[Dixielandjazz] for you pianists.....

[Jim Kashishian]

I was going to send this on directly to Bob Ringwald, but then thought there
might be other pianists out there on djml that might find the following
interesting:
 
If you're one of those pianists that has to cart a keyboard around from time
to time (or always!), then you may want to retire your Roland or Yamaha,
etc., especially if you are tired of connecting your keyboard up to a Midi
controller, with all the cables & power supplies involved to get a decent
sound.  
 
Go to this site to see the Studiologic "Numa Compact" keyboard:
http://www.studiologic-music.com/numa-compact.html
 
Our pianist recently purchased this 88 key keyboard that has its own sounds
(eliminating the need to connect an external midi box).
He says the "touch" is better than his old Japanese keyboard, and I have
noticed in particular the excellent velocity control he now has, being well
able to control the softer or louder notes with his keystrokes.
 
This keyboard weighs in at only 6.3 kilos (13.9 pounds) making it a very
manageable item.  Fernando paid 385 Euros on the internet (free shipping &
21 days to return if not liked), which included our rather nasty 21% sales
tax.  So, without the tax, you're looking at just under $400 U.S. Dollars.
 
The sound produced by the keyboard is actually an improvement over his older
keyboard, and the only complaint I have seen so far is that perhaps the
output impedance may be a bit low.  I've noticed I've had to boost the input
gain a bit on a mixer, however, it seems to be okay when going direct to an
amp.  Plus, there may be a bad contact in the output jack (why do they
insist on saving money with plastic connectors?), as he keeps having to swap
out cables.  The problem can't be his cables, so I can only blame the actual
jack output on the keyboard at the moment.
 
I have no commercial interest in this keyboard.  Just thought this info
might be interesting to some of you.
 
Jim