SumOne

In my view the green is the better colour (I owned one and it is a decent Bass), I guess most other people think the same so shops can sell the green ones for for more £.

Side note: I met Van once and he was friendly. Me and my Dad saw him in a park and my Dad said 'I've just been singing one of your songs' and Van said 'are you in a band' and my Dad's response was 'no, just singing it to myself' and there was a bit of a laugh and friendly small talk.

I think it was the first one out in 2025 so I'm not even gonna attempt 2026!

I think that a digital home piano for me and the kids to play at home is a different enough thing to a stage piano for band stuff that it is worth getting both: Home Piano: 88 weighted keys, good piano sounds, simple interface, built-in speakers, music stand, metronome, size/weight and portability isn't really an issue (in fact, being quite heavy/sturdy might be an advantage). Nothing too fancy needed as I don't want to be paranoid about it getting bashed about by kids. Kawai ES-60 looks a good option and I'll keep my eye out for similar second-hand things. Stage Piano: 73 keys semi-weighted (as I'll play organ and piano), decent piano and organ sounds - ideally with organ drawbars, relatively tough/light/transportable/fits in my small car and on small stages (hence 73 keys, but wanting a bit more than the 61 keys I currently have with a CK-61), roadworthy - so needs a certain level of toughness and the right connections. ...although saying that, a decent stage piano with some small monitor speakers set-up would I'm sure do fine as a home piano so I'll put-off getting a separate home piano for a while. I think I've narrowed the stage piano list down to: Viscount Legend One (£1,555). I really like the sound of this, the features, and the look - something very cool about it. Nord Electro 6D 73 (£1,919) ...although if I was to go for a Nord then I'll wait a while as version 3 = 2009, 4 = 2012, 5 = 2015, 6 = 2018. So an update is well overdue which would either make the older ones cheaper or the improvements in v7 might be worth waitng for. Handily as they are the two seemingly ticking the most of my stage piano boxes there is this comparison at 1hr4mins. This reviewer prefers the Viscount is better (and it's cheaper). My only reservation (beyond where will I get the ££ and what will my wife say!) is that the Nord is a bit more mainstream for holding value and ease of selling second-hand. And this quick review seems to prefer it to the Nord Electro: I do also like the look of: Roland Fantom 07 (possibly a bit big and over-complex and workstation-like for a live stage piano). Studiologic Numa X (no organ drawbars, but at only £850 it certainly saves me a few ££).

Semi-weighted is what I'm after from a stage Piano.

Yeah I think that compared to Bass Guitar gear it is more worthwhile having the specialist tool for the job with keyboards. My standard Bass guitar and equipment could cover any genre (apart from perhaps some niche exceptions like wanting a fretless sound, or a high C string), but you couldn't get a grand Piano to sound like a Minimoog or vice versa and all the nuance between a home piano/synth/stage piano/workstation keyboard mean that it could be worthwhile having them all.

I'm starting to have a slight change in plan. I currently have a Yamaha CK-61 for band stuff and it also sits in my front room for me and the kids to do piano playing.....now i think that something specifically designed as a home piano like the ES-60 is probably better for the home piano stuff (88 weighted keys, better speakers, a bit simpler interface, I wouldn't need to move it for rehearsals/gigs) and I'd also getting something like the Nord Electro 6 73 (or perhaps something cheaper) as a stage piano/organ/EP for playing with the band (better than the CK-61 for band stuff as it has the extra octave and is just generally better sound, keybed, and roadworthy build quality). I also have an MPC Key 37 for home production stuff, mostly I use it for sampling and drum loops and sequencing and then adding some simple keys ideas rather than seriously playing piano on its 3 octaves. Although I'm loving the MPC Key 37, I could actually sell it and do my home production stuff via Laptop software (keeping the MPC software synths etc) and controlling it via the new stage piano via midi. MPC Key 37 and the CK-61 would sell/part-ex for a total of roughly £1k. ES-60 and Nord Electro 6 73 (or similar) would cost roughly £2k. I've pretty much convinced myself that this £1k upgrade to home piano, stage piano, and home production/midi keyboard is probably worthwhile, we're talking things that should last 10 years and hold their value pretty well.

Nice one (and the ES-60 looks decent).

Someone who plays what is right for the band as a team-player (i.e. perhaps some 'easy' subtle rhythm chords are better than a 'difficult' ear-splitting guitar solo), plays within their limits, spends the time learning the songs and being at rehearsals and is reliable for gigs (and helpful for setup etc) and is a decent person to be around are what are probably more important than technical ability. ....at least that is the case for the weekend warrior type stuff I do. I've been in bands that have been tempted by a technically better guitarist, but it turns out that their big guitar solos aren't really enjoyed by many and often don't serve the song as well as something more low-key, and things like them not haivng a car and always needing lifts is a bit of a faff, and that they only turn up to occasional rehearsals is not great for the band as a whole. In the end we'd be better of with the less technically gifted player.

I'd like to test a few side by side in a shop and I'm in Central London once a week but can only think of the Yamaha shop and the Roland shop, are there any central ones that have multiple brands and testing rooms? I suppose a day trip to Andertons might be in order (I'll get sidetracked by the Bass guitars though!).

Less chance of interference at 5.8ghz. Or another option is UHF, I might try some Lekato WS-70 UHF mentioned earlier in this thread. Usually UHF is an expensive option but those are £33. UHF has lower latency (<3ms) and better range but can colour the sound a bit - at least that was the complaint with some older ones, new ones seem to get generally good reviews though (although the Lekato also has a lot of 1 star reviews on Amazon for the sound quality). https://www.cablefreeguitar.com/blogs/performance-without-limits/tech-talk-wireless-guitar-bands?srsltid=AfmBOorgPrwgXFH79N6fgadiOSsM7fpbEd2iNFAUMMDplfGy2eVXaoxd

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I've been tempted to do Piano lessons and grades to help have a target but worry I'd fall in to that 'I want to play, not do exams' mindset. Overall, do you think it has been worth it vs just having piano lessons? I did grade 1 when I was 10 years old and haven't had any lessons in the 35 years since then - but I have been playing a lot over the last couple of years (YouTube and 'simply piano' app lessons, lesson books, and the theory I've picked up from Bass) and I've started playing keys a bit with a band so reckon it is at least time I had some proper lessons, and perhaps do grades.

Nice one, they all look decent. I'll look into them in more detail. The IEC socket isn't a deal breaker. I'd prefer it, but it is more that I find it generally a sign for everything from DJ mixers through to multi-fx and keyboards that they've been made with more robust longevity for gigging/roadworthness in mind. I would like 88 keys in some ways - especially for home use, so that isn't a deal breaker either but what puts me off for live use is that extra size and weight (I play some quite packed pub areas and need to transport it in a VW Polo). At the moment, I've found I can get by with 61 keys and octave buttons but 73 keys would be better especially for splitting the sounds, 88 just feels a bit unnecessary for my use.