I am looking for a keyboard to practice my piano when I travel. It has been difficult finding hotels that have pianos, have decent pianos or those that are in a location where "banging on the piano!" is permitted. Additionally, my family likes to go on long road trips and I would like to have a keyboard to play in the minivan. I am new to the digital piano front and I have been impressed with the small amount of time I have spent with the instruments. Having said all that, I would like to buy a "quality" keyboard with decent action simulation and a reasonable amount of digital options. The only digital piano that I have played is the Kawai ES3 which has impressed me. The price quoted on this was $1,295, no tax.

Do any of you have any suggestions of other products I should consider? Does anyone have a strong opinion against the Kawai? Why? We have a fine acoustical piano in the house, but a keyboard could always be fun and the later the kids could use it to do recording etc. I guess the key factors are:

1. Quality
2. Piano Action
3. Portability
4. Options
5. Price - I would like to stay in the low $1,000's.

Suggestions on where to purchase are appreciated too. Having said that, if I can find a dealer local to Los Angeles with the same price, I am inclined to purchase in Los Angeles.

Thanks,
John

I have the Yamaha P90 which I bought mainly for travel. I also recently bought a 120VAC inverter from Best Buy for use in the car/van. I have only used it for my laptop, but you could use it for a piano, too.

The action is sufficient for a travel piano. The P60 is cheaper.

P90's are about $995 (and you can usually get some freebie(s) such as a stand). P60's are about $750. P120's are about $1,200.

Gryphon:

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate it and I have now begun researching the line of Yamaha's, with the P120 catching my eye. I really like the size of the Kawai and the Yamaha.

I was a little dissapointed that I did not get a better response to my post, but I did a search on the forum and I understand that there are many posts which go into many of these issues.

To anybody willing to reply I have an observation and a question.

Observation: There is not a lot of discussion regarding the Kawai ES3. The Yamaha seems to be the dominant in this segment of the market. From my limited knowledge, I find myself liking the form factor of the Kawai a little better, but because of the lack of discussion think I might be missing something by purchasing the Kawai over the Yamaha. From the time I have spent listening to the sounds of each, I could live with either. Admittedly, in both instances the listening environment was less than ideal.

Question: The Kawai has a USB port for hooking up to a computer. The Yamaha uses a serial cable. To me, it seems like the USB is better. Am I right?

Again, I really appreciate those that take the time to respond. I apologize if this seems redundant to other posts.

Thanks,
John

John,

It really doesn't matter if the interface is serial or USB since it is only used for MIDI data. Both communications schemes work fine, but USB is a little more convenient if you are taking a laptop along.

I can't advise you on the Kawai as I have only used the MP-9500 which has an amazing wooden key action (this is not the same one on the model you describe). The Yamaha P120 is an awsome board and is built like a tank.

You can find reviews of each respectively at:

http://www.harmony-central.com/Synth/Data/Kawai/ES-3-01.html

http://www.harmony-central.com/Synth/Data/Yamaha/P120-01.html

By the looks of things, I doubt you could go wrong with either.

Good luck in your purchase.

Rodney

Rodney:

Thanks for the comments and the link. I am currently waiting for the Kawai to be in stock at my local dealer. If it doesn't come in in the next couple of weeks, I will spring for the P120.

John