Anyone trying to play pianissimo passages who has experienced the "premature let-off" when touching the keys too slowly, knows what I am talking of. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wpMgxXo1wU for a nice description of the mechanism. Try to play pianissimo on a grand with poorly adjusted let-off mechanism, of which there are many, and you see why it can be an advantage not to have to maintain the complicated mechanics.

As for the repetition, the poor adjustment of many grand pianos (not to speak of uprights) is in the way of achieving the results you may obtain on a Casio GP-300.

In contrast, a digital piano does not have strings which is why we do not need to workaround this problem in the first place. In consequence, the simpler the mechanics, the less things can go wrong.

Disclaimer: I am a happy owner of a GP-300.

Kindest Regards,

Chris

At half the price they would be a reasonable option but at their price point they are markedly inferior to acoustic pianos costing a lot less. They are not an "incredible experience". They are a mediocre experience if you're a pianist and have played a good acoustic instrument. The action, very well made and refined as it certainly is, is the same old lame weighted action that's been around for decades (in digital pianos): a lever lifting a hammer. There is no escapement even (or "let-off" as Kawai calls it).

I'm sure there is a niche market for these instruments; they are very lightweight for an upright and they do sound convincing to non-musician listeners. If you own a jazz bar / live music venue and don't want the hassle of tuning and maintenance of the instrument, these could work really well. But for the ordinary musician who wants to play the piano, no way.

Whenever I think about this Casio hybrid, the thing that keeps coming back to my mind is the superior quality of the keys. They are so beautifully made, smooth and lovely to play. I really cannot comment authoritatively at all on the sound of the three piano models. But I shall be going back to play it again hopefully before Christmas.

Coming back to the cabinetry, if I had the funds, I would definitely go for the black polished ebony GP500. While the finish on the GP300 looks hardwearing, it does look a little cheap considering it has within it a grand piano action of sorts. Don't get me wrong, it appears to be a fine instrument, but if you want a piano that looks right in any setting, I think only the GP500 would fit the bill (especially in a concert hall).

If anyone would like me check out anything specific on the GP300, please let me know and I'll do my best to answer.

More soon,

Kindest Regards,

Chris

Thanks Sigasa. Some folks over on the Pianoworld forum feel that the overall sustain is unrealistically short (notes die away too quickly). Did you notice anything like that?

Greg.

Hi Greg,

To be honest, I didn't notice. Had it been quieter in the store, I may have, but I didn't specifically check for sustain length. I was a bit dissappointed with the noise of the builders which meant that I could not hear the sounds nearly as well as I needed to. The quality of the piano construction is excellent. Casio's production and quality control has always been good IMHO.

Feel:

For those who prefer to feel the mechanics of the action when playing you may need to look elsewhere. But for those who like a smooth (though not spongey) touch, the GP300 delivers with class. As the action is the identical in both the GP300 and GP500, if you are solely wanting to play through Pianoteq, the GP300 is 1/3 less than the GP500 which would mean a saving of £1000GBP!
The finish of the keys is outstandingly beautiful and a joy to play.

Build:

Some may prefer a polished finish, but for those who have kids for example, or don't want to be polishing off hand/fingerprints every 5 minutes, the GP300 may be the better choice. The finish of the cabinet is much like the black keys of the Casio PX5S. It appears hardwearing.

More later

Kindest Regards,

Chris

Greg.

sigasa wrote:

I received a phone call this afternoon informing me of the arrival of a Casio GP300 at my local music store. Off tomorrow morning to check it out. I'll also run it through Pianoteq and see how well it integrates. Review to follow.

Any questions regarding the GP300 I'll pick up before I go if anyone wants to know anything specific. Post question(s) here on this thread.

Kindest Regards,

Chris

Ok, here goes. Spent a few hours listening/playing to the onboard sounds and Pianoteq. I am very impressed. One thing that stood out to me is the beauty not only of the sound/feel, but the beauty of the piano keys - so comfortable under the fingers. The feel is the keys in play is extremely smooth. I must confess, there were building works nearby so lots of unwanted noise contaminating the music shop - a little dissappinting

How was the sound compared to Pianoteq?

I received a phone call this afternoon informing me of the arrival of a Casio GP300 at my local music store. Off tomorrow morning to check it out. I'll also run it through Pianoteq and see how well it integrates. Review to follow.

Any questions regarding the GP300 I'll pick up before I go if anyone wants to know anything specific. Post question(s) here on this thread.

Kindest Regards,

Chris

Ok, here goes. Spent a few hours listening/playing to the onboard sounds and Pianoteq. I am very impressed. One thing that stood out to me is the beauty not only of the sound/feel, but the beauty of the piano keys - so comfortable under the fingers. The feel is the keys in play is extremely smooth. I must confess, there were building works nearby so lots of unwanted noise contaminating the music shop - a little dissappinting

Any questions regarding the GP300 I'll pick up before I go if anyone wants to know anything specific. Post question(s) here on this thread.

Kindest Regards,

Chris

Very instructive website on the two models (GP500 / GP300)

Enjoy

But yes, 4% conversion of finger energy to sound energy has been "traditional" and (fear of) deviation from "tradition" has held back development.

The article mentions a problem that the introduction of the roller knuckles causes,  which is that rapidly repeated notes are problematic, due to the jack not being able to grab on to the knuckle as effectively. It says that players liked the smoothness of the rollers, if it weren't for that new problem.  So, I'm not at all convinced it's only a "fear of deviation from tradition" - it's a genuine problem that the rollers introduce.

The reason I mentioned this is that the issue of escapement is rather nuanced - it seems unfair to declare the Casio action (or any digital piano without escapement feel) as being deficient to a real action because it doesn't have escapement, because escapement is clearly not universally accepted as an advantage in a real action.  If one wants to mimick a typical piano as closely as possible, including it's "faults", then yes, I guess the Casio does fall short.

Maybe escapement-less digital piano actions will increase the pressure on real piano manufacturers to remove the escapement notch feel.

Greg.

I like the sound of this Casio.

Also, the feel of the escapement is apparently considered a defect of real pianos, and is something they have been trying to eliminate.  Read about the "roller knuckles" here:
http://hurstwoodfarmpianos.co.uk/newsan...amp;atid=1 (scroll down) The problem that the roller knuckles introduces is irrelevant for the Casio, of course, because the Casio doesn't have any escapement mechanism at all.

Greg.

That particular article is now almost 10 years old - and BTW was hardly "current news" then.
But yes, 4% conversion of finger energy to sound energy has been "traditional" and (fear of) deviation from "tradition" has held back development.

http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthre...ost2455972

Again, probably have to try before you can make a decision.  It'll be hard where I currently work but I guess I can try to arrange for peeks on my business trips.