plastic) bumpers aren`t the sams shade as the body paint.
The stand on a DP may not even match the stuff round the keys. Black and dark brown suddenly become bedfellows.

Really doesn`t matter. `s not taboo . . .
Satin finish black emulsion. Get it on!
You can paint over it if you want to,
later on.

Wonderful job with the cabinet!!! Well done.!

AlbertoA, as I asked MickL, which cabinet parts are you hoping to colour match?

Kind regards,
James
x

Let's say the sides.

The side arms of the VPC1?

Kind regards,
James
x

Assuming Kawai has been fairly successful with sales of the VPC-1. I wonder if they'd consider getting one of their best actions into a road design. Proper Kawai graded hammer action controller built into a case. Like the Doepfer LMK4+
http://www.doepfer.de/home_e.htm

At the moment the only people doing weighted controllers use Fatar TP-40x or TP-100 actions it seems. Like the Native Instruments Kontrol 88, Studio Logic Studio and Concert, Physis K4/5

Elmer: What you ask for is pretty much what I'd want. I'd prefer a VPC in console form, but I could live with a slab ... if there were an optional, fitted stand.

I'd want a top-level action, lifted from a top CA-series or CS-series piano. But I wonder: isn't the action the most expensive part of the product? By shedding a sound engine chip, audio amplifiers, speakers, and particle-board cabinet, can Kawai strip a $4000/$5000/$6000 piano down to a sub-$2000 slab?

If they can, I'd buy one. But how many others will? I'm not a fly on the wall in the Kawai marketing department, so I cannot know.

Hi all,

Thank you all for your kind comments. I have been very busy with work lately and didn't have any time to paint the cabinet yet. I hope I have some time in the next few weeks. You will hear from me soon!

@KawaiJames: I have borrowed a color matching tool from our local paint store and no longer need a color code. Thanks anyway, much appreciated!

Happy hollidays

No idea about the GF2, but the CA65 keybed (GF1) in the MP11 is ~$1500 USD.

I believe that cost is due mainly to design, research, etc and not to the parts themselves. If this is not the case, I don't see how a GF action could cost USD 1500.
And for the same reason I think that manufacturers are reluctant to sell low end pianos (from sound, functions, etc point of view) with good actions. VPC is an exception to the rule.

Yep, replacement cost is not the same as pure manufacture cost, but I figure it would at least give a solid number to ground the discussion.

Manufacturing cost is mainly parts, labor, and shop-floor overheads. Overall cost includes the additional costs of distribution, warranty, and maintaining stock of replacement parts.I'm not sure what you refer to with that $1500 number. If you're referring to the manufacturer's rolled up cost, then that $1500 cost would have to be marked up well over $2000 at wholesale, and up again by the retailer. A manufactured cost of $1500 would like lead to a $4000-$5000 retail piano.

Thats the cost Kawai service quoted for for a wn88 keybed... I have no idea what wholesale or manufacturing cost would be.

Is that Kawai's cost? Or their price?

I guess you could ask them the details?

Yes the side arms of the VPC1.

I'll be waiting anxiously the PDF. This is definitely my next project, I just finished building my own table top music stand to use it with my Yamaha CP70 and I'm feeling crafty right now!

I've got some interesting ideas in my head too. Has anyone repainted the VPC cabinet? I know I will void the warranty and I don't care. I haven't bought one yet anyway I was even thinking of entirely removing the cabinet and replacing it with a custom built wooden cabinet and legs, in the style of Roland Kiyola which is a really beautiful design. I'm not good at design but I'll probably just look for help from some freelance wood craft designers, etc.

P.S. Kawai won't update the VPC1 soon (those were the words of James) and won't put GF2 soon (if ever?) but I wonder what's wrong in just bringing in a new color such as the ivory one as the ES7, possibly other colors, offering matching stands, better note rest, some rubber mats that with flat upper surface for laptops, etc. It's not much ofn R&D required and so, but it will create a real cult following, I am sure.

CyberGene, a while ago I found this PDF (http://joflaherty.org/VPC1/VPC1_to_cabinet.pdf) of someone (I think they're in these forums) doing essentially what you mentioned. As you can see, they've completely removed the outer casing and left just the action and the electronic boards hanging on one side.

Mr. Zaxels, thanks for the link. I remember I've seen it at the time and actually criticized it because I thought (and still think) the new cabinet is really ugly but nevertheless the project proves that you can actually just use the barebone action and electronics and attach them to whatever is desired.

AlbertoA, I checked this point with one of my colleagues in Kawai's Design group. Essentially, the finish is black polish, however the exact kind of finish is only produced for businesses and requires a special application method that is not typically available to individuals. He recommended using commercially available black polish paint.

I'm sorry I cannot be of greater help.

Kind regards,
James
x

Hello MickL, I don't believe you need to worry about receiving our approval, please go ahead.

Cheers,
James
x

Thanks James.

Mick, what height did you choose for the stand?

I have a suggestion for a finish product MickL: look up Nextel paint. It makes a durable matte finish that to the touch feels soft and grippy without being a dust magnet. It is used in automotive finishes in premium cars, and luxury consumer electronics and such

http://www.kemela.com/store/images/QU/Vena%20White%20Right-01.png for example, the front panel of this amplifier. It is also the finish for fighter jet control sticks ^^

http://www.nextel-coating.com/nextel/default.asp?lng=eng

Great, thanks KawaiJames!



Hi Alberto,

The white key height is 74 cm
The stand height itself is 65 cm




Thanks for your suggestion, Goss! Really appreciated. This looks really nice indeed. I will ask my local paint store for Nextal or some kind of alternative.



FYI: I hope to make a tutorial this Saturday. Really busy at work right now.

Take your time, we will be waiting patiently.

How about Battleship Grey? Or Submarine Black? They both resist the acquisition of barnacles.
And there may be a quantity of "Blackberry Black" left over from the Steam locomotive era of the 1920`s

All the above will achieve that textured finish to be proud of!

Tutorial is about 75% ready. I hope to finish it this week.

how about high gloss white with lots of little mirrors stuck on it =}

I have made a Kawai MP8 cabinet just over a month ago. I wanted to play/practice also in my livingroom while watching sports or a good movie ! So i had to convince my wife that it would look good......at first she was lukewarm, but now she really likes it, also because i receive many compliments from friends and family.
I created a cabinet that is custommade for my MP8 and computer running VST's.
Here are the pictures :

There's no way I could play using that cabinet. I need to have my legs at least a bit under the keyboard - but I'm very tall. I assume you can do that yourself on this cabinet?

Since the pedals are set into the floor inside the cabinet, I assume he slides open the bottom drawer so his knees sit inside the cabinet whether he wants to play?

Exactly. The photo's show a mess inside, but that was just after i installed the computer to see if it worked. The flexible doors slide gently to the sides and all other measurements are those of a real piano. Height of the keybed , position of the pedals etc.
So the knees have the same amount of space as underneath a real piano..
It plays better than before, i know it's a mental aspect solely, but the whole keboard on a stand does influence the overall satisfiction of playing ..
The past show inventive piano cabinets also, but since the black polyester straight forward looks took over, it seems to be the only game in town, apart from your occasional colour/wood looks..

Seems a bit low for good playing height for me. When I play, I adjust the bench so my legs are right under the actual piano, other wise I'd feel too low if my legs were 2" lower because of the thickness of the cabinet. But obviously it works for you.

pianistje, nice job, it looks very professional!

Cheers,
James
x

Thanks James ! I was wrong about the amount of layers white paint (aerosoll)
It took 10 spraycans ( primer and finish combined) to get a smooth and solid look.

But i am very, very happy with it and a future Kawai upgrade (once Kawai always Kawai keys) will hopefully fit inside , so please ask Kawai to take the size of the MP8 as the maximum measurements in any future VPC-2 !
😉😄😄😄

I wanted to purchase the VPC-1, but i desperately need pitchbend and modulation for my electric guitar and other vst's.

Might want to add 2 more cans of a clear coat Pianistje - protects the paint and adds a nice lustre and depth ^^

Thanks, it crossed my mind, but i chose not too (i wanted the thing home asap :)) . I did use a very expensive paint for the three top layers that according to the salesman (don't know if that is good or bad) should have some protecting qualities though.......

any scratches you get in just a coloured coat will show up more than if its in a clear coat on top - also a clear on top will be much cheaper than another layer of pigmented coating ^^ and will further protect against discoloration from UV light more than the pigmented coating can

Also is that finish a matte or eggshell one? Pigmented finishes of that nature will as we call it in our language verkrijten - over time it starts to turn into powder - it will rub off basically after some years. Add a matte clear and all that might rub off is the clear and not the colour

Wow, 10 cans of paint!
It's a good job you have a nice big workshop (and hopefully well ventilated...)!

Regarding keeping the same dimensions...I'll see what I can do.

Cheers,
James
x

Years ago I was supervising a couple of fellows who were painting the floor of a municipal dog pound using a super-duper concrete paint. After they had been at it for an hour or so I thought I would drive by the pound and see how they were doing. When I got there they were both giggling and swaying back and forth, and one of them said to me, "Hey Frank, I never knew working for the town would be so much fun."

Yeah, get out there right now guys -- you really do need some air.

I, for one, am *very* interested in this tutorial so I hope the OP finishes it so I can have this done for my VPC1.

No updates???

I'm sorry for the delay. Still very busy with work. I think I finally have some time this weekend.

Awesome!

Since I'm far from being handy, I plan on enlisting a handyman to build it for me. Since I doubt I'll be lucky enough to find one who's done this before (for a piano), your PDF will be immensely helpful!

And yes, I will absolutely paint it mat black.

Please don't forget to mention which type of wood you used. I know I'll need some especially strong wood to hold the VPC1's 65 pounds.

Link to tutorial: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/24409276/Pianoworld/VPC1%20tutorial.pdf

If something is incorrect or unclear, just leave a message here and I will take a look at it

That's great! Thank you very much. I'm color blind and for some reason having difficulties distinguishing between yellow and green part but I will figure that out if I decide to build this wonderful stand. Cheers!

MickL -

Awesome contribution! Thank you.

You`re not tellin` us that you can`t fit an RD2000 in there, are you?

Great resource, I was thinking on making a stand myself when I buy the VPC1 and those measurements will be very nice to have indeed.

Nice job MickL! Thank you for sharing!

Cheers,
James
x

Fantastic! I hope to use that soon.

First layer satin black:




Maybe I change it to glossy. What do you guys think?

Starting to look very good indeed !

Don't know about glossy - these things are dust magnets.. might as well go for a dusted finish ^^

I love the satin finish!

Great job, looks nice and tidy. Love the minimalism of the VPC1, not a button or slider in sight helps.

My two cents, if looking for the ultimate in finish, but I think it would be hard to manage since seeing the VPC1 is some kind of metal, and you are dealing with painting wood, but a finish with the same reflective properties of the VPC1 itself to make it all blend as much as possible.

I am not knowledgeable on paints, however in terms of lighting I think a paint that has a slightly diffuse reflection with not too defined sharp specular highlights would get pretty close, it is that kind of metallic speckled car paint the VPC1 has I'd be looking for to make it blend. A pure mat or gloss paint wouldn't match well, a satin paint possibly goes as well it can possibly with the commonly available in shops.

I don't know what other paints exist in you regular shops apart from mat, gloss or satin on wood finishes. I expect if they do, they are going to be very costly and need quite a few coats for the effect to come through properly.

In any case, a lovely job well done

It's hard to tell how well it blends in from that picture (and probably the fact that it's black), but man that looks damned good to me. And the VPC1 is one sexy bit of kit by its own right too.

Looking good!

By the way, are the colours in your room really that bright?! B)

James
x

You're fussing now. Job done except for a decent size misic stand . . .bring it from behind the back of your piano, or fasten it to the wall . . .

Splendid job!

Thanks all! The colors in my room are not that bright lol. It's the effect from wrong camera settings combined with artificial led light I guess...

Anyway, the result after 3 layers of satin black water based paint:







The pedals are constantly sliding away when playing. Have to find a solution for that, but that must be easy. I'll keep you posted with an update!


It's also time to buy something to hide the messy electrical wires...

Double sided sticky tape will do. Or a carpet . . . .

If you're willing to do a bit of DIY work (since you've already built the stand, I can't see why you wouldn't!) you could disassemble the pedal unit, drill a couple of holes, and use those to affix them to the piano cabinet.

You could, for example, use one of these L shaped pieces of hardware


So you'd use nut+bolt to attach this to the pedal unit, and then you could use self taper screws to fix the whole assembly to the cabinet.

Naturally, you could just use glue for both...but glueing metals is usually hard and not too reliable.

You would need something like turnscrew support underneath most DP's pedals so the cabinet wont start creaking every push of the pedal though I'd just doublesided tape the thing to the floor in the right place ^^

I can vouch (from personal unhappy experience) that taping something to the floor is not a good idea unless you are going to remove the tape very soon again (which wouldn't make sense here), or the floor is of a material that will later allow you to remove the sticky residue that the tape leaves behind with alcohol or similar chemicals. Because it will leave something behind if it stays there for months and years.

For example, don't do this on an oiled or lacquered parquet floor, as the alcohol (or whatever) will also affect the floor itself and not only remove the sticky stuff.

If it's gonna be there for years, he won't be worried. It'll be time for a new floor . . .

the rubbery netting they sell to put under carpets so they don't turn into funpark rides is pretty good as well ^^

Looks great MickL, congrats!

I agree with Goss about the rubbery netting stuff, that should help the pedals to stay in position without damaging the wooden floor.

Cheers,
James
x

I don't think glossy would be a good idea. I think the cabinet color is good as it is!

Glossy finish draws attention. I think the attention should be on the VPC1. Plus it's really demanding for an amateur. A perfect glossy finish needs several thick layers and a "rubbing out" (sandpaper grits from 400 -> 2000 and polishing with a paste).

Thanks for all the suggestions, much appreciated! I guess the rubbery netting idea is a great solution. I keep you guys updated.

All the links here seem dead.

Does anyone have a link to the final build images or the tutorial? Thanks.

Does anyone have the tutorial (or final build images?). Much appreciated!

I was not aware my dropbox account has been disabled. As I can't edit the original posts anymore, I will re-upload the tutorial as soon as possible.

Final result:

I’d recommend you take that entire wall down for a more open an sunlit perspective. I know a guy............with a sledgehammer!

Looks neat and sturdy!

I love the cabinet look... And also hate sliding pedals...

I was wandering about adapting the ES8 stand (HM-4 and F-301 pedals) with some adjustments and soldering (adapting the pedalboard connector with 2 jack connectors as the F-30 pedals that are compatible with the VPC1) but I'm not so sure if the different in weight (+7Kg for the VPC1) would be a little problem for stability....

Best Regards!!

Nice. Clean. Uncluttered.

I like the clean/plain look of the VPC-1, and I wouldn't have expected this to work, but it looks really nice. The cabinet looks nicer than a stand, while managing to keep everything clean and simple.

Looks a nicely finished home loving piano. No dog, cat to finish off the look?

Wow that is just beautiful !

And a clear view to the laundry to see if it's dry

Nice cabinet! But it does need a cat for scale.

Yes, that looks terrific - very clean and tidy setup too.

Great job MickL!

Cheers,
James
x

Wow, looking at the pdf, it actually strike me as to how the VPC-1 action is so very similar to the one inside my MP9500. Nothing much has been changed in fact! except the black keys mortises has been put further away instead on the same level than the white keys mortises (as in every piano normally) and the addition of the "notch" mechanism. Now correct me if I'm wrong but I always thought the notch you feel at the end of the course of a key on a real grand when you depress it slow enough has always been a by-product of the double escapement mechanism but nothing that actually takes part in the double escapement process itself. Other than that: pretty the same keys, same hammers, same rubber contacts and sensors etc. Good for me, mind you!

So this means that the VPC-1 only actually have some sort of emulation of the feeling of a double escapement mechanism but doesn't actually have any form of mechanism that tries to achieve the same result as a double escapement? Nothing really useful then other than for "cosmetic" so to speak (especially since that notch is rarely felt and doesn't serve any purpose for the player...)

Never seen this thread before, that looks really good indeed! Never seen such a nice vpc1 stand/cabinet, great idea.

Could speakers fit inside?

Beautiful...just beautiful !

Got the tutorial back online at my cloud storage:

https://leen11.stackstorage.com/s/9rvpyqXiWN4SVRL


Hope it helps!

That's amazing! Now I regret I already ordered Yamaha P-515 instead of VPC1.

By the way, how exactly does the pedal unit stay in place (i.e. does not slide backward) when you step on the pedals? Thanks.

I have put some small rubber pieces underneath the pedal unit. Also to keep the noise down for the neighbours below

Are you currently selling a VPC1 on EBay at the moment after extensive reworking/modification of the keybed?

Maybe I'm mistaken?...

This is correct ...Fake escapement became all the rage in digital pianos about ten years ago. It serves no purpose for the player because it performs no function. It just adds another item to the manufacturer's "feature list".

I'm not so sure it serves no function.

Does it make the keybed feel more like a real piano? I don't know if you can call that a function, but yes, I think it does.

Does having to deal with the notch when playing soft make for better practice to play an acoustic? Maybe, I don't know. This is something I would like to hear the opinion of a professional pianist about.

That stand looks very nice indeed. I got something similar, as I had an old yamaha CLP550 (1988), which is basically a cabinet like stand with the keyboard on top of it. So I just took of the keyboard, nailed a little frame together with my limited skills so the VPC1 would fit on top, made a little shelf to accommodate minipc, dac and amp, which also created a compartment behind it to hide all cables, and voila. But your solution looks better I must admit.

Hi guys, small update. I never have liked the idea to be independent to a laptop, PC or tablet which is required to actually play on the VPC-1, as you might know. So I came across a tutorial on the internet to install Pianoteq 7 on a Raspberry pi 4, which would be perfect. So, I've tried, and it's really great.



Now I have a passively Raspberry pi 4 connected to my Steinberg UR22 MKII audio interface which is connected to the VPC-1 with a MIDI-cable. The Pi and Steinberg idles around 4 watts, so no trouble for me to leave it on 24/7. I placed everything under the cabinet, so there is nothing visible and it now looks like a real standalone digital piano, but only a lot cheaper and with better sound of course. In Pianoteq, I am able to get a stable internal sample rate of 24000 Hz with 2.7 ms Audio buffer size with not cracks or delays at all. It feels and plays butter smooth. During playing, the Pi never gets warmer then 45 degrees celcius.


I even can control Pianoteq by VNC from my phone:






So from now on I only have to power on the VPC-1, and can play instantly. Perfect!

Glad to hear you're happy with the Raspberry pi setup.

For me, I run PTQ on my MacBook Pro. PTQ is always running, so I open the MacBook Pro, turn on the VPC1, park my fat butt on the bench, and play. Perfect!

Hello MickL,

I’m building your beautiful cabinet right now, but it looks to me you accidentely swapped the lengths of beams Red and Black. Could you check that?

Many thanks in advance!

Regards,

Frans

The 550 was the first digital piano I ever played. It sounded and felt wonderful; never heard a piano sound so good! I wonder sometimes if it would still beguile me as it did then . . .

Sorry, missed your post. Did you work it out? Would love to see your results!

Any updates on this - are the instructions correct, or is there a mix-up?
I'm probably going to try to either build this stand myself, or get a professional wood worker to do it for me. Looks great.

Great job on the build! Very classy.

Hello,

As it happens, I was studying this cabinet tutorial (nice work and thanks @MickL!) the other day too, and...

...came to that same conclusion.

From looking at the photos, it seems as if the front feet of the VPC1 fall next to the front legs, and the rear feet fall on top of the wood structure.

So the feet would count for the difference in length between "red" and "black", and apparently the feet are 1 cm. high.

And indeed, if so then "black" should be longer by 1 cm. than "red".

Perhaps @MickL can confirm this for us puzzlers.

Cheers and happy DIYing,

HZ

Hi,

I'm replicating MickL's tutorial by drawing in 3D.
I think there is something wrong. Maybe a distraction from MickL.
I'll let you know

Thanks anyway to MickL for the great idea

[img]https://forum.pianoworld.com//tmp/21803.jpg.thumb[/img]

I didn't quite understand how to insert images into the forum