76-Key Practice Board -- Yamaha NP-32 Piaggero vs EW-310 Arranger

[Old No7]

Posting this to see what feedback this gang here has...

I'm looking to get a 76-key practice/travel (by car) board for use while on vacation, out on my boat at the lake, or on the back deck, and also to help introduce my 5-year old granddaughter to the joys of playing the piano and keyboards.

Both can run on AA batteries and there's a $60 difference in the price with the NP-32 costing more; they're about the same weight and width (add +4" for NP-32 due to the side speakers); and the EW is 4" deeper due to the screen and all the extra buttons -- which are many. The EW also has 62X times as many voices as the limited NP has on it. I'm thinking all the rhythms and the wider variety of tones might help capture the little girls attention -- and also keep me from being frustrated or bored.

--> Can anyone please comment on the keybed differences between the two?

For the price, I'm honestly not expecting too much, and I've read the EW is a synth action (velocity sensitive) while the NP has a "graded soft touch" action (with varying weight springs [or something] from lower to higher). I know there are more options out there for a 61-key board, but I find them very frustrating and too limiting on many pieces I play or I've written (gotta have more bass!).

* Or are there any other worthwhile 76-key contenders in the "under $350" range???

Thanks in advance for your help!

Old No7

 

[SeaGtGruff]

The PSR-EW has organ-style keys, whereas the NP should have more piano-like keys. I've never played any of the NP models so I can't comment on their keybeds.

 

[Biggles]

$350 is not much and at that price point options are limited.

At any price point options for a 76 keyboard with inbuilt rhythms are limited

Upping your budget checkout a Casio CDP S360, it gets very good reviews but it is more cash and 88 keys.

Why not get what you want and splash out on a Casiotone keyboard specifically for your Granddaughter, I bought a Casiotone CTS200 for £99 for my Grandson for his birthday. Look on Amazon and there are dozens of keyboards aimed at young kids.

 

[DavidEdwards61]

Posting this to see what feedback this gang here has...

I'm looking to get a 76-key practice/travel (by car) board for use while on vacation, out on my boat at the lake, or on the back deck, and also to help introduce my 5-year old granddaughter to the joys of playing the piano and keyboards.

Both can run on AA batteries and there's a $60 difference in the price with the NP-32 costing more; they're about the same weight and width (add +4" for NP-32 due to the side speakers); and the EW is 4" deeper due to the screen and all the extra buttons -- which are many. The EW also has 62X times as many voices as the limited NP has on it. I'm thinking all the rhythms and the wider variety of tones might help capture the little girls attention -- and also keep me from being frustrated or bored.

--> Can anyone please comment on the keybed differences between the two?

For the price, I'm honestly not expecting too much, and I've read the EW is a synth action (velocity sensitive) while the NP has a "graded soft touch" action (with varying weight springs [or something] from lower to higher). I know there are more options out there for a 61-key board, but I find them very frustrating and too limiting on many pieces I play or I've written (gotta have more bass!).

* Or are there any other worthwhile 76-key contenders in the "under $350" range???

Thanks in advance for your help!

Old No7

 

[DavidEdwards61]

Posting this to see what feedback this gang here has...

I'm looking to get a 76-key practice/travel (by car) board for use while on vacation, out on my boat at the lake, or on the back deck, and also to help introduce my 5-year old granddaughter to the joys of playing the piano and keyboards.

Both can run on AA batteries and there's a $60 difference in the price with the NP-32 costing more; they're about the same weight and width (add +4" for NP-32 due to the side speakers); and the EW is 4" deeper due to the screen and all the extra buttons -- which are many. The EW also has 62X times as many voices as the limited NP has on it. I'm thinking all the rhythms and the wider variety of tones might help capture the little girls attention -- and also keep me from being frustrated or bored.

--> Can anyone please comment on the keybed differences between the two?

For the price, I'm honestly not expecting too much, and I've read the EW is a synth action (velocity sensitive) while the NP has a "graded soft touch" action (with varying weight springs [or something] from lower to higher). I know there are more options out there for a 61-key board, but I find them very frustrating and too limiting on many pieces I play or I've written (gotta have more bass!).

* Or are there any other worthwhile 76-key contenders in the "under $350" range???

Thanks in advance for your help!

Old No7

 

[DavidEdwards61]

Yamaha has never disappointed me.

 

[DynSiwmper]

The problem here is "piano and keyboards". You're treating two different instruments as one and the same thing. They are not. If you are looking to introduce to pianos, then the NP-32 is the option you want. If you want to introduce to keyboards (specifically composer workstations) then the EW is the right option (although if you are going down that line, you might as well look for the 61 key version - the E373 - and save some money and space - wide composer workstations are something of a niche or compromise depending on your point of view).

I own an EW400 (now superseded by the EW410), and I think it's a great mid-level instrument - but remember it's a composer workstation (CW), not a stage piano (it doesn't sound bad as a piano, but it doesn't feel like one in any way). So speaking as a CW user, I use the extra width by setting the octave to -1, and that gives me an octave and a half between my bass/chord split and middle C for some extra left hand flexibility. If you don't need that, go with a 61 key CW. If you're more piano inclined, go with something like the NP-32.

Hope that helps.

 

[delaware dave]

Posting this to see what feedback this gang here has...

I'm looking to get a 76-key practice/travel (by car) board for use while on vacation, out on my boat at the lake, or on the back deck, and also to help introduce my 5-year old granddaughter to the joys of playing the piano and keyboards.

Both can run on AA batteries and there's a $60 difference in the price with the NP-32 costing more; they're about the same weight and width (add +4" for NP-32 due to the side speakers); and the EW is 4" deeper due to the screen and all the extra buttons -- which are many. The EW also has 62X times as many voices as the limited NP has on it. I'm thinking all the rhythms and the wider variety of tones might help capture the little girls attention -- and also keep me from being frustrated or bored.

--> Can anyone please comment on the keybed differences between the two?

For the price, I'm honestly not expecting too much, and I've read the EW is a synth action (velocity sensitive) while the NP has a "graded soft touch" action (with varying weight springs [or something] from lower to higher). I know there are more options out there for a 61-key board, but I find them very frustrating and too limiting on many pieces I play or I've written (gotta have more bass!).

* Or are there any other worthwhile 76-key contenders in the "under $350" range???

Thanks in advance for your help!

Old No7

probably better off looking at 61 key; a little more limiting but since you mentioned it was for practice/travel 61 keys should suffice. This allows the door for quality and features to open up a little wider.

For slightly more money you could purchase an M-Audio Controller (61 keys) and a Motif-ES rack connected with one midi cable.

M-Audio keyboard

Motif Rack

 

[eastVind]

Did you consider getting a MIDI Controller?
MIDI Controllers are small, lightweight and cheap.
The M-Audio Keystation (https://www.thomann.de/de/m_audio_keystation_61_mk3.htm?msclkid=a2e0970d33091bcd03f2f4b50b2ad7f2) has piano-like keys (in my opinion not the best, but maybe good enough for practicing).

If you have a laptop with you anyways, you could connect your keyboard and have a piano sound by using a VST. I can tell you more about how to use a VST. it can get complex, but you can make it work very easily.

 

[GeraldR]

Posting this to see what feedback this gang here has...

I'm looking to get a 76-key practice/travel (by car) board for use while on vacation, out on my boat at the lake, or on the back deck, and also to help introduce my 5-year old granddaughter to the joys of playing the piano and keyboards.

Both can run on AA batteries and there's a $60 difference in the price with the NP-32 costing more; they're about the same weight and width (add +4" for NP-32 due to the side speakers); and the EW is 4" deeper due to the screen and all the extra buttons -- which are many. The EW also has 62X times as many voices as the limited NP has on it. I'm thinking all the rhythms and the wider variety of tones might help capture the little girls attention -- and also keep me from being frustrated or bored.

--> Can anyone please comment on the keybed differences between the two?

For the price, I'm honestly not expecting too much, and I've read the EW is a synth action (velocity sensitive) while the NP has a "graded soft touch" action (with varying weight springs [or something] from lower to higher). I know there are more options out there for a 61-key board, but I find them very frustrating and too limiting on many pieces I play or I've written (gotta have more bass!).

* Or are there any other worthwhile 76-key contenders in the "under $350" range???

Thanks in advance for your help!

Old No7

Last time I upgraded to a newer model of the DGX there were two problems: 1) no battery compartment and 2) another 20 lbs in weight; consequently, I needed "a 76-key practice/travel (by car) board for use while on vacation, out on my boat at the lake, or on the back deck". I ended up with a 76 note Piagerro. I got the NP-V60 because it has quite a few features. The pluses: 1) it runs on batteries but only AA size, good for maybe 2 hours using Energizer Max. 2) it's very light although in true Yamaha fashion, has no real handhold. I had previously for other purposes taken a look at a Yamaha EW series. While the Piagerro keyboard isn't wonderful, it is better than spring-loaded levers that one usually finds on low price keyboards; on the other hand, the EW keyboard is pretty bad and is nothing like a decent waterfall organ keyboard: my review was 'just yuck'. Now the downside of the Piagerro: the sound is pretty thin and cranking up the split voice volume (i.e. pump up the bass) doesn't improve the sound quality (understatement); on the 'back deck' at medium volume, sound quality is tolerable. Utility is there and, unlike many other Yamaha offerings, it definitely lives up to the description 'portable'.

PS. I used to have a Yamaha PSR-293 which I gave away, in order to 'thin out the collection'. Now it really was a "practice/travel (by car) board for use while on vacation, out on my boat at the lake, or on the back deck": I actually brought it along on several driving vacations. It's only 61 keys. I wish I had kept it because the keyboard action was better than either of the above options, ran a long time on D cells, and produced pretty good sound with its relatively large speakers. Currently, at ~$80, it's a good option - maybe if I can find one, I'll give away the Piagerro.
I believe this was a precursor to the DGX series. Wish I had known sooner that the newer DGX models would blow out the 'portable grand' description.

 

[Chico]

Posting this to see what feedback this gang here has...

I'm looking to get a 76-key practice/travel (by car) board for use while on vacation, out on my boat at the lake, or on the back deck, and also to help introduce my 5-year old granddaughter to the joys of playing the piano and keyboards.

Both can run on AA batteries and there's a $60 difference in the price with the NP-32 costing more; they're about the same weight and width (add +4" for NP-32 due to the side speakers); and the EW is 4" deeper due to the screen and all the extra buttons -- which are many. The EW also has 62X times as many voices as the limited NP has on it. I'm thinking all the rhythms and the wider variety of tones might help capture the little girls attention -- and also keep me from being frustrated or bored.

--> Can anyone please comment on the keybed differences between the two?

For the price, I'm honestly not expecting too much, and I've read the EW is a synth action (velocity sensitive) while the NP has a "graded soft touch" action (with varying weight springs [or something] from lower to higher). I know there are more options out there for a 61-key board, but I find them very frustrating and too limiting on many pieces I play or I've written (gotta have more bass!).

* Or are there any other worthwhile 76-key contenders in the "under $350" range???

Thanks in advance for your help!

Old No7

Hi I am in England. Purchased a 88 key foldable piano keyboard. Blackstar is the manufacturer. Can be bought from Amazon. from between £90 to £130. Check it out.

 

[Chico]

Hi I am in England. Purchased a 88 key foldable piano keyboard. Blackstar is the manufacturer. Can be bought from Amazon. from between £90 to £130. Check it out.

 

[Chico]

Hi I am in England. Purchased a 88 key foldable piano keyboard. Blackstar is the manufacturer. Can be bought from Amazon. from between £90 to £130. Check it out.

 

[DavidS]

I agree with the need for two keyboards here, not one, but tbh your granddaughter will either ask to be shown when she listens to you, or won't. At 5 she is more likely to be intimidated by an arranger, and is likely to respond better to being asked to play the melody line of Jingle Bells with her Grandad than to deal with a really complicated machine.

If she is internally motivated to learn piano at 5, then I'm afraid it's going to cost you for a good, heavy keyboard! Any budding ambition, which at 5 could open up the possibility of a professional career in music could be killed by a poor early experience. On the other hand, if you are well behaved, she might let you play it too.

 

[Biggles]

Come on Old No 7, you have been back on the Forum today.

What is happening?

A post and perhaps a word of thanks to all who have taken the trouble to comment would not go amiss.

 

[Old No7]

Sorry for the late reply and update...

Biggles is correct -- folks took the time to offer their thoughts, and that is much appreciated. I appreciate the kick in the pants to reply -- thank you for that (honestly).

Comments about my granddaughter's possible interests and a piano vs keyboards (or both!) are spot on; as she's too young to make a choice, especially one she'll also support 30 days from now. (LOL) I was just hoping to get something I could use for the places noted, and also use it to entice her interest.

The update is there is "no update" -- as I've made no decisions on this... I'm not in a rush -- and it's too cold to play out on the back deck and the boat is covered up until April anyhow. Plus, my MODX, SK Pro 73 and RD-88 keep me well occupied this time of year.

While I've not played any, all the reviews of rolling or folding piano keyboards leave me less than interested. But I will check into the controller option a little more, while admitting that I'm old school and have always had dedicated instruments/boards (luckily my rig now weighs in hundreds of pounds lighter than the one I had at age 20). And I recognize that a controller & VST could open up a whole new world of sonic possibilities for me too. (Old dogs can learn new tricks after all...)

OK, all that said...

I'll report back if/when I find another worthwhile option and/or make a decision, but it could be several months as there's no rush.

And THANKS again for those who took the time to share their thoughts.

Old No7