Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards M&H BB owner needs portable DP to practice while on the road

I spend a lot of time sitting in hotel rooms and would like to practice. I have a 7' grand at home and want to practice on a keyboard that has a reasonable feel to it. I don't care about the engine or output. Headphones are fine. Weight is an issue. I need to carry it from my plane to the hotel, so 40 pounds is about my limit. Thanks.

VAX77?

Casio PX-150, 24 lbs. The issue is getting it onto an airplane. It will have to be checked, which means you'll need a pretty substantial case, which will add travel weight. Nothing with a "reasonable feel" is likely to be amenable to carry-on (unless maybe you buy an extra ticket for it). The only thing I can think of that might pass carry-on, at least on some airlines, would be the foldable Infinite Response VAX77. It's about 6x the price of the Casio, though. But if you can afford it, it would probably be about the most pleasant board to travel with reasonably easily. Comes with a compact wheeling travel case, too.

Thanks all. Fortunately, I am the pilot, so I can carry a full 88 and stick in the baggage compartment myself. It is just lugging it to the hotel that makes me want to keep the weight down. The Vax sounds cool, just a tad over my budget, which I blew on the Mason and Hamlin BB last year.

I have the PX-350, which is similar to the PX-150 in size, weight, and action. If you don't have to check it, it's great! Casio also sells a really nice, padded soft case that fits it like a glove and weighs very little.

If you do have to check it, you'll need a hardshell case, and then you're talking about a 50-lb, bulky item.

The alternatives are the VAX77 (cool, but expensive and unweighted keys); the RD-64 (looks great on paper, but only 64 keys and would also need a hardshell case for those of us who must check); and shorter boards with unweighted keys, like the NP-11.

This conundrum has been discussed on a number of other threads -- sorry, I don't have time to look them up now.

That is the best answer to the question of how to best travel by air with a decent keyboard... become a pilot!

Roland FP-50 is 36 lbs.

Though if he doesn't care about the sound, I think the Casio feels better (at least based on having played the FP-4F) while also being much lighter (and cheaper).

Thanks for all the info. My basic need is for an action that is relatively true to the grand weighting and feel (yes, i know there is a huge variation in the regulation on grands), and is light enough to carry. Sound, I think, is tertiary, though some people say that the feel of the DP keyboard is influenced by the sound you get out of it.

I think you are shooting for the moon as far as weight, budget and action is concerned. But you will get good info at this site

http://azpianonews.blogspot.com.au/

I think touch is something that you're going to have to just test out on your own to see what you like. That is such a personal thing, even if you don't buy it from the store you try it on, this is your number 1 criteria. Ask the clerk to show you all their stage pianos, try them out, and of the ones you like the feel the most, compare their weights. Go to as many stores and try out as many DPs as you can, take your headphones so you can have a more accurate idea of comparison for sound, too. And take notes on each model you try.

For your unique circumstances, the Casio PX-150 or 350 and the Casio Privia soft case would seem the ideal solution. Lightweight, full keyboard, good action, reasonable sound (especially through good headphones), very reasonable price.

Thanks again eveyone. I have a 27 year old Clavinova at home that I use for practicing repertoire at 415 or 392 Hz. The action is sort of OK and I have not tried any of the new keyboards, so I am looking forward to trying a bunch. The Casio Px-150 seems as if it may be the best overall choice, but only touching it will tell.

Cheers

Roland RD300NX? No speakers so weight saving there, it sounds nice, costs a grand and has nice touch and escapement sorta. It is rather long though because of a joystick on the end.

I'll check it out. Sitting in a hotel room as we write.