Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Changing mindset to furniture digital

Hello guys,

since the market wants us people to buy furniture pianos, which have proper multi-pedal implementation, I finally made my mind okay with this.
Also the drawback of non-settable piano height - I think I can adapt to that.

Now - the reason of why I was with the Yamaha P-515 and the Roland FP-90 all the time with the mind - is that they don't feel wobbly on bottoming out.
With the more expensive Kawai Series eg. the Kawai CA-78, I have trouble playing notes with my pinky, as it lacks technique or strength.
Thats why I was a bit disappointed...

But technically speaking, I want the best action possible, while it is still transportable. I would not want something that would need a special piano moving company.
I would devote a lot of time to adapting to a 'better' action. I still have a K&M 18810 Keyboard stand here. I want to use a proper triple pedal and a VST (PTQ or GARRITAN CFX)
What do you guys think? Would it be worth to invest in the seemingly 'too heavy' action?
I also had a trial on the MP11-SE, which felt a little lighter, though. But I had to play while standing.

What do you guys think?

Best,

Why not go with a FP-90 furniture stand?

You are right, I should try that

Doesn't look too shabby:



Or the Yamaha P-515:

Hello nicknameTaken, I'm not entirely sure what your question is, however:



I believe the general consensus will be that this is the MP11/MP11SE.



May I ask why could you not sit down?

Kind regards,
James
x

Inspired by the Kawai ES8:



Kind regards,
James
x

Hi,

It's as simple as it can get - because the Piano Dealer close to me didn't had the instrument placed on an Stand.
I do know that the MP11-SE is meant to be 'the-best' action right now. When I was trying it in the shop, then for some reason I had a feeling that I played it longer, for some reason.
There was this vague feeling ... when the key hit the bottom, it was 'catched' by something soft, rather than something hard.
Re-pressing the key would feel a LOT different than to what it does compared to the Roland FP90 series. The effect of feedback is even more present in the latest Yamaha P-515.
I came from a Korg D1, which was in my opinion really inferior to all of the higher up pianos, including the MP11-SE.

Also I do had played the Kawai CA-78 played in store, the Kawai Novus and the Yamaha Avant Grand.
I'm not sure if it is good for me, because my technique would not apply to these at the same pivot point.
Maybe someone has to adapt the technique a bit more and 'play into the keys'.
From a organisational point of view, the Kawai CA-78 is movable, too. Since you can disassemble it without too much effort.

If I remember correctly the Grand Feel II action was the best what the market is giving right now, when speaking of non-hybrid Pianos.

Best,

Any update on this? I thought you would answer, Kawai James.

James is busy preparing for major events scheduled to take place next week.
I’d recommend you ask him again after next week.

Hello nicknameTaken,



Sorry, I did not realise that you were waiting for my response.

May I ask, what is your question, specifically?

Kind regards,
James
x

Pete, I do not have any special plans for next week...

Kind regards,
James
x

Hey,

I wanted comments on my findings, whether they correct or not, plus your thoughts about them.

Best

To be honest, I don't believe there is a great deal for me to comment on, however I'll see what I can do:

- You found that the MP11SE 'bottomed-out' more softly than the Roland FP90. Yes, I believe others have expressed similar opinions in the past.
- The CA78 can be disassembled, so there is the potential for it to be transported if necessary.

I'm not sure if this is terribly helpful, is it?

Kind regards,
James
x

Hey ...

Thanks! What else would be...

How come the MP11SE against the CA78 made it possible for me to play passages like I could before ?
Is the action of the CA78 even heavier? For me, it was too heavy. Especially when having repetition on small / ring finger.

Best

Lol, I love the new signature James!

The manual for assembling the cabinet however? Let’s just say my husband had some choice words about it!

I'm afraid I don't really understand your question. Do you mean you found the MP11SE and CA78 actions easy to play?



The MP11SE and CA78 action weight should feel around the same. Perhaps the CA78 may feel a little heavier, but not significantly so.

Kind regards,
James
x

Thank you. Your signature isn't too shabby either.



Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I always try to make the assembly instructions as easy to follow as possible. If there were any (many?) steps that your husband found over-complicated or poorly written, I would be grateful for any feedback. Please feel free to send me a PM.

Kind regards,
James
x

Well I understand the main issue was that the components were labelled with totally different letters from the instruction sheet. 😊 He’s pretty handy so he figured it out no bother but I will get fuller feedback from him and message you. 👍

Well. The CA-78 was heavy enough to be a 'blocker'. The MP11-SE was not. That's why I had asked. Back then the Salesman told me that the MP11-SE is a complete different device which requires less of technique than the CA-78 has.
Which ultimately led me to the conclusion that the CA-78 must be not a tad, but a huge amount heavier.

I own a CA-78 and it most certainly does not have a heavy action. It's comparable to any decent acoustic piano. Did you make sure it was set to factory settings and not left with a heavy touch from previous experiments? (If you want to try a really heavy action for comparison may I recommend the Yamaha CLP675?)