Kawai VPC1 MIDI Controller Keyboard

@Beto-Music -- I have played several of the Rhodes instruments and bought a Rhodes Mark II years ago. I was disappointed and frustrated by the crude wooden action, which is slow (not very responsive to rapid finger movements such as repeating notes) and clumsy. Modern digital keyboards and software sampled or modeled Rhodes give the best of the sounds possible with a Rhodes piano, while enabling one to trigger those sounds with a much better keyboard, the various actions of which have improved greatly over the last 20 years or so. Just my opinion--

Apparently (from images, videos and text from the Internet) the VPC1 action does have a simple mechanical "let-off" at the rear of the wooden key lever that decouples the hammer from the key like an escapement does, but the action's responsiveness to rapid trills and repeated notes is primarily as a result of its three velocity sensors per key. (Just from what I have learned so far.)

No, but it does disconnect the hammer from the key, which does not tie the motion of one strictly to the other, and the 2nd and 3rd velocity sensor register smaller movements in the key (a half-distance keypress for example), like a traditional escapement allows.

Just from curiosity, I looked at and read about the double-escapement action of a modern grand piano here--

http://www.piano.christophersmit.com/actionDetail.html

--and it is amazing from a mechanical point of view; truly impressive.

The VPC1 action cannot compare with the complexity or functions of a real acoustic grand action, but it wouldn't need to do so it seems, in order to fulfill its purpose of being responsive to the player's touch and rapid movements. I'm anxious to try the action of the Kawai VPC1, but am unlikely to find one within driving distance, so if I continue to be interested, I may need to buy one sight unseen I suppose.

I'd be interested but I assume you are not in Europe alas.

If you read enough online reviews/comments on a popular product there is bound to be the odd negative one. I would not worry about it. If you're buying new and/or from a dealer then especially: any unlikely potential issues will be dealt with under warranty. The VPC1 and the MP11 are as good as piano action gets in a MIDI controller. (The guy in the video obviously bought a badly treated beaten up used unit. Maybe better avoid that dealer..?)

Alais, although I love the touch and feel of the VPC-1, my complaint is, that after less than 1 year, I already have considerable wear of the white plastic covering on the most used keys ( the middle octave).
And I do not play the whole day, and i I am also careful about having too long fingernails........

In contrast, my old Clavinova after 10 years had less wear!!

Th original footcontroller has already been subject to critisicm here, beacuse of the cheap potmeter in the sustain  pedal, for which I got a spare one form Kawai, but of the same inferior quality. I guess its actually a Fatar, which is known for its bad pots.....

THis could have been better!

Hi all,

My (now grandson's) VPC1 has died. I tried a new fuse but it still won't power up. Not sure whether to try and get it fixed or sell it for parts depending on how much repairs would set me back as it's not under warranty.

Anyone else experienced this problem? Is there a problem with the power pack etc.?

I'd be grateful for any advice,

Kindest Regards,

Chris

. . . might be a good idea to keep crustaceans away from that VPC-1 as those secretions could be harmful

(please forgive me Sigasa - I just couldn't resist!)

Lanny

Not for a while yet,  Chris.  Gotta get the economy back on track over here before companies loosen up the budgets for new products.  Sure won't be doing it myself.  Just play it about 2 hours a day though.

Kudos,

Lanny

I own VPC1 for about a year, I am a serious enthusiast but very far from being a proper pianist.

Pedals are pure rubbish - they are so annoyingly loud and cheaply made that it is a disgrace for this otherwise beautiful instrument. It's a cheap and ugly plastic case with ugly sticker that wasn't even aligned properly. You feel that you squeeze plastic with your foot, you hear the squeaking… It's so bad that I literarily use less pedal in my music because I don't want to touch it so often!

The look of the actual instrument… It's the best looking electronic instrument I have ever seen. It's a beautiful sculpture that was complimented many times by my guests.

Keyboard is very nice, it didn't wear for me after maybe 400 hours of play time. Sometimes I do notice slight misalignments of the key when I touch them during practice (and of course when I look at them up close), so it is somehow noticeable (very very slightly!), but nothing that would annoy me and I am rather picky and snobby about the quality of things I own. I bet that most complex instruments especially wooden ones do have similar very slight flaws.

Good/bad thing about the keys - they are rather heavy, which at first hurt my ability to play, but now it made playing on every other piano much easier. On the other hand - keys go rather deep, so when I play on uprights with shallow keybeds I need some adjustment time.

Many people don't like the Fatar action (but it is probably widespread compared to others) so my suggestion is always to try one before you it, if you can, and consider the type of action you're trying (Fatar has many).

Back to the Kawai because I am interested in buying one: can somebody who has tried both comment on the action compared to a Roland? Do you think it is heavier or not? This is a key aspect for me.