For the record, I bought a Yamaha P80 for $833 at Guitar Center in Southern California August 2002.
I know there are better keyboards, but IMHO nothing near that price has comparable piano sound or touch.

For the record I own a very nice grand so was I initially dissapointed after playing the P80 in my home.
After adjusting to it, I appreciate it for what it is, an alternative to the acoustic for nighttime use.

They have a circuit board you can buy (about $280) that has nicer samples.
Supposedly, they sampled the grand 10 times at 10 different volume levels to get that change in tone that an acoustic gives as the hammer strikes the string with more force.
I did not buy that yet.
Does anyone have it?
Is it worth it?

I can't speak about MIDI capability or other voices, or expandability or compatibility.
I didn't care about those things and didn't research them.

My only complaint is their "no slip" sustain pedal does in fact slip (on my hardwood floors).
You practically have to rest your left foot on top of it to hold it in place.
To prevent slipping I used some of that cheap rubber screen stuff (from Rubbermaid) for lining the bottom of your kitchen cupboards.
Works like a charm.

I also got Sony MDR7506 headphones ($99), light, comfortable and good sound.
Thanks to all of you who helped me with your suggestions.

Kenny:

Congragulations on your purchase.

Regarding the problem of the pedal sliding across the floor: what I did was tape the pedal to the floor to prevent movement.

I think you'll find that your digital piano complements your accoustical piano rather than competing with it. Depending on the type of music you play, it's nice to put it in harpsichord or jazz piano mode. You can't do that on an accoustical piano!

I bought a Yamaha P120S digital last month and I like it a lot. It's basically a derivative of the P-80 with the addition of a built-in internal amplifier and speakers.

If your floor is a solid surface (i.e. not a carpet), you could try using the non-slip mats that they sell at Home Depot, Wal-Mart or almost any hardware store. These are the ones that look like spongy cross-hatched mats. You usually buy them in small rolls and cut them to size.

- TD

My accoustic piano is a new Yamaha C-3 which, after I voiced it, sounds fantastic.

My electric piano is the Yamaha P-80, which I bought the first week they were out, also at GC in S Cal. They listed then for $1099, so at $999, I got a great deal.

I love it. The only keyboard to have a true graduated hammer feel (heavier touch at the bass - lighter at treble) All the other top sellers seemed to have a somewhat mushy touch to them, IMO. And I guess the model I have has the upgrade because I have all those grand piano patches.

I also use a Roland XV-5050 synth module which is MIDI interfaced to the P-80. I never researched far enough to assign pre-sets from the p-80 to the 5050, but I'm told it can be done.

Instead, I use the Behringer MIDI foot controller FCB1010 to call my patches (great tool) which, in addition to the patch assignable buttons, has two analog pedals which I use for the volume and the sustain - thus solving that slippery pedal issue.

I really love the feel of the P-80, and with the Roland XV-5050, I now have a couple thousand sounds that are all played through a nice feeling keyboard instead of the "organ-like" feel of other synthesizers.

If I were to name two negative aspects, they would be the smooth plastic keys and the movement of the piano as I play it - both of these probably do not bother a long-time electric keyboardist, but I am foremost a pianist.

Kenny, this circuit board you are talking about, what is it called (pref. model number) and where can it be bought?

Kenny,
The expansion board that Yamaha offers will almost certainly provide you with additional high quality sounds. But I'd be careful about listening to the hype that comes out of guitar center. The average tenure for their sales staff is 4 months. Case in point: Sampling a grand 10 times is not uncommon, but also not particularly impressive. Sampling it at 10 different volumes is extremely impressive -- so much so that I highly doubt that it is true. But the bottom line is that you want it to improve your sound which I suspect it will. I'd try it out first though.

Keyplyr,
You have an incredible tool in the XV5080. It's one of the best sounding synth engines ever made. You might want to consider the "Concert Grand" expansion board available from Roland. In my opinion it contains some of the best piano samples available at any price! It is indeed possible to select sounds on your XV5080 from the P-80. I could probably step you through it if you like. I'm glad you like your MIDI foot controller although it sounds like overkill to me. But if you like it, who am I to comment?

You made a comment about "assigning presets from the P80 to the XV5080". I'm curious as to what you mean by that? Do you mean that sounds from the P80 are somehow played on the 5080? That is not possible. Or perhaps you mean that you can use the P80 to "control" the 5080's internal sound banks. That you can do.

One question, however. Why would you not simply purchase an XV88 instead of the P80 and the XV5080? The XV88 would be considerably less money and would have a superior action and sound to the P80. I don't mean to sound critical. But for those reading this forum, this might be helpful in their own quest for the right keyboard.

You have an incredible tool in the XV5080 - Steve

The module I use is the XV5050, not the XV5080. It's pretty new (2 months) at half the price ($800), 64 poly (instead of 128) but with an extra engine so it actually sounds much fatter than the 5080 IMO. Has all those old patches of the 80 and another couple hundred new ones, some of which inspire me to new heights! Also has great new performance writing, and twice the effects mods of the older 5080.

You might want to consider the "Concert Grand" expansion board available from Roland. - Steve

The XV5050 has two empty slots. I'm thinking of the grand piano and the orchestra Xboards however, the new 5050 patches for both these banks are so good that these add-ons would really need to prove that they add anything substantial.


You made a comment about "assigning presets from the P80 to the XV5080". Do you mean... that you can use the P80 to "control" the 5080's internal sound banks. That you can do. - Steve

Yes, I know thanks. I just need to read through the P-80 manual more thoroughly to translate Japanese to Italian (LOL.) Thanks for the offer to help though.

Why would you not simply purchase an XV88 instead of the P80 and the XV5080? The XV88 would be considerably less money and would have a superior action and sound to the P80. - Steve

The "less money" part is because you thought I had paid $2500 for the 5080. The XV88 usually sells for close to $2k, so I have actually saved about $300 from your analogy. But the simple fact is, I do not feel the XV88 is at all superior to the P-80. I guess it depends what your priorities are. I find the XV88 action mushy and the response slow. I purchased the P-80 for the "feel" and the portability. I am foremost a pianist, and a solid piano feel is absolutely essential for me... I can add more sounds.

The P-80 is extremely light and portable, has unbelievable graduated hammer action (the XV88 lacks) and the sensitivity and response is tremendous. As for the sounds, I think the stereo grand pianos are the best on the market if played through high-end amplification (they sampled the Yamaha Grand) and the other on-board patches (12 in all) are great too.

The Roland XV5050 supplies the other 22,000 "big" sounds that I need for recording or live. I heard the play-back of a performance I did (with current group) at a venue which sat 3k. The 5050 really filled that place.

Steve - Everyone seems to rave about what they are using at the current time. It's terrific that you enjoy Roland keyboards, but I am not one who does (I have owned two in the past.) Their sounds, on the other hand, are absolutely the best... except Yamaha's grand piano

Keyplyr,
Oops!!! I totally misread your post. My apologies. The XV5050 is indeed a different instrument (and quite a value) than the XV5080. You're right. As long as you like the action in the P80, you did save money.

A couple corrections though:
The XV5080 has slightly higher quality converters than the XV5050. Same patches -- but slightly less fidelity in the 5050.
The XV88 does indeed have a progressive hammer action. You may not like it as much as the P80 (which I would disagree with), but it does have the top of the line Roland action (same as RD700).
If you like bright pianos, then I think you may indeed be happy with the P80 pianos. But I do suspect that a "taste test" with the XV Concert Grand expansion board would be beneficial. I find these to be among the very best sounds available at any price.
As for me, I enjoy any keyboard that sounds good, feels good and meets whatever needs I may have musically. I currently favor Roland products, but that isn't to the exclusion of others. I think very highly of the Yamaha Motif and the Korg Triton Studio. Some of the Kurzweil piano sounds are nice as well. But as a pianist, I feel that the Roland action and tonal quality is superior to anything else available at the moment. But then again, NAMM is just around the corner...

I've been looking into a digital piano to substitute for my grand (Kawai GS-40) when I need to play with headphones. I like to practice in the mornings and my wife is a late sleeper so the grand is out of the question. I was wondering if anyone has compare the feel of the P80 with the P120? Is it the same? Also, how do these models compare to the feel of the Kawai MP9000/MP9500?

JimmyD - I also suggest to try the Kawai ESX. Sounds and feels nice. -Peter