Choosing a piano weighted keyboard

Fruitbat1919

Might have the money soon for a new keyboard.

I'm pleased with my set up, but always wanted to add some reasonable quality piano weighted keys. Would love to improve my keyboard skills and have a lovely keyboard to play on.

I've come up with 3 option which match my price point including stand of £1750 max

Which would you choose and why?

1. Roland FP90x - decent quality keys and build. Can use without setting the rest of the gear on. Midi and audio via usb c. Would need studio gear switched on for decent synth sounds.

2. Yamaha MoDX M8 - decent synth and piano sounds. VST comes with it later. Midi and audio via usb c. Not quite as good quality build as the Roland.

3. Native Instruments S88 mk3 and software - has aftertouch, light guides, but completely reliant on computer etc.

jacou

You might want to check out the Studiologic SL88 MK2. It apparently has the same keybed as the NI S88 MK3 but only costs half the price.

Fruitbat1919

@jacou said:
You might want to check out the Studiologic SL88 MK2. It apparently has the same keybed as the NI S88 MK3 but only costs half the price.

Thanks will have a look

rs2000

TBH I don't think that any recommendations are worth much, this is such a personal thing.
Many players raved about the Kawai MP11SE a few years ago but when trying it, I found it about the worst of all.
Do you have a chance to try them hands-on?

Fruitbat1919

@rs2000 said:
TBH I don't think that any recommendations are worth much, this is such a personal thing.
Many players raved about the Kawai MP11SE a few years ago but when trying it, I found it about the worst of all.
Do you have a chance to try them hands-on?

It's a bit problematic to be honest. The nearest store from myself that keeps such items in stock, is quite a journey and since my illness has got worse I've not been more than a twenty minute journey from our house. I know what you are saying is true, but I may not be able to cope with such a journey.

rs2000

@Fruitbat1919 said:

@rs2000 said:
TBH I don't think that any recommendations are worth much, this is such a personal thing.
Many players raved about the Kawai MP11SE a few years ago but when trying it, I found it about the worst of all.
Do you have a chance to try them hands-on?

It's a bit problematic to be honest. The nearest store from myself that keeps such items in stock, is quite a journey and since my illness has got worse I've not been more than a twenty minute journey from our house. I know what you are saying is true, but I may not be able to cope with such a journey.

Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that. Maybe you can describe what kind of weighted keyboard action you're looking for?
Some are hard to hit, some are lighter, some have a brief resistance when hitting initially but go down easily (which I personally prefer), some feel like pressing the key into a soft cushion, some feel like there's a heavy weight lifted when hitting a key, some feel like they need some lubrication...
That's kind of what I experienced when playing different weighted keybeds and real grand pianos (which are usually a joy to play).

Fruitbat1919

@rs2000 said:

@Fruitbat1919 said:

@rs2000 said:
TBH I don't think that any recommendations are worth much, this is such a personal thing.
Many players raved about the Kawai MP11SE a few years ago but when trying it, I found it about the worst of all.
Do you have a chance to try them hands-on?

It's a bit problematic to be honest. The nearest store from myself that keeps such items in stock, is quite a journey and since my illness has got worse I've not been more than a twenty minute journey from our house. I know what you are saying is true, but I may not be able to cope with such a journey.

Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that. Maybe you can describe what kind of weighted keyboard action you're looking for?
Some are hard to hit, some are lighter, some have a brief resistance when hitting initially but go down easily (which I personally prefer), some feel like pressing the key into a soft cushion, some feel like there's a heavy weight lifted when hitting a key, some feel like they need some lubrication...
That's kind of what I experienced when playing different weighted keybeds and real grand pianos (which are usually a joy to play).

I suppose it's a problem all beginners come across - the not really knowing what will suit them until they try. My hands are not the strongest at my age and my fingers are quite short and not overly thin. It's going to take some effort to get my pinkies exercised up lol.

I would have thought that I would be better with keys that are not too hard to hit and possibly not too easy either. As you say, difficult to judge without trying. I think most decent stores will let me exchange within a certain time frame if I get it really wrong.

Fruitbat1919

Damn just watched a few new vids on the MPC Live 3 and considering that instead lol

rs2000

@Fruitbat1919 said:
Damn just watched a few new vids on the MPC Live 3 and considering that instead lol

The new Live 3 looks veeery tempting indeed!
BTW if you don't mind getting a second hand MIDI keyboard just for the piano action, my personal favorite is still the old Kurzweil K2500X/XS which is not too hard to play but still gives me that nice piano feeling. It has a quality Fatar keybed.

zzrwood

The Arturia Keylab 88 might also be worth a look…

Fruitbat1919

@rs2000 said:

@Fruitbat1919 said:
Damn just watched a few new vids on the MPC Live 3 and considering that instead lol

The new Live 3 looks veeery tempting indeed!
BTW if you don't mind getting a second hand MIDI keyboard just for the piano action, my personal favorite is still the old Kurzweil K2500X/XS which is not too hard to play but still gives me that nice piano feeling. It has a quality Fatar keybed.

@zzrwood said:
The Arturia Keylab 88 might also be worth a look…

Thanks both of you. Will look at these as other options

jamietopol

Are there any music stores close enough for you to visit? Here in the US, all of the music stores have a few inexpensive hammer-action digital pianos such as the Casio CDP-S110, Casio CDP-S160, or the Yamaha P-45. These all sell for less that $500 USD. Personally, I like the action on these keyboards. They all support MIDI-out so you can ignore the quality of the built-in sounds and use them as a MIDI controller. The Casios have an "aux-in" jack which I find very handy because I use my iPad as the sound source (using Pianoteq and other apps) and then run the audio-out from the iPad into the aux-in on the Casio and use the built-in speakers on the Casio which sounds great for practice (but not loud enough for a live performance).

hes

@jamietopol said:
Are there any music stores close enough for you to visit? Here in the US, all of the music stores have a few inexpensive hammer-action digital pianos such as the Casio CDP-S110, Casio CDP-S160, or the Yamaha P-45. These all sell for less that $500 USD. Personally, I like the action on these keyboards. They all support MIDI-out so you can ignore the quality of the built-in sounds and use them as a MIDI controller. The Casios have an "aux-in" jack which I find very handy because I use my iPad as the sound source (using Pianoteq and other apps) and then run the audio-out from the iPad into the aux-in on the Casio and use the built-in speakers on the Casio which sounds great for practice (but not loud enough for a live performance).

I can vouch for the Casio CDP-S110. Action is of course a somewhat subjective thing. I used a Roland FP-10 for many years, with Roland's PHA-4 action. It was fine, too. I've also tried much more expensive keyboards. Now I'm living in Japan, and bought a CDP-S110 when I wanted an inexpensive keyboard that I would just donate somewhere in a year or so when I'm done with it. The CDP-S110 is even cheaper here, around $250, but even at its price in the U.S. I'd say it's an excellent deal.

bluegroove

@hes said:

@jamietopol said:
Are there any music stores close enough for you to visit? Here in the US, all of the music stores have a few inexpensive hammer-action digital pianos such as the Casio CDP-S110, Casio CDP-S160, or the Yamaha P-45. These all sell for less that $500 USD. Personally, I like the action on these keyboards. They all support MIDI-out so you can ignore the quality of the built-in sounds and use them as a MIDI controller. The Casios have an "aux-in" jack which I find very handy because I use my iPad as the sound source (using Pianoteq and other apps) and then run the audio-out from the iPad into the aux-in on the Casio and use the built-in speakers on the Casio which sounds great for practice (but not loud enough for a live performance).

I can vouch for the Casio CDP-S110. Action is of course a somewhat subjective thing. I used a Roland FP-10 for many years, with Roland's PHA-4 action. It was fine, too. I've also tried much more expensive keyboards. Now I'm living in Japan, and bought a CDP-S110 when I wanted an inexpensive keyboard that I would just donate somewhere in a year or so when I'm done with it. The CDP-S110 is even cheaper here, around $250, but even at its price in the U.S. I'd say it's an excellent deal.

+1 to Casio. I previously had had a Yamaha P-45 that was 2 x the price, but the Casio is MUCH smaller and lighter (the lower height was especially a game-changer for me), plus I prefer the action of the Casio and the textured keys were a bigger upgrade than I anticipated (The Yamaha just feels slippery in comparison).

I've tested the Roland FP90x at my local shop and it was nice, but not enough to warrant the price for me. The Casio is again significantly smaller as well. I'm sure the on-board sounds are higher quality since it's Roland, but I use Pianoteq for all my piano/e-piano/organ needs plus other synth plugins.

I'm all in on Casio now.

Fruitbat1919

@jamietopol said:
Are there any music stores close enough for you to visit? Here in the US, all of the music stores have a few inexpensive hammer-action digital pianos such as the Casio CDP-S110, Casio CDP-S160, or the Yamaha P-45. These all sell for less that $500 USD. Personally, I like the action on these keyboards. They all support MIDI-out so you can ignore the quality of the built-in sounds and use them as a MIDI controller. The Casios have an "aux-in" jack which I find very handy because I use my iPad as the sound source (using Pianoteq and other apps) and then run the audio-out from the iPad into the aux-in on the Casio and use the built-in speakers on the Casio which sounds great for practice (but not loud enough for a live performance).

Can't visit any due to my health, but as a few people have mentioned Casios now, will do some research on them thanks.

Fruitbat1919

@hes said:

@jamietopol said:
Are there any music stores close enough for you to visit? Here in the US, all of the music stores have a few inexpensive hammer-action digital pianos such as the Casio CDP-S110, Casio CDP-S160, or the Yamaha P-45. These all sell for less that $500 USD. Personally, I like the action on these keyboards. They all support MIDI-out so you can ignore the quality of the built-in sounds and use them as a MIDI controller. The Casios have an "aux-in" jack which I find very handy because I use my iPad as the sound source (using Pianoteq and other apps) and then run the audio-out from the iPad into the aux-in on the Casio and use the built-in speakers on the Casio which sounds great for practice (but not loud enough for a live performance).

I can vouch for the Casio CDP-S110. Action is of course a somewhat subjective thing. I used a Roland FP-10 for many years, with Roland's PHA-4 action. It was fine, too. I've also tried much more expensive keyboards. Now I'm living in Japan, and bought a CDP-S110 when I wanted an inexpensive keyboard that I would just donate somewhere in a year or so when I'm done with it. The CDP-S110 is even cheaper here, around $250, but even at its price in the U.S. I'd say it's an excellent deal.

@bluegroove said:

@hes said:

@jamietopol said:
Are there any music stores close enough for you to visit? Here in the US, all of the music stores have a few inexpensive hammer-action digital pianos such as the Casio CDP-S110, Casio CDP-S160, or the Yamaha P-45. These all sell for less that $500 USD. Personally, I like the action on these keyboards. They all support MIDI-out so you can ignore the quality of the built-in sounds and use them as a MIDI controller. The Casios have an "aux-in" jack which I find very handy because I use my iPad as the sound source (using Pianoteq and other apps) and then run the audio-out from the iPad into the aux-in on the Casio and use the built-in speakers on the Casio which sounds great for practice (but not loud enough for a live performance).

I can vouch for the Casio CDP-S110. Action is of course a somewhat subjective thing. I used a Roland FP-10 for many years, with Roland's PHA-4 action. It was fine, too. I've also tried much more expensive keyboards. Now I'm living in Japan, and bought a CDP-S110 when I wanted an inexpensive keyboard that I would just donate somewhere in a year or so when I'm done with it. The CDP-S110 is even cheaper here, around $250, but even at its price in the U.S. I'd say it's an excellent deal.

+1 to Casio. I previously had had a Yamaha P-45 that was 2 x the price, but the Casio is MUCH smaller and lighter (the lower height was especially a game-changer for me), plus I prefer the action of the Casio and the textured keys were a bigger upgrade than I anticipated (The Yamaha just feels slippery in comparison).

I've tested the Roland FP90x at my local shop and it was nice, but not enough to warrant the price for me. The Casio is again significantly smaller as well. I'm sure the on-board sounds are higher quality since it's Roland, but I use Pianoteq for all my piano/e-piano/organ needs plus other synth plugins.

I'm all in on Casio now.

Will do some research on the Casios now