Just bought an S3000

[DeltaJockey]

Hi everyone,

 

I've been away from this forum for some time, as I sold my PX5S and donated my 560 to my granddaughter to encourage her to learn music. I've just bought an S3000 a couple of weeks ago, and wanted to share my impression of it relative to my experience with the previous and my other current boards. It was the promise of a good playing experience in such a compact unit that attracted me to it. I am not disappointed!

As much as I liked the weighting and response of the 5S keyboard (and 560), it was the rattly sloppiness that finally got to me. A pity.....but I have to say, the new PXS keys are such  a hoot to play. I was again looking for a weighted key for portability. I use a number of boards at home, Kronos RH3, Montage Balanced Hammer Action and Kawai Real Hammer Action in an MP11SE.

Next to the Kawai, I like the Casio action a close second. I also play a Kawai Acoustic Grand. Does the Casio feel close to my grand action? absolutely not......... does it feel an expressive and great weighted action for playing piano?...most definitely!

 

I was motivated to write my post after watching James recent review, and was interested in his perspective as a pianist. It highlighted how there is such a difference of views between pianists on such matters, as I felt he was probably taking the authenticity of the keybed a little too seriously. But that's the value of diverse opinions and experiences, and playing styles.

 

I personally find great value in playing on a variety of keybed actions, it seems to exercise my muscle memory like exposing the immune system to a variety of pathogens 🙂 If I play piano on an unweighted action, it seems to improve my playing on my favourite weighted action. This is why I don't have a problem with the short key pivot. Sure it doesn't have the more realistic balance of my acoustic or my MP11SE with longer keysticks, but Casio have done a wonderful  job in designing the counter balance for a good response in any case. (And at least my finger strength seems to be able cope with the push close to the pivot).

I did buy the S3000 also to use as a controller, and I notice there was some discussion about the smart scaled action, and whether it applies to MIDI out. I see there's been no definitive answer on this, and from my playing around with piano vst's, and deducing how it might be applied to the inbuilt tones, I'm guessing the answer is no, that it is a dynamic sensing of the key motion tightly applied to the Casio samples and software. In any case, I feel the 2 sensor keybed is still very responsive externally. This has been my experience in the past that, a well desinged 2 sensor keybed can still perform better than a not so well designed 3 sensor action.

 

A few other observations about the S3000.

 

The longer sustain samples which are being talked about....correct me if I'm wrong, but I can here the looping points, even when sustaining a triad. It is noticeable to me, but fortunately not something to be doing much in the average playing. The pianos are terrific though. There's often a lot of talk about the quality of the actual piano samples per se, but to me, it is so much more than that. The whole ambience needs to be captured, Casio have done an amazing job imaging the sound field. Certainly makes the imagination work easier when visualising sitting in front of the acoustic grand. The high notes have than realistic hammer knock, and the bass even has evidence of the stretch tuning, when playing octaves. This appeals to me, because many digital piano samples are so tightly tuned to concert perfection, that they sound quite sterile, which for most pianos, in everyday use don't stay that way for long. I find the Casio pianos sound like they have been tuned in a way to give them a bit of character like they have been tuned to everyday use rather than one night's concert or a recording session!

 

Just some other impressions. The ivory touch keytops, are ok, not my favourite, but I don't mind them. (I like the matt finish tops best, but there are very few keybeds which have that). The S3000 keys actually feel more like a vinyl texture, rather than ivory. I've wondered though, in the past how long that texture will take to wear down a bit to shiny spots in the high contact areas. My 5S was starting to show signs of that after a couple of years.

 

Well that's my general impressions so far, very very subjective of course. But overall, this keyboard is an absolute gem, it's not perfect, but it provides an amazing piano playing experience in such a portable unit, and it really pushes my buttons!

 

Sorry for the long rant😀

 

 

 

Chris

 

 

 

 

 

 

[shep]

Hi Chris, a good rant...I too have a 560M and owned a PX5S and numerous other Roland, Ensoniq etc before that. Now my main board for Jazz is the S3000, which I am totally happy with due to weight, sounds, playability....also good to see another Ozzy on the forum....Shep

[DeltaJockey]

Hi Shep, thanks for your reply. I think we have had some brief conversations in the past, as I remember you from being up the Tweed🙂

I hadn't originally planned to buy the S3000 for a little while longer, but having been impacted personally by the bushfires, and almost losing my home, I decided to bring it forward as an indulgence of "comfort", and to give me a decent keybed to play on the road, if I was forced to evacuate my home again with the bare minimum essentials.

I know much of our recent circumstance began up your way late last year, only to make it's way down south to my region. My music is an existential part of my life, and single handedly trying to choose which heavy keyboard I didn't want most to lose and pack into the car was agonising, so the S3000 will fill that hole wonderfully.😄

 

Between the S3000 and my laptop, I feel I have most of my music creation ability covered!

 

Chris

[kybdsammer]

Great keyboard choice 😀 and posts Chris. Thanks!

[David Pansini]

A day after I ordered the PX-S3000 I came across the infamous video in question. I sent the author a question and his reply suggested I return the Casio. I'm on day five with my piano and thank God I came across this forum.  I wan't expecting a perfect piano for under a grand. The features I like out way the issues that come from a such a small form factor.  I'm a Guitarist and Vocalist for 50 years. I've always fool around with piano and use it mostly for recording. My old piano is a 12 year old Yamaha P-85.  It's very similar to the sound, feel and size of the Casio. If I were to return the Casio, it would be for being too similar to what I currently have and not for any difference between the black and white keys. And the only thing i can feel with the keys is isolated to about an octave around middle C. The black and white keys on the lower and higher registers seem fine.

Again, I'm not a pianist, but I've been around music all my life. For under a grand, It's a lot of keyboard. 

 

[Mike Martin]

David,

I suggest you Google PX-S3000 review and find the other dozens of other reviews by pianists all over the world.  Read comments on other forums too: 

http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2953738/casio-px-s1000-3000-black-keys-heavier-than-white.html#Post2953738

The goal of any digital piano is to come as close as possible to the response of traditional acoustic grand pianos. All digital pianos have varying key response characteristics, often related to practical design factors such as portability. Unlike acoustic pianos, the keys in nearly all digital pianos do not extend far beyond the playable surface. As you may know the Privia PX-S series are the slimmest digital pianos in the world, and Casio is proud of the response we've achieved throughout the entire playable surface of each individual key, not just at the tip of the key.

 

I hope you enjoy the versatility, portability, and value that your PX-S3000 delivers. We will soon be releasing some new registration banks that highlight its sound creation possibilities too.  

[DeltaJockey]

Hi David,

 

to me this key weight thing is a non issue. It just highlights how everyone has such different viewpoints about what is important to them, and how they think things "should" be. It also brings home the fact that the only way to make your own choice is on trying it out for yourself. I mentioned in my first post that I thought he was taking the keyboard feel a bit too seriously. With the other keys I own, costing many more times that of the S3000, if I go looking, there are historically just as many negative opinions on those as well!

Social media can potentially do such a disservice to any topic that is posted. The wisdom is to see through the motives and realise the difference in views,  and  extract what is important to yourself. Had I seen his youtube review before purchasing my S3000, it would have made no difference whatsoever to my decision for these reasons, and what is important to most happy S3000 owners, is quite different to the reviewer's priorities. I've never bought a piece of sound or music equipment purely from someone else opinion...yes I have taken on board their comments, and filtered the context of their comments, but in the end to me, only buying a keyboard from others recommendation, would be like buying a pair of shoes without trying them on!

[Jokeyman123]

I have played many pianos that also made me immune to many musical pathogens.  I agree, unless you are trying to play concertos with your nose, you would do well to learn to play on just about anything as long as it is not damaging yer hands, wrists, arms and other people's hearing! The only thing I have noticed with almost every digital-except possibly the newest high-end Celvianos or other  similar brands in that range-with complete escapement mechanisms-is the hard way the digital keys will land-why I have modified almost every digital I've played-Casio and others. This is the spot where injuries can occur-how one lands on the keys is critical IMO. anyone who has played a large concert grand knows-the key weight is pretty heavy compared to uprights or consoles unless these have been made to imitate the action of a concert grand. I think the frustration inherent in playing any piano is its limitation as a mechanical contraption, which after all it is that. Beethoven I think came the closest to teaching us all this important lesson in dynamics-you can play it loudly, softly or anywhere in between. Fast, slow or anywhere in between. Playing it expressively-that's a whole different story. "Art  in the blood is liable to take the strangest forms"-Sherlock Holmes characterizing himself-good thing he didn't know how to play the piano-he chose the violin, also capable of driving one to the brink of....