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LOL.

I did the same thing with the Casio PX-310... bought it, sold it when I got a PX3, then decided to go back and buy a PX-310 again. Though I sure wish I could combine the best of both of them! (And the Rhodes sound of yet another Casio model, while I'm at it.)

I really liked the sound, aesthetics, features, and general interface of the Numa Piano. If the action had had a lighter feel, and if I could have called up presets with the sound selection buttons instead of having to scroll, I would have kept it. I probably could have gotten around the latter with an add-on, but with the action not thrilling me, I was not sufficiently motivated. But you do seem to like heavier actions than I do.

The most capable lightweight competitor is probably the MOX8, which is really a lot more board in pretty much every way... but it's still noticeably heavier at 32.6 lbs, and noticeably deeper, which increases stage footprint and means that your second tier board may need to be farther away than you'd like. As you say, in all cases, you have to accept certain limitations, there's always a compromise somewhere...

Wow, congrats VP...I think!

James
x

The MOX8 is a really interesting board, and I shouldn't have written it off after just a few minutes on it in the store. But there is something very attractive about the sound of the Numa that is difficult to pinpoint, and it is so blessedly simple to operate! The action is certainly one of the compromises: I don't mind it being a little heavier than some, but it seems more agile than the Fatar in the Nord Piano.

Yes, I'm not sure, either, James! Oh well. If I wasn't such a picky pianist, I'd still be playing my old CP30, and be content. (Actually that was a really fun board - maybe I should fire up eBay...)

I follow you 100% Voxpops... There's something very special about the Numa Piano that'll make you accept all the BS! I haven't got mine back from repair yet but hope to recieve it soon.

I emailed Carlo last night about this and included a link to Thomsurf's clip and he got back to me within 10 hours. This was his response:
Hi,
ok I've understand,
If you open the instrument, on Pitch wheel you can find
a trimmer to adjust the middle position of bender.
if you put the midi out to PC and monitoring the middle value,
moving the trimmer (little pot) you can fix the stable value on 64.
tell me about.
Thank you
Carlo

Thanks Tom F.
Hmmm. Usually companies don't tell their customers to open up instruments.
I emailed Mr. Carlo many weeks ago but never got an answer. I wish I had, then I could have fixed it myself. I have been without my Numa Piano for 3 weeks now!

Thomsurf, you may want to call the people who have your piano and let them know what Carlo said. It may help to expedite the repair.

Good idea, Tom. I Just emailed them with the response from Carlo.

3rd time lucky?

Just got my new Numa (with the old software). Yes, I still like it, thank goodness! I'm becoming a dab hand at programming this thing. Got my presets stored in about 15 minutes, and am ready to gig. I'm not going to load the update pack, but I am curious as to whether you can upgrade the DSP and panel firmware without loading the new sounds.

Thomsurf, I hope you get yours back and fixed very soon.

Finally got mine back after a months wait. Man did I miss that piano sound. Didn't miss the action or anything else though. Well, the low weight is still nice. Anyway, they seemed to have fixed the shivering mod wheel. Hope I'll never need any Studiologic/Thomann assistance again

Good to hear that, Thomsurf. Hope you have no further problems.

On a side note, how do you find the action on your RD-300NX? Months ago I decided not to upgrade my FP-4 to the FP-4F/RD-300NX, based on people's reports about the action being sluggish - but I've not had a chance to try one.

As for my continuing Numa saga, Studiologic reneged on their promise to send me the original software - but then I didn't expect them to keep their word.

Well, I have played my RD a lot during the last month and I'm beginning to appreciate the action more and more. It is a tiny bit 'wobly' or 'sluggish' compared to top of the line DPs, but definetely still a good action and way better than the Numa depending on your style of playing. The Numa is fine for hammering pop/rock chords (like what I'm doing in my Coldplay tribute band). Actually it's perfect for that, but it really falls short for classical stuff or peices with fast precise sequences. I find the Roland to be the complete opposite. Tough and harsh for rock stuff, but nice for the gentle stuff.

Thanks for the comparison, Thomsurf. I agree with you completely about the action in the Numa (Fatar TP100), which is very difficult to control when subtlety is required. The old FP4 is much better for dynamic control, even though it feels less realistic, and does not inspire confidence in the player due to its lightness. It's also a shame that Nord is so locked in to Fatar for their actions - as that, to me, is their Achilles heel.

There just isn't much to choose from. Roland, Kawai, Yamaha, Casio all make their own actions, but AFAIK, don't sell them to anyone else. I could see where it could be cost-prohibitive for a small company to manufacture their own design, so where else can they buy one? M-Audio uses some Chinese brand, but they don't feel as good as Fatars!

Some of this is also personal taste. I actually like the ones Nord uses in the Stage and Piano. The one in the E3HP, like the Numa Piano, has the advantage of allowing the model to be lightweight, but the action definitely does not feel as nice to me. There aren't a lot of actions available to put into something you want to bring out at 25 lbs, though.

I've actually liked a number of Fatar's unweighted boards too, though I don't like how tightly sprung the Nord variant is.

+1

Yes, I understand the reasons, but that doesn't stop it being something to regret. I wonder at what point it becomes cost-effective to develop one's own action. Nord is a leading brand in the professional arena (even though volume of sales must be way below the big four), and it would be a big plus if they were able to create actions that were specifically designed to complement their products. It's only very recently that they've made serious attempts at producing a dedicated piano, and the one thing it lacks is a great action, IMO.


The TP40(?) in the NP and Stage feels nice to play. However, it really struggles with repetition. How much of that is down to the mechanics/sensors, and how much to software, I can't say, but it undermines the instrument's value as a pro board to a certain extent. Roland and Kawai actions are simply way better.

As to the weight factor, I completely agree. It's great to be able to have boards that come in around 25lbs with a weighted action. That was one of the reasons I re-purchased the Numa. It's also one of the reasons for keeping the FP4. Neither of those actions is ideal - and that's completely understandable - but I'm happy enough with the compromise.


I don't have an issue with the unweighted boards - although I preferred the NE2 action to NE3 (I think they were trying to compensate for actually having usable piano sounds in the NE3!). I just think that the game has moved on in the weighted arena, and Fatar is now lagging behind a little.

Fatar has always lagged behind - a long way behind. They only exist because of price and weight. I don't think much of them as a company. Lazy product development, dubious quality/longevity, poor after-sales communication/parts availability. Typical Italian company in other words...

The high B note on my Numa Piano plays a C (and so does the high C)! So that's two identical notes on two different keys.

Oh lord. The main reason I don't like this is because it dangerously lowers the bar for all other DP manufacturers ("Yeah, yeah, it's looped - but hey, at least it's not as bad as Fatar!").