bubinga5 Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 (edited) Does anyone else play.? i had an old Yamaha M06 and too be honest it wasnt for me. went out and tried this and it is superb. its a Yamaha P35b. the weighted keys are very close to the real thing. and Yamaha's grand piano sounds are really great. The Rhodes is nice, can also use it as a controller board. 88 Keys, 10 voices, reverb and other effects, nice and simple. and came witha really posh stand unit and padded bag. what i really wanted was a Nord but i canny afford it Edited November 2, 2013 by bubinga5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedmanzie Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 nice! i was just thinking of getting one of these for the studio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 I have the P105B, with the stand and pedals - Same action etc. They are great for expression and playability. The Yamaha Grand Piano sound(s) are really good. I find the Rhodes sound ok, but of course it don't play and feel the same. We have a Stage 73 in the house, so only comparing to that. I mainly use mine as a controller for driving software sounds. For the money, well it's great value and well worth checking out if you are after a good playing Piano. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted November 3, 2013 Author Share Posted November 3, 2013 Lowdown can you recommend any software.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzyYama Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Got a Yamaha p-250 - weighs about the same as a small car, but awesome bit of kit imho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 (edited) [quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1383383234' post='2263781'] Does anyone else play.? [/quote] Yup! I have some very old gear (mid 80s), in a Yamaha KX88 MIDI keyboard and a Roland MKS20 piano module. Great gear, but I would still like to get a new piano that has everything in one unit, including an amp and enough good speakers. However I tend to use my money on bass gear given half a chance. The piano is a fantastic instrument in my mind, and I would hate the day I am without one. Edited November 4, 2013 by BassTractor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedmanzie Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 [quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1383383234' post='2263781'] Does anyone else play.? i had an old Yamaha M06 and too be honest it wasnt for me. went out and tried this and it is superb. its a Yamaha P35b. the weighted keys are very close to the real thing. and Yamaha's grand piano sounds are really great. The Rhodes is nice, can also use it as a controller board. 88 Keys, 10 voices, reverb and other effects, nice and simple. and came witha really posh stand unit and padded bag. what i really wanted was a Nord but i canny afford it [/quote] How are you getting on with the P35 now you've had it a few days? Any more to report? I was thinking of getting one for home - for the kids to play, and maybe one as a controller keyboard for the studio. How usable are the built in speakers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted November 23, 2013 Author Share Posted November 23, 2013 (edited) [quote name='tedmanzie' timestamp='1383606991' post='2266645'] How are you getting on with the P35 now you've had it a few days? Any more to report? I was thinking of getting one for home - for the kids to play, and maybe one as a controller keyboard for the studio. How usable are the built in speakers? [/quote]sorry for late reply Ted. the first thing as i said, is the great feeling of the weighted key's. my dad is a pianist and he had a grand. it feels just like it. although acoustically its not the same of course . yamaha have it down though, when it comes to there grand piano sound/s. i use it through software and as a controller, its great. you couldnt really wish for more, especially for the money. i think the onboard speakers are great, sound good to me. easily loud enough and good quality for home practice. this electric piano is not for someone who wants alot of voices, its simple, but in my opinion what it does, it does very well. i personally plug mine into my Mac, through a presonus sound card through some M audio monitors. ive got to say it sounds superb. for a semi entry level stage piano it doesnt get much better. the Yamaha p120 is awesome also, but with a few more bells.whistles etc Edited November 23, 2013 by bubinga5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 This seems to be a rule these days, that semi entry level electronic pianos deliver a lot. Korg do a little one with 10 or so sounds in it (different pianos, harpsichord, Pianet, Clavinet, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, pipe organ even...) and it seems fantastic for the price. Same goes for a Casio I tried, where they'd even casted the keys so they had this wood nerve imitation that gave a good, secure feel. I was much impressed with these things. BTW, maybe pedantically, they're not electric pianos, but electronic pianos. Simply put: Pianet, Wurlitzer and Rhodes are electric, as in mechanical devices with pickup systems of different plumages. Electronic is when electronics _are_ the sound source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 [quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1385243550' post='2286130'] BTW, maybe pedantically, they're not electric pianos, but electronic pianos. Simply put: Pianet, Wurlitzer and Rhodes are electric, as in mechanical devices with pickup systems of different plumages. Electronic is when electronics _are_ the sound source. [/quote] That's a valid pedantry & well raised. Just like when electro acoustics get called semi acoustics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 (edited) [quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1383476874' post='2264756'] I find the Rhodes sound ok, but of course it don't play and feel the same. We have a Stage 73 in the house, so only comparing to that. [/quote] Good call. The Rhodes keyboard feel combined with its hammer action is very different. Also, imitating a Rhodes well would mean the imitation has to mimick the repeated note peculiarity of the Rhodes, where each hammer strike will be at different parts of the tonefork's moving up and down, so each next tone will sound differently from the previous one. I haven't heard a Rhodes imitation yet that will do this, though I would guess they exist now. That said, I had a Rhodes without Janus (?) amps/speakers at the same time as a Roland MKS-20 module. Comparing both through the same none-Janus amplification, it appeared the MKS-20 sounded more like a Rhodes with Janus than my real Rhodes did, even though its core sound was not as good as the real thing. I kept the MKS and sold the Rhodes. One heavy lift less, and one less keyboard to set up on its legs and trying to set up the mechanical pedal just right. Of course I deplore this terrible choice. Now I do. Too late I do. Edited November 24, 2013 by BassTractor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Alsatian Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 (edited) I have the Yamaha P105 and you get a lot for what you pay for - the pianos are great, the EPs aren't bad (not as good as the Nord Electro I used to own) and the other sounds are useful. I like the feel of the keyboard - very responsive. It's a simple pleasure having decent on-board speakers for when I just want to turn it on and play, without having to switch on the mixer and monitors. I owned a Roland RD300SX a few years ago which I really liked but after my instrument cull of 2009, the Yamaha is my first digital piano since and fills that hole rather nicely. BassTractor - did you ever play the Roland RD1000 (from which the MKS-20 is derived)? I GASsed after one of those for years until. A forum friend I knew had one and was still using it because he loved the action on the keyboard (and of course, the sound). I too had the MKS-20 and foolishly sold it a few years ago - not many sounds, but every one of them is excellent. Even though the piano sound isn't as realistic as modern sampled/modelled sounds, I felt its sound gave it a uniqueness. The EP sounds with the lush onboard chorus and a hint of tremolo were lovely. I've not heard a sampled set of vibes that sound as nice as the ones on the MKS-20 I later picked up the P-330 but it just didn't sound as rich. Edited November 24, 2013 by Green Alsatian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 (edited) Yeah, I'm with you on the built-in speakers. Our setup too used a mixer before the amp, so it's easy to imagine my wife's frustration with four on/off switches, a whopping six volume sliders and knobs (if she could find the correct ones that is) and all the rest of the electrickery. A stand-alone unit is soo nice in a living room environment. Funny you should ask about the RD-1000. Yup, I played it several times before deciding - the version with the thick silver tube legs. I still wonder if I should've gone for it. At the time, I loved it, but it was roughly as large and heavy as the Rhodes 73 Stage I already had, and the Yamaha KX88 delivered tougher key action - something I needed to develop my finger muscles. I deemed it slightly quicker as well. Isn't it so that the RD-300 is relatively similar in sound and possibilities? What I like especially about the MKS is its simplicity and how it punches through in the mix with the clearer one of its piano sounds. Very fitting in a rock band. Some careful arranging parts and you don't need a bass player. Bliss! Edited November 24, 2013 by BassTractor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Alsatian Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Plus no spaghetti junction connecting it all up! I still think the RD-1000 is one of the more attractive designs of that era - still looks pretty futuristic today. I too loved the brighter of the pianos on the MKS-20 - made for a great Yamaha CP-70 like sound. What struck me the most about the MKS-20 is the actual size and weight of it, compared to other 2U modules that were around that time. The RD300SX I had was one of the newer sample-based Rolands (circa 2006), rather than the older RD-300 which had the RD-1000/MKS-20 Structured Adaptive engine within. I did come across the 'baby' version, the RD-250 in a Cash Converters a couple of years ago. They wanted £100 for it, which I kick myself for not having at the time. I don't think they knew what it was: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvipWADb0GM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvipWADb0GM[/url] Gutted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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