Looking for a new stage piano to replace my aging-but-still-functional Kurzweil PC88. Needs to have good weighted action, good MIDI capability, good on-board sounds, AND weigh significantly less than 55 pounds? Getting to be a PITA carting around instruments that weigh 75lbs+ in their case. Ain't getting any younger, and no roadies in sight. Not sure such an instrument exists, but maybe I missed something.

When I read the title I thought "you aren't going to get much of a piano for ₤50".

One of the main reasons I purchased the Roland RD-300SX was weight. (15.3Kg (33 lbs)). Now there is the FP4 at the same weight that a lot of people like.

Mike - thanks I edited the thread title. (Sorry for not remembering this is international forum).

Most of the stage pianos that do have a weighted keyboard are going to be somewhat heavy. I have a Kurzweil SP88X myself, although I don't usually move it around a lot (I use a 61 key 2661 for gigging in different locations).

I am 66 years old, and carrying even the 2661 (much less my PC2 76 key semi-weighted) in its hard case is not enjoyable. I have seen a couple of ways to help. For one thing, some of the ATA type cases are made with wheels on one end, so it can be rolled.

My choice was a bit different. I need to carry the piano in its case, a good stand for it, a seat, and a small powered PA. For about $160, I purchased a "Rock N Roller" model R8 - this is a travel cart that is made like the devices that hotels use to carry luggage. It folds up nicely, can also be used as a standard hand truck, or can be stretched out and made into a "U" shaped wheeled device. It has stairclimbers built in. I load it into my van by picking up the front end, sitting it inside, then picking up the back end and shoving it forward until it is in the vehicle. I purchased this unit from Sweetwater (no additional shipping charge, and I have had very good service over the years from them.)

The manufacturer also makes a separate shelf that will fit the unit, although Sweetwater does not list it. I'm considering the shelf, then I could just bungee cord the unit to the shelf, and not carry a separate stand.

I use this unit several times each week to load in and load out - it has really cut back on needing (and not having) roadies.

HTH,
Jim

Casio Privia. It's only $500. It has a nice touch for a stage piano. I use it on stage and haven't had any problems with it. I also play on it at home, classical, jazz, pop rock. Works for any style. P.S. I don't work for Casio. haha The Roland 300sx is good too but the touch is lighter IMO and it's about 20 lbs heavier than the Casio.

Roland FP4 33 lbs featuring their best ever piano sound ($1,015)

I don't recommend the Casio or the RD-300SX.

My Yamaha P90 weighs only 38 pounds. I made a case that has wheels at one end, so I can roll it around like a hand truck.

The Privia is very light and compact (I think my PX-200 is 26 pounds). It's very affordable and the action is respectable, especially for the size. Sounds are decent, too, as long as you run it through something other than the built-in speakers.

It's a good stage piano, but I'd say it's pretty worthless as a MIDI controller, or if you're playing in a band and need quick access to a lot of different sounds. Scrolling through a 3-digit display of numbers to call up a corresponding General MIDI sound is not something you want to do on stage while the rest of the band waits for you.

One reason it's so much smaller is that it has no pitch bend or modulation controllers. Not a problem for piano sounds, but if you've got some B3 sounds on the PC or external synths, having no modulation is painful.

I've got the Yamaha CP-33. I don't gig, but it's pretty light, has a GREAT keyboard feel, and the patches although not numerous are pretty high quality piano sounds. Nice bass - good for pop.
It's main weakness is it's 32 values max program changer

Kawai MP5 weighs 45 Lbs, cost $1100. Great action and piano sounds as well as other sounds. Still might be a little on the heavy side for you. Good luck!

I had one of the early PC88s.. after breaking it several times replaced it with an early Yamaha S90. Now looking for a replacement for that.. and like you, hoping to "down-weight". Trouble is, my researches suggest that unless you go for something in the same weight class - eg RD700 - you have to compromise on sounds or keyboard. I suggest you list the sounds you really need and list what covers them, then check out the actions. I keep coming to a Nord Stage.. but pricey and not a proper weighted action, then back to the RD700.. sounds and action great but heavy.. then to some of the Kboards mentioned above, but none of which have quite the sound set I want... but one might have what you want! An alternative is a master keyboard plus rack unit.. but then you are into midi, and personally I can't be bothered with the extra leads and thought involved.. been there and done it and too old to want to go there again..

Precisely. My impression is that all the good stage pianos (meaning great action, full MIDI capability, great sound) are in the range of 55+ pounds or more. Was just hoping beyond hope that I had missed a sleeper somewhere.

GEM pRP-700 weighs about 42 lbs (no speakers). MIDI in/out.

Specs here:
prp-700

I think sweetwater carries them for about $1000 US.

My Yamaha P-140 weighs +/- 40 Lbs and has a great keyboard feel.

Our church just replaced their 10 year old PC88 with the new (first new model in several years) Kurzweil SP2 stage piano. Weight is 45 pounds, considerably better piano sound than the older SP88X (I have one), both MIDI and USB connection supported. I played it a bit Thursday night and was well impressed, especially at the modest price point.

Jim

I have just ordered a Kurzweil PC1SE: 76 keys, fully weighted, hundreds of sounds. The Sam Ash and Guitar Center near me didn't have any on display so I have really bought in "blind" (with a return option, of course).

So it might sound like crap and/or feel like crap. I'm hoping it will be good. I'll try to report back, if it's good, anyway. Otherwise I may be too depressed.

Up to now I've been using a kind of kludge setup for gigs, consisting of a 76 note synth, a JV-1010 module and a 49 key auxiliary controller. It has its pluses and minuses, but one big plus is reasonable portability.

I carry 5 pieces: the two keyboards, a stand, a big Peavey amp and a large duffle bag of cables and accessories. All of fits in my Toyota Camry trunk. It's been pretty difficult to find 76 note keyboards, especially weighted, but I am strongly resisting making my load any larger. Although a part-time musician I play a lot. I carry my gear in two trips, four times a night (house to car, car to gig, gig to car, car to house), 100+ nights a year. So I sympathize with the OP.

I'm really hoping that this keyboard works out. The manual says it's 47 pounds, which is about the same as what I'm using now. The missing keys on top (Ab - C) aren't very useful to me. The ones on the bottom I'd probably use more IF I was playing solo. But with a bass player it's no hardship.

I'll try to report back.

The PC1SE should sound pretty much like my PC2, which is also 76 key, but just lightly weighted. It has some very good piano sounds, Rhodes & Wurlies, excellent strings, and a lot of other sounds including orchestral. You will probably like it. I do my travelling with a Kurzweil 2661, only 61 keys unweighted, but lighter.

I've been wanting a full 88 key weighted keyboard for serious piano music - I now have a B stock Kurzweil K2600X on the way - it probably won't get moved much, it weighs close to 80 pounds without a case. I'm going to put it in my studio in place of the PC2, and carry the PC2 to church.

The PC1 and PC2 have the full "triple strike" piano sounds - for the 2500 and 2600 series, you have to buy the additional ROM to get the two softer sample sets.

Having a van helps a lot, I usually play out two or three times a week carrying the 2661, stand, a 100watt powered PA, seat, and extension cord plus other needed cords. All of it fits on a specialized hand truck, and I can even go up and down stairs with the hand truck. At 66, I'm over the kind of heavy lifting I did with Bass amps and speakers in the 1980's.

Jim

I'm also looking for a piano I can carry around.

How about a Casio PX-320 for stage purposes. It has 128 note polyphony and weighs 12kg, and has 4 speakers and line-in/out. Anyone tried this digital?

http://www.casio-intl.com/emi/piano/privia/px320.html

Here's the band's web site
www.risky-biz.com

Had a chance to vist a Guitar Center in So Cal last week. Played a couple differen Casio boards, don't remember specific models - 310x or something, price range about 500-600. Anyway, IMO the action was not good enough to bother further exploring their capabilities (e.g. a little sluggish, making quick single-note repetition difficult if not impossible). Did not really explore sounds, performance setup capability, etc. Granted this was less than perfect test - typical noisy environment, instruments mounted at an angle against the wall etc etc.

PX320 is a new model, which is not on US market yet, while PX310 is an older one with only 32 polyphony.

quote: I hope you're right. I'm a little worried about the organ sounds. With 600+ sounds, and only a handful of organ samples, I don't get the idea that was a priority. I could carry a separate module, as I have for several years, but I'd really like to simplify my setup.

In KB3 mode, you only have about 16 or 20 preset sounds, but you can change ANY of them very easily while playing. The eight sliders on the panel become "drawbars" along with the mod wheel being the highest pitch drawbar. Other switches allow Leslie speed change (can also switch it with the #3 pedal), vibrato/chorus, percussion on/off, pitch, and amount. So, for all practical purposes, you have most all of the available tone modifiers right at hand that would be present in a real B3.
Even though it is not a full synth like the 2600 series, you can get into the controller engine and modify a lot of things, then save them to the user bank of memory and recall them as needed. A group of "setups" also allow you to make preset setups including patches, effects, layers, splits, and so forth. You can export the settings (which will be lost if you have to do a hard reset) with MIDI to a computer and save them - there is no floppy, hard disk, or memory stick, but custom settings can be saved using a computer with MIDI connections. I upgraded my PC2 to add the Vintage ROM, and had to load the new operating system and memory objects. The Media Player in Windows XP is sufficient, as long the computer has MIDI outputs (easily arranged with a USB converter).

Some of the piano patches are stereo, others are mono. Some are stretch tuned for solo work, others are tuned for ensemble. Your 76 key includes both ROMs, which also adds to the number of Rhodes and Wurly patches, and even the number of KB3 organ sounds. There are also regular organ sounds that don't use KB3 (most of your polyphony is eaten up when in KB3 mode), but they don't have the real bite of the true B3.

The only better emulation that I have seen is the B4 version II soft synth by Native Instruments; and it has its own flaws (uneven output in different octaves). The Kurz is a LOT easier to use in a live performance setting; and B3 is one of the sounds that I use extensively.

HTH,
Jim