Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Anyone on the Messe floor - Questions / answers thread ?

Since new products are being discussed in various threads, I wondered if anyone of the PianoWorld inhabitants was actually on the show floor in Frankfurt and willing to answer some of the questions that are being asked ? Would be great !

A list of mine so far:

1) Kurzweil :
- How good is the new AP in the "Artis" for real (any half-damping and resonance effects ?)
- How good is the keybed and does it finally have three sensors now ?

2) Roland:
- Does the FP-80 come with the Studio Grand Sampleset , or still Concert Grand based only.
- How good are the new speakers really (apart from marketing gimmicking )?
- Did all SN EP variations of the RD700NX make it into the FP-80, or just one base set ?
- Are all the 'other' sounds still the same as on the FP7F , or is there a new collection for the FP-80
- Is the FP-80 keybed less 'thumping' than on the FP7f and RD700NX (perhaps due to some slight changes) ?

3) Viscount:
- What keybed is in the Physis K4 (TP40 wood ?)
- is there an indication of price and release date for the main unit ?
- Any info on the optional sound board(s) and price / release date ?

4) Casio:
- How good is the keybed quality in the PX5S cabinet; I noticed obvious variations with the same keybed in different cabinets. In te PX150 pretty wobbly and weak, perhaps due to too much thin/light plastic, in the PX850 much better. I wonder how it feels on the PX5S. Does it come over as sturdy and roadworthy (same for the rest of the hardware) ?
- How good are the organ sounds ? Are they pure samples or also virtual drawbar based ?
- How good are the "other" sounds (not the synth Hex stuff - more the bread and butter collection) ; same set as on previous PX3 or new and enhanced ?
- Will the upcoming firmware update provide some enhancements for the basic AP sound (discussion on early drop-off decay) ; I understood many presets will be improved , so if some work has been done on the direct decay after the initial attack to give a a bit more full character , that would be welcome information. May even trigger a buying decision ;-)

I think most of such questions can be easily dealt with on the show floor while talking to reps or checking it out for yourself. Unfortunately I can't be there ; would have loved to post my impressions and products details that are yet unknown..

Well, the show runs until Saturday, so why no head over there and tell us for yourself?

James
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"Unfortunately I can't be there ; would have loved to post my impressions and products details that are yet unknown.."

I'm sure there must be at least someone who also reads this forum , who will be at the Messe ?? I think ? I hope ?

(It's 1000km for me ; so not something to drive back / forth AND visit on a free afternoon, sorry...)

Cheap flight over to Frankfurt?

Seriously though, I believe Dave Horne is going - he may even be there right now?

James
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We can create a "gofundme.com" account for JFP to pay for his flight ;-)

Hmm...something tells me that JFP's not short of a few Euros...

It's not the travel (only) , it's the time to visit the show floor PROPERLY. Meaning not running around for two hours and skipping 95% of the available products and info and not getting to dig into details about any of the new gear around. Waste of time in that way.

But otherwise forget it. It was just an idea to get some more details on the new instruments ; in the end the missing info will all trickle down the coming weeks by updated corporate websites and/or first hand reports. Sorry to have opened another thread...

"GoFundMe" is still a welcome idea by the way - not only for a Messe ticket ;-)