Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Your Favorite key action under 1,000 USD?

I am looking to buy a new DP, I am stuck between this options. In your opinion which is the best action between this ones:

Yamaha GHS (p35 and p105)
Yamaha GH (p155)
Roland Ivoryfeel G (F20)
Casio models PX150 and PX5S

Thanks a lot

What does best mean?

I'm not sure you list the correct action on the Yamha models.

No matter, most would say the best in the sense of 3 sensors and piano-like feel is that from Casio, of those listed. I would say go and try for yourself and make your own mind up, depending on what best means to you.

Every one of those has its fans, and the only person's opinion who will matter is yours. Personally, of those actions, I'd take the Casio, and I suspect that may be the most popular overall as well, but you may feel differently. Also, if you haven't looked at it yet, you should add the Kawai ES100 to your eval list.

Since you only care about action, is your intent to use it to drive a software piano?

The Yamaha P155 uses "GH" (better than GHS); The P35 and P105 use "GHS" (lighter, less like an acoustic piano.

The actions of Casio PX-150 / PX-350 / PX5S are identical. IMHO, they're as good as the Yamaha "GH" action.

Best "bang for the buck", for keyboard action, in that list, is the Casio PX-150. Most flexible music-making instrument is the PX5S.

. CHarles

PS -- I own a PX-350, and like it..

- I also like the PX-150. It's now my travelling piano (when I travel!). I haven't tried the Roland.

Yeah I agree "best" is very subjective.

Favorite/ppreferred would be a better definition.

I tried all models already, I am a beginner so I really don't wich feels more like a real piano or wich would be more tiring. I didn't like the Yamaha one that much, the roland was different, casio felt good. But honestly I don't which I would pick up, no clear winner.

If I may repeat the earlier question... Since you only care about action, is your intent to use it to drive a software piano?

The reason I ask is that, if I were going to use a low cost piano primarily as a controller for a software piano, I'd probably choose the PX-150. But that's not what I would choose if I were going to be primarily playing the internal sounds.

Also, I noticed all of your choices had built-in speakers, except the PX-5S. Do you care whether it has internal speakers or not.

nothing wrong with the casio. you'll need to have a good reason to justify buying a px5s over a px150 or px350.

Yes,I have studio monitors so speakers are not a concern and I would also use virtual pianos most of the time (and because of this how good is the velocity sensitiity may be more important, I have read that some dp doesnt have a perfect linear curve and may skip values, is this true?).

I am also looking at roland rd64, it has the same price as the px 150 here and it seems to have better sounds. The f20 is more expensive (very strange pricing over here in Mexico).

So I might actually choose between this two (rd 64, px150), actions felt close and better than yamaha bur veey close between this two.

I also found cpd 120 second hand, how does the action compares to the px150?

If you're using virtual pianos most of the time, the better sounds is probably of less value than having the full 88 keys.


The CDP 120 uses an older action that most people agree is not as good.

Err, but the RD64 has a few keys missing! Yes it has a octave shift key, but for piano forget it.

The CDP120 is decent as a controller but the PX150 stands out here in this discussion, so far.

Among the above, and purely in terms of key action, I'd take the Yamaha GH, i.e. p155.
Actally I'm still practicing on one, in one of the places I see regularly, alongside with acoustics and a VPC1 elsewhere. It works.

Small spanner in the works here! Went round the piano shop couple of days ago, you know, to see and feel, and play a test piece. As you do. They were all OK from the Yam Clp585 down to the P105 and the DGX I have including some acoustics. I disliked the Kawai MP10. I really liked the Korg SL280 (think i got the number right, i'll check) which felt like GH only lighter. And its fully equipped with pedals and stand.

peterws
Do you mean the korg SP-280? That's interesting, because I had a horrible reaction to playing that board; I just found it horribly uncomfortable to play. Oddly, in the shop I was in they had the 280's predecessor (the SP-250 I think) next to it so I was able to and A to B comparison, and I found the 250 quite pleasant to play. That just goes to show how varied people's tastes are, and how impossible it is to make good recommendations about such subjective things as the feel of a keyboard action.

The SP-250 used Korg's high end action, RH3 (same as Kronos and SV1). I haven't played the SP280, but I know it uses a lesser action, though it at least gives it a lighter travel weight.

Anotherscott
Ahhh.. I wondered why they downgraded the action, I guess the weight is probably the main reason. I assumed it was probably the cost, but they kept the higher end action in the LP-380 (which is not meant to be portable), so that makes more sense. Though one assumes that the lesser action is also a bit cheaper to manufacture, so that might also have been a factor in the decision.

In any case, I was very disappointed with it. The SP280 has a pretty decent speaker system for a slab piano, and I found the sounds to be more than adequate. I probably would have bought one if they had kept the RH3 action in it.

I really can't have any taste in dp keyboards. . .might be time for me to keep schmuck! So long as the bl..dy thing sounds good I'm happy. . .

Next time you play an SP280, see if it matches an acoustic piano:

. . . You can press a key all the way down, so gently that
. . . the piano is silent.

If I remember right, the SP280 doesn't do that. It always makes a sound.

I could be wrong -- I did the test a while ago. I remember not liking it, but (as we keep saying) there's a lot of subjectivity in these preferences.

_You_ get to play it, so _you_ had better like it!<g>

. Charles

Many DPs fail that test, but as purchasing criteria go, I'd rank that pretty low. I mean, when playing, how often do you need to do that? ;-)

You have a point -- it's not something I'd normally want to do. But it was disconcerting when it happened.

. Charles