Yamaha CP50 or Kawai MP6 PLEASE HELP ASAP

[franga]

Hi,

I am heading to the New Zealand School of Music next year to study Jazz piano and performance and need a good board both for practicing and gigging situations. I have been looking for awhile and have come up with these 2:

Yamaha CP50
Kawai MP6

I had a look at the Rolands (fp7f etc) but didnt like their piano tone at all.

I really need a board with good action, and then my focus is on AP and EP sounds. I really want a nice tone for both. I have had experience with Yamaha and like their tone but wonder if it's time for something different. What board would best suit my needs? The fact that the MP6 has an internal power supply and metronome is also helpful and the fact that you can edit sounds very easily. PLEASE HELP, give oppinions

Thanks to any help you can give.

[hfmadopter]

To much to think about and answer for a quick quick choice on this. However:

First, since you will be away, which brand has the most support should a problem arise ?

Second, gigging in what capacity ( part of a group or piano solo, one man band solo etc.) ?

Both pianos have strong features, similar features and good action. I like my MP6, still learning it's ways. IMO, it's features outclassed the Yamaha CP33 but I have never played the CP50, just made online comparisons. However, it weighs ( Kawai) 47 lbs and that CP50 just 1 lb less. That's something to consider.

My MP6 sits in my livingroom, I believe if I were to go gigging I'd buy a synth these days ( going on 63 yo, unlikely occurance). Synths of today are not synths of the past though, many have the most realistic piano sounds in them ( and every other orchestral sound as well) and you can create an entire orchestra with one and store it by the hundreds. You can have the left hand automated with a synth and just have it run chordal passages for you while you bang out a melody with the right. The ease of entertaining is a winner in a gigging situation, yet you can turn all that off and go practice with it as with a piano in the next situation. I would stretch my finances to go get a Yamaha MOX8 or the Korg Krome88 if to become a gigger ( depending on what capacity gigger I were to become). Those are just my two personal choices, there are others and more costly choices with all the better feature sets as well.

In a stage piano you mentioned piano tone being important, just buy one that has Tone editing and EQ capability and you can create any piano tone you want. In the case of the Kawai, that makes piano sound choices all but infinate. That's the up shot. The down is it makes piano choices all but infinate !! How many do we need and how clear is your mind ? You literally can cross tonal values between piano selections by using the EQ and Tone features, then store them. Ad a touch of reverb and some efex, good to go. I'm sure the Yamaha is similar or close and perhaps with a more familiar layout to you personally..

You need to consider the sound system you will be tapping into, will it already have EQ and Tone values controls in layers such as midi control and software might have or many stage keyboard amps for that matter ? Both of these keyboards have midi controller capability but do you need that ( my thought was it comes with the package and with a 15% off deal I just bought the Kawai I had liked all along for it's keys !)?

All that said, again quite a bit to think about. As to me I'm enjoying my choice, I am not enjoying picking out the sound system to tie it to however.

[toner22]

When I chose my mp6 (well actually I was playing on the cn33/43) I tinkered back and forth but ultimately the decision rested with what the board felt like.  Because I knew I could take and change to any sound I wanted with the right tools.  But the key action, that wasn't going anywhere. 

And I absolutely just loved the mp6's ivory RH key action.  I liked it more then the CA's RM3.  Also enjoying the AP sounds that it produced were just a bonus, as well as all it;s neat lil adjustable features.

So I say, go with whatever feels good to ya.  Don't know if you've been able to find an mp6 (for some reason none of the dealers I went to had any kawai keyboards) but the action is the same as the cn33 and 43. and a couple others I can't remember.

[jazzmer]

When I chose my mp6 (well actually I was playing on the cn33/43) I tinkered back and forth but ultimately the decision rested with what the board felt like.  Because I knew I could take and change to any sound I wanted with the right tools.  But the key action, that wasn't going anywhere. 

And I absolutely just loved the mp6's ivory RH key action.  I liked it more then the CA's RM3.  Also enjoying the AP sounds that it produced were just a bonus, as well as all it;s neat lil adjustable features.

So I say, go with whatever feels good to ya.  Don't know if you've been able to find an mp6 (for some reason none of the dealers I went to had any kawai keyboards) but the action is the same as the cn33 and 43. and a couple others I can't remember.

To much to think about and answer for a quick quick choice on this. However:

First, since you will be away, which brand has the most support should a problem arise ?

Second, gigging in what capacity ( part of a group or piano solo, one man band solo etc.) ?

Both pianos have strong features, similar features and good action. I like my MP6, still learning it's ways. IMO, it's features outclassed the Yamaha CP33 but I have never played the CP50, just made online comparisons. However, it weighs ( Kawai) 47 lbs and that CP50 just 1 lb less. That's something to consider.

My MP6 sits in my livingroom, I believe if I were to go gigging I'd buy a synth these days ( going on 63 yo, unlikely occurance). Synths of today are not synths of the past though, many have the most realistic piano sounds in them ( and every other orchestral sound as well) and you can create an entire orchestra with one and store it by the hundreds. You can have the left hand automated with a synth and just have it run chordal passages for you while you bang out a melody with the right. The ease of entertaining is a winner in a gigging situation, yet you can turn all that off and go practice with it as with a piano in the next situation. I would stretch my finances to go get a Yamaha MOX8 or the Korg Krome88 if to become a gigger ( depending on what capacity gigger I were to become). Those are just my two personal choices, there are others and more costly choices with all the better feature sets as well.

In a stage piano you mentioned piano tone being important, just buy one that has Tone editing and EQ capability and you can create any piano tone you want. In the case of the Kawai, that makes piano sound choices all but infinate. That's the up shot. The down is it makes piano choices all but infinate !! How many do we need and how clear is your mind ? You literally can cross tonal values between piano selections by using the EQ and Tone features, then store them. Ad a touch of reverb and some efex, good to go. I'm sure the Yamaha is similar or close and perhaps with a more familiar layout to you personally..

You need to consider the sound system you will be tapping into, will it already have EQ and Tone values controls in layers such as midi control and software might have or many stage keyboard amps for that matter ? Both of these keyboards have midi controller capability but do you need that ( my thought was it comes with the package and with a 15% off deal I just bought the Kawai I had liked all along for it's keys !)?

All that said, again quite a bit to think about. As to me I'm enjoying my choice, I am not enjoying picking out the sound system to tie it to however.

Hi therre, I need practical help to choose a keyboard as I cant try the keyboard options because   music stores down here doesent have at showroom, so I cant feel and touch the keys.
So I´m looking for an 88 keybord with the best Natural piano and E piano sounds, and after searching I´m stocked with these: Roland RD300GX, Kawai MP6, Mox8 and Krome 88.
The Kawai or the Roland are very hard to buy in Mexico so I may be need to buy it in the US. So the ones that I can buy easely are the Yamaha or the Krome.
Does any one have try this two and compare the feeling, quality sound, and easy to use ?
I start researching from the SuperNatural technology from Roland, is this comparable to something in the Mox or Krome sounds ?
Is the krome 88 worth its price as it is more expensive than the Mox8 ?

Thanks in advance

[hfmadopter]

Hi therre, I need practical help to choose a keyboard as I cant try the keyboard options because   music stores down here doesent have at showroom, so I cant feel and touch the keys.
So I´m looking for an 88 keybord with the best Natural piano and E piano sounds, and after searching I´m stocked with these: Roland RD300GX, Kawai MP6, Mox8 and Krome 88.
The Kawai or the Roland are very hard to buy in Mexico so I may be need to buy it in the US. So the ones that I can buy easely are the Yamaha or the Krome.
Does any one have try this two and compare the feeling, quality sound, and easy to use ?
I start researching from the SuperNatural technology from Roland, is this comparable to something in the Mox or Krome sounds ?
Is the krome 88 worth its price as it is more expensive than the Mox8 ?

Thanks in advance

The keys of the MP6 have more feed back than either the Chrome or the MOX8, stiffer, more tension or resistance. I've played the Chrome and felt the keys on the MOX8, I even considered these instruments before buying the MP6. The Chrome 88 is a powerhouse of an instrument for the money, it's really a synth arranger but has good piano sounds on board. It's more instrument than any piano only player would want, you can build entire movie sound tracks with this thing ( and really the same can be said for the MOX8). I played the Chrome on a set of studio monitors and the sound will give you chills. The feel of the keys is good as synths go, but different from the MP6 as most synths will be.

I know less about the MOX8, it was not hooked to a sound system so I could not get a good handle on it. I'm sure it's fantastic as an arranger though.

If you are not into recording or building movie sound tracks I'd say these instruments are not what you need because that's what they do best, they have thousands of instrument combinations available in them and deep menus. I was interested in them none the less but the MP6 was my first interest and it came up on an extra good sale so I bought it. The Chrome did the same thing and I missed that sale or I could very well be owning that one now. But I like mixing instrumentation, not every pianist does.

that said, the MP6 is not for everyone, it takes a bit of tweaking to get it where you want it to be and the keys are slightly on the heavy side. If you like light action in a piano, don't buy it. I'd place it as moderately heavy.

The Rolands are good, the flagship keyboard from them is the RD700NX, which has a lighter action than the MP6 and more texture to the surface of the keys, it's also almost double the money. I loved the feel of that piano and it has some arranger capability built in in ( some synth like character but in a stage piano). It's a fantastic instrument. The 300 I can not remember too much about, seems to me it had lesser keys to it than the 700 and I didn't care for that.