 |
Welcome to the Piano World Piano Forums
Over 3 million posts about pianos, digital pianos, and all types of keyboard instruments.
Over 100,000 members from around the world.
Join the World's Largest Community of Piano Lovers
(it's free)
It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
|
|
|
|
67 members (brennbaer, accordeur, antune, Colin Miles, anotherscott, AndyOnThePiano2, benkeys, 10 invisible),
1,817
guests, and
309
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 20
Full Member
|
OP
Full Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 20 |
Hey everyone! I've been reading reviews about the Roland FP4F, and some mention about the action of the keyboard being slow (e.g. this thread). What is this slowness I'm supposed to look out for? Please note that I'm really new to pianos so perhaps I'm not hearing/feeling it? (Learning on midi keyboard ~3 months) Thanks!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 4,115
4000 Post Club Member
|
|
4000 Post Club Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 4,115 |
You really need to play and compare it to other DP actions then you will feel it for yourself.
I played it in a shop next to a FP7F, and the 4F actions felt sluggish by comparison. That's it! A good action otherwise though.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 20
Full Member
|
|
OP
Full Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 20 |
Hi spanishbuddha!
Thanks! I think the shop I visited may have a 7F, I'll check. I was play testing the FP4F against a Korg SP250 though.
Cheers!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 6,730
6000 Post Club Member
|
6000 Post Club Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 6,730 |
The reference to slow or sluggish keys means that they don't return to their home position as quickly as you'd like after releasing the key. It matters when you're playing very fast passages or same-note repeats. It feels off if you need to hit the key again and it's not as high as you expect it to be. In extreme cases, in theory, you might not be able to trigger the note again (or at the desired velocity) if it hasn't had enough time to come up, though I don't know that that happens much in the real world. I think more often it's a psychological thing that plays into the feel of the piano.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 20
Full Member
|
|
OP
Full Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 20 |
anotherscott - Thanks for the clarification, that makes alot of sense. I'll definitely have to try it against other pianos, couldn't feel it between the two pianos I tested today. Cheers!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 457
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 457 |
How does the action compare to that of the Roland F110. That was really , really bad. I played the YDP 161/181 first really liked the action. Then I tested this roland model, and there was no life in the keyboard. How do I describe it hmm It was like when I pressed the key it went down before I could feel it going down, before I knew it I couldn't press down any further. There was a lack of feeling in the keys. I was considering the Rp301/F120 which have the same action as the Fp4f, any opinions?? I hope its far superior to that f110 I played, that was god damn awful.
Piano; YDP161
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 4,564
4000 Post Club Member
|
|
4000 Post Club Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 4,564 |
Several who have auditioned them and even some owners have shared the opinion that the action doesn't feel as responsive to them as they hoped. The Ivory Feel-G is a much firmer action than its predecessor, the PHA(alpha)II which was very responsive but on the extreme light end of weighted hammer actions.
I've observed that the Ivory Feel-G is a good action, but significantly affected by the housing/cabinet. In the RD-300NX, it feels good...but maybe average for a high-dollar slab. For the FP-4F, I think it is more difficult to trill notes. While surprising to some, that action feels great in their new consoles, the F120 and RP-301, and I don't see any difficulty with trills. Go figure.
To be fair, I don't think anyone has truly nailed a lightweight hammer action without some significant compromise. If Roland could slightly increase the static friction and then ever so slightly lighten the Ivory Feel-G, I think they would nail it. If Casio could slightly decrease sideplay, they would nail it. If Yamaha could keep a smoother force curve through the motion of their GHS action, I think they would nail it. But then I only get one vote and I'm more experienced with the mechanics of acoustic pianos than I am with playing them (adult early intermediate).
If you are new to piano, there is nothing but positive about the Ivory Feel-G keyboard on the FP-4F. But once you become an experienced pianist, there are things you will notice, things that will bother some and not others.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 457
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 457 |
Several who have auditioned them and even some owners have shared the opinion that the action doesn't feel as responsive to them as they hoped. The Ivory Feel-G is a much firmer action than its predecessor, the PHA(alpha)II which was very responsive but on the extreme light end of weighted hammer actions.
I've observed that the Ivory Feel-G is a good action, but significantly affected by the housing/cabinet. In the RD-300NX, it feels good...but maybe average for a high-dollar slab. For the FP-4F, I think it is more difficult to trill notes. While surprising to some, that action feels great in their new consoles, the F120 and RP-301, and I don't see any difficulty with trills. Go figure.
To be fair, I don't think anyone has truly nailed a lightweight hammer action without some significant compromise. If Roland could slightly increase the static friction and then ever so slightly lighten the Ivory Feel-G, I think they would nail it. If Casio could slightly decrease sideplay, they would nail it. If Yamaha could keep a smoother force curve through the motion of their GHS action, I think they would nail it. But then I only get one vote and I'm more experienced with the mechanics of acoustic pianos than I am with playing them (adult early intermediate).
If you are new to piano, there is nothing but positive about the Ivory Feel-G keyboard on the FP-4F. But once you become an experienced pianist, there are things you will notice, things that will bother some and not others. Thank you for writing that up, very helpful  From what you said It seems to be quite an improvement from the one in the F110. That gives me hope. Im hoping to try it out within this next 3 week period.
Piano; YDP161
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 20
Full Member
|
|
OP
Full Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 20 |
Sam, thank you very much, that was very helpful.
Shokz, if you do try the FP4F, could you post your thoughts? Of all the pianos I've tried, this one seems to be the one that matches my requirements. Kawai MP6 sadly has no speakers, else that would be another to consider.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 457
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 457 |
Sam, thank you very much, that was very helpful.
Shokz, if you do try the FP4F, could you post your thoughts? Of all the pianos I've tried, this one seems to be the one that matches my requirements. Kawai MP6 sadly has no speakers, else that would be another to consider. I'll be sure to feedback if I try any models with the Ivory G action. Umm The shop I was going to go to I dont think they sell the fp4f or it isnt listed on the website, the only do the fp4 apparently. They all do the Rd300. So hopefully these models are up on display so I can get a good feel of the keys
Piano; YDP161
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 43
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 43 |
When I was in search of a digital piano, I didn't notice that the keys of the FP-4F are indeed sluggish compared to the FP-7F. Though Roland claims the F-120 has the same Ivory Feel G keys, they felt a lot more responsive, when I tried them some time ago.
Now that I play more on my 4F, I tend not to bother anymore and even like the sound (even though I'm still using the main speakers). It's when I have to repeatedly play a chord, I notice the slow keys again.
It's a bit like a guitar with a high action. It's a bit tougher to play on.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 6
Junior Member
|
|
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 6 |
Its a bit slow but its not that bad
I feel the action is way way better that FP4
|
|
|
|
Forums43
Topics223,390
Posts3,349,223
Members111,632
| |
Most Online15,252
Mar 21st, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
