Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Is an easily transportable keyboard available?

I have a Yamaha P-80 piano keyboard that I love. Nice action & touch, like a real piano. But I travel a lot and the P-80 is long & heavy. Length more of a problem than weight. Is there something much more compact for the traveller?? If I could just split the P-80 in the middle and fold it over on itself, my problem would be solved. Is there such thing as a foldable, collapsible keyboard? Or does anyone know of a technician who can saw my P-80 in half and bolt on some hinges to the back of it?? (Or should I attempt that "surgery" myself if I can't buy a more transportable instrument?)

Loon,

I don't think you can have it all in one package. I frankly don't know what else you could be looking at if the P80 is too big, yet you still expect a good action and piano sounds.

Super portable that ... would be the Roll-up keyboard for $100. I don't mean to be sarcastic, but perhaps if you checked the spec sheets of everything that's on the market you would get a better idea of how your P80 stacks up.

As for the modification ... no problem. I can cut and put hinges on ANY keyboard you send to me. Even a foldable grand is possible this way. I usually don't guarantee this kind of work, but if that's all it takes to make peace with nature, I'm all for it.

But seriously, I don't think you're doing that badly with the P80 in portability department. And if you still expect 88 keys, then the length is a rather fixed issue.
Best,
Witold

I don't think you can do better in terms of portability of weighted digital pianos than Casio PX110.

You might consider the Korg SP250 in a portability discussion.

Check out the new VAX-77 from infinite response. Pricey, though.

To see a chopped down version of the P80, visit this thread: http://www.pianoworld.com/ubb/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/topic/6/423.html

Cheers,

Craig

If your budget will stretch, a Nord Stage 76 might provide the answer, but it's a premium keyboard at a premium price.

But then that goes for the VAX-77 too, and at least the Nord is available right now, while the VAX still seems only just beyond the vapourware stage.

Another alternative might be a Nord Electro or Stage Compact, which are both VERY totable, but their actions are unweighted.

The Korg SP250 is horrid, IMO, and doesn't even have anything to offer in weight advantage, at 19kg. Roland's FP-4, which I have, shaves 4kg off that weight and is a far superior DP. You'd also save a couple of kg off the weight of the P80 but dimensions are likely to be roughly the same.

I have a Roland FP-2 that fits in a SKB 76-key case. But the FP-4 is clearly a superior DP.

Craig

The Prokeys 88sx is a nice stage piano. Its only downside is that the keys are only semiweighted. Its about 400 dollars and has great sound for the price.

Loon, I think if you want a light weight, small (short) AND full weighted 88-keys DP, the CASIO Privia PX-range is your best option here: but consider the PX-200 or PX-320: they have for 99% the same lenght and weight as the PX-110 but are much better instruments in terms of sound, polyphony and general specifications.

> Specs of the YAMAHA P-80:

Dimensions (W x D x H) 1,347 x 285 x 128 mm (53" x 11-1/4" x 5")
Weight 16.8 kg (37.0 lbs)
-------------------------

> Specs of the CASIO PX-110:

52 1/16 x 10 15/16 x 5 3/16 inch (132.3 x 27.8 x 13.2 cm)
Weight Approximately 26.2 lbs (11.9 kg )
----------------------------------------

> Specs of the CASIO PX-200 and PX-320:

132.2 (W) × 27.8 (D) × 13.4 (H) cm (52 1/16 × 10 15/16 × 5 1/4 inch)
Weight Approximately 12.0kg (26.4 lbs)
--------------------------------------

> If you like YAMAHA for the (still) better soundsamples you can buy a YAMAHA CP-33: it's even 1 cm shorter than the CASIO's but it's more expensive and more heavy to carry, in fact heavier than your P-80:

Dimensions
(W x D x H) 1312 x 330 x 151 mm (51-5/8" x 13 x 5-15/16")
Weight 18 kg! (39 lbs., 11 oz!)
------------------------------


Look here for all CASIO technical specifications:

http://www.casio-usa.com/products/Musical_Instruments/Privia_Digital_Pianos/

Lol I was about to reccomend the p80! Somewhere on this forum is a link to a folding keyboard-- which isn't available yet.

Wait a minute, here it is:
http://www.infiniteresponse.com/

Looks like summer 2008 is when they plan to release it. Hurry up, I say!

Wait a minute, here it is:
http://www.infiniteresponse.com/

Looks like summer 2008 is when they plan to release it. Hurry up, I say!

Seriously cool. Wonder how good the keyboard is (they mention key weights, but they don't mention "piano" anywhere so my hopes aren't that high). Plus given their distribution plans, I can't imagine this thing is gonna be cheap!

Oh man I want one!!!

As I am a technological idiot, could somebody tell me if this "infinite response" keyboard will let you plug in headphones so you can hear yourself, or do you have to route it through some computer to get any sound out of it?

You're right, it doesn't say anything in the specs about a headphone jack, but the photo seems to show there are more than just MIDI and USB ports. Maybe that's the price you pay to get it down to 25 lbs.

The new Yamaha NP-30 is designed to be very portable - I think the weight is 13lb. But the action is lighter than their GHS action and it only has 76 keys.

It's just amazing what I learn on this site. I was prepared to point out you made a mistake on the weight, because this seemed impossible. In fact it's even lighter, at 11#-14oz. I would like to see what the graded touch feels like. This is something I would be willing to carry when I travel on business. I can't understand how they can get a power supply, amplifier and speakers in this thing and have it be so light.

Mark, I had a pretty good sense of the weight because I have one. I bought it recently so that I'd have something I can play when my arthritis flares up and my hands get too cranky to play my acoustic. The graded touch is very light, quite different from the GHS action in the YDP range. I'd say it's midway between that and the completely unweighted feel of the little Casio keyboard I started off on. There is more resistance towards the bass end, but it's not a dramatic shift in weight. It responds quite nicely to dynamic shifts, better than some more expensive keyboards I've tried. Overall I think it's a good keyboard for someone who's either looking to take the strain off their hands for a while or for something that's easy to move around. It doesn't do anything really fancy and obviously it doesn't sound as good as something with higher-end (and heavier) speakers, but for what I was looking for, it's perfect.

Hmm... it looks like it's not going to have any internal sounds at all.... it's just a controller for a sound module or a computer Still pretty neat, but it definitely loses some of its coolness if you have to carry and set up a sound module as well.

I am considering getting a NP-30 in order to, as Donna R. put it, do the "repetitive stuff" before adding polish at my acoustic. I injured my right pinkie and although I can play with it, it becomes painful if I do too much. So I would like to get a touch-responsive digital with VERY LIGHT keys to do the initial practicing on. So I wonder if someone could be so kind as to help me, please?

What is the touchweight of middle C? I measure this by taking nickels (5c coins, weighing 5 grams) and stacking them up on middle C right at the end (viz. closer to the pianist) and seeing how many are needed to make the note sound ppp. On my acoustic (Boesendorfer)it's 16 nickels or 80 grams; on my Yamaha P-80 it's 19 nickels or 95 grams; on my Roland P-245 it's 14 nickels or 70 grams. I'm looking for something with 50 grams or less (10 nickels). Could someone please do me this kind favor and measure a NP-30 in the same way?

In anticipation, thanks very much.