Hello Everybody!
My NU1 was delivered today at 12:30pm. It felt like Christmas. I started to play it immediately. It really feels like an acoustic piano. I have been playing a Roland FP-5 for the past ten years. There is a big difference. Besides the feeling of real action, the sound is really superb. They have come a long way with digital pianos. I played for about an hour and a half, then took a coffee break ( scales, Bach, Beethoven, Gershwin, Bill Evans, Chick Corea - a little bit of everything). I really feel like I practiced. For anyone who is looking for a high quality digital piano with real action (makes it a Hybrid) and has a modest budget, I highly recommend the Yamaha NU1.

Tonight I'll play with headphones!

Congrats!

James
x

Hello Music Me
I also own a NU1 and I am extremely satisfied of it
However, I would like to ask you a question: You said "it really feels like an acoustic piano", but you are only talking about your former Roland FP-5
Can you compare it to real pianos ? which pianos did you play ?

I am asking you this question because, the only real piano I play is my teacher piano which is an upright, and I found the NU1 action little bit easier to play (lighter) than my teacher's one (even setting the key sensitivity to HIGH)
That disturbs me a little at the beginning of each course
So I am wondering if the NU1 action is really lighter than real Upright Piano, or do all the piano actions differs ?

How is the NU1 action comparing to a Yamaha U1 ?

Can someone reply ?

Cheers

Hello and thank you for responding. I am comparing the action to that of the Roland I mostly played because it was what I owned. But, I had occasion to play quite a few Yamaha uprights (U1, U3) and I find the action comparable. Maybe your teacher has had some work done on their piano.

Yes, I think that it is my teacher piano which has a quite "really" heavy action,
Moreover, I think that all acoustic pianos have different action feeling, but in the real piano cases, I read you can adjust this feeling, and I assume that on the NU1, you cannot (as I don't know how the adjustment is made)

At the end, I also love my NU1 and really do not regret the change I made (from a action AND sound point of view)

Did you also try the N1 ?
What is your preference ?
Cheers,

There is a ton of variety in how much work it is to play acoustic actions. The only way to compare the NU1 to acoustics accurately is to try a whole bunch of different acoustic uprights along with the NU1 and say whether the NU1 was near the middle of the pack (or the side of the pack you prefer).

If the NU1 was the perfect weight and difficulty to play, then the probability that your teacher's piano is harder to play would be 50%, so I don't think it should be surprising. Growing up I had a ghetto little spinet and my piano teacher had a really nice studio upright. It took a lot more work to push her keys down, but that the same time they were less likely to produce silence when pushed down. They also had less travel. Both acoustics, dramatically different feel. I had to do a lost of adjustment from one to the other, but I have to do that even now when I go from one piano to another (digital or not).

For this reason, it usually doesn't make sense to compare a digital piano action to a single acoustic example.

Your assumption is not correct. A piano tech can regulate the action of the NU1. I had this done to my N3.

Do you what did he regulate ? and how did he do that ?
I mean, as the hammer top (?) are fake, as well as the strings, there is less "spaces" for tuning

Regulation is not about tuning or voicing (strings and hammer), but about adjusting weight, response, reducing friction, improving repetition and so on.

Here is what the tech did:

-removed the lid, front rail, front panel and music rack, rear panel, fallboard, keyslip, key blocks
-disconnected wiring and removed the circuit board tray
-removed the action stack
-eased all keys at the balance hole and checked all key friction points (no action required)
-changed the fulcrum at the balance hole
-checked friction points on the hammer assembly centers (no action required)
-changed the jack/knuckle position slightly lighter than Yamaha standard to reduce after-touch resistance
-adjusted the jack/repetition arm height to slightly closer than Yamaha standard
-checked the let off point (no action required)
-replaced the action stack
-re-set the drop slightly lighter than Yamaha standard
-adjusted the key dip slightly lighter than Yamaha standard
-re-assembled the unit


Here are photos showing the process:

N3 Regulation by Piano Tech


Hope this helps.

Unless my memory is going I don't remember seeing those photos before. Thanks for posting!

It looks slightly more complicated to open than my old GranTouch but still quite doable.

The original thread is here:

N3 Regulation

Lawrence

Yeah, your memory's going, Dave! I remember you posting in that thread.

You're right.

Maybe the other Dave Horne, Dave? ...Dave?

I agree with gvfarns, all the acoustic actions feel different anyway.

Same with all the DP actions.

But there is a constant, none of the DP actions feel like an acoustic. Really.