Kawai MP5

I am using the latest software that I am aware of. Purchase date was 10/09. Overall the presets are great, but keep in mind that this is a stage piano, so the focus is really on pianos (and master keyboard functions, which it also excels in).
Editing patches overall is very limited, but you can add chorus and there are knobs that will allow for EFX, waveform changing (cutoff, etc), but that really is about it.
The manual is fine for me, but I am kind of technical in nature. I found myself going to it only a couple of times.

192 note polyphony. keyboard action is quite good, although multiple quick strikes on the same key does not respond like a real piano action would.
It has built in effects and they are good, and adjustable on the fly, which is nice.
Through the USB input, you can update the OS. NO other expansion capabilities (that I am aware of).
Excellent MIDI capabilities. This was designed as a MIDI controller just as much as a stage piano: very nice. You can have up to 4 zones at any given time, and each zone can control internal, external or both at any given time. They can also be switched on/off on the fly. Very cool stuff here.
No on-board sequencer, but it does have a metronome.

Since this is a stage piano, the pianos are quite good. You have to like the Kawai pianos though, and they are certainly world class. I have played on their acoustic pianos and the sound is amazingly close. I think that the only thing closer to a real piano is the Roland V-Piano, but we're talking major dollar differences too. I have played many different boards (Yamaha, Casio Privia series, Roland, and others) and to me, the Kawai is very good, if not better than the others. The sound is a little more deep and rich compared to the Yamaha (the Yamaha is brighter but not as full), the Roland (the Roland is clear, but not as deep), Korg (the Korg is inferior all the way around, to me anyway), Casio (their Privia is nice, but is not a serious pro board, and their customer service leaves much to be desired. Their techs only seem to know what is in the manual). you can brighten up the sound on the Kawai, but it sounds unnatural then. It sounds like a Kawai. When you really play it (you know, 'play it like you mean it' kind of playing, it really shines. I have only notice polyphony dropout when multiple zones are playing at once. The electric pianos are good too, as are the organs. The drums are good, the strings are good. The distorted guitar is not very good, and the violins are not as full as I would like (I still use old Ensoniq stuff, where the violin is so rich and full compared to the Kawai).
Since I play many styles of music, the Kawai certainly works for me.
This unit reacts well to what I play, but I have noticed when I have more than two zones going at once (internal sounds), there is some delay between when I actually strike the key and when the sounds generate. Not too bad, but enough to where I almost want to play ahead of the beat to make it completely on time.
It is a stage piano, so the touch and whatnot are good.

I have played solo with it and it works well, especially since you can have multiple sounds at once.
It is heavy, so protect it well with a good case (of which I have to buy still).
I use it all the time by itself and have no issues at all.

I've not dealt with the company yet, but hope to establish regular correspondence with them about different things, and I suspect that they will want to work with me. It seems as though they really want to work with you, since they are not one of the big 3 yet in that department. Too bad, really, because they really have a great product that compares or exceeds the competition.

If it were lost or stolen, it is pretty heavy and suspect that it would be very obvious when someone steals it. In the event that it does get stolen, watch out; I'll find you.
I have been playing for well over 30 years and have used just about everything. I have toured and have done studio work and just about anything else.
I love it for the piano sounds and how I really feel like I am playing an acoustic piano. I also own the following:

(2) Ensoniq VFX-SD
(2) Roland JV-880
Ensoniq SQ1+ 32-Voice
Roland PMA-5
Roland E-09
Yamaha QY10
Ensoniq SQ-R
Roland M-SE1

I compared it to many other products and they just seemed to have a truer sound even with stuff higher in price (except the Roland V-Piano). I like the sound better and it seems to resonate better than the Yamaha digital pianos do and are not as 'canned' as the others.
I wish it had speakers, but there is the MP8-II and the MP5 is the version without speakers. It sounds great and I love it. This is good because the last Kawai stuff I had was many years ago where I have a KC-10 (junk to me) and K3 (still wish I had it). The company as a whole are underrated when it comes to digital stuff, so consider them when looking for a piano.
It makes me a better player because of the action. It feels like a piano and after many years of playing 61-note synths (they are lighter), I really wanted to go back to my roots on piano. This was a good choice indeed.

Very easy to use - most functions you can do without thinking. Only change would be to simplify how the internal sounds in the setups are edited.

Great features too. 192 polyphony, MIDI, 4 zones (internal and external 2*4=8).
No aftertouch though, but never really had a need for it.

Most sounds are very realistic. Love the drawbar sounds. Love the EPs, though maybe a tad thin. The pianos are great too.

Had a few problems with the keybed of the MP5. Had clicky and rattly keys, some developing problems after only a few hours playing. Makes me double think the quality of the construction of the actual keys - will more keys develop rattling as time continues? The rattling makes quiet or classical playing quite annoying.
Would probably upgrade to MP8 if given a second chance. Don't have problems like this with Rolands or other brands.

Will find out, getting dicky keys fixed.

Think for the price, is the best in the field for a stage piano. Only qualms are with the quality of the keys. Would have saved for the MP8 if given another chance, or maybe bought the Roland RD 300 GX, a Kurzweil or something with a bit more reputation for quality construction.

Very easy to use...knew very little about splits/layers/zones etc..., but within no time could change any setting I needed.
The layout of sounds in three vertical banks makes finding and remembering the sound very easy - you can remember "where", visually, each sound is. Much easier than a menu based interface.

Awesome features...is a stage piano, so does not include a rhythm section (that I know of) or any inbuilt recording feature, as do the lower models (eg es4/es6). Wouldn't have minded the recording feature, just to listen an critique my playing, but really doesn't matter.
The built in effects and reverb are very professional, easy to use, and sound fantastic.
The control knobs are great, but they are velocity sensitive, so not extremely accurate (is commented on by others also). I prefer the way the Kurzweils use their analogue knobs better. Also, the pitch bend has a little to much freeplay for my liking, but is perhaps just my keyboard, and is just my opinion (I don't really use it anyway)

Most sounds are amazing. The piano (expletive) all over the Roland and others. Maybe not yamaha, probably just as good. The yamaha's sounded very realistic and bright though, even the cheaper models, but they just didn't have the features.
The electric piano with reverb and overdrive sounds great, and the drawbar organs are loads of fun.

The keys feel great. Sometimes I think it feels a tad lighter than a real piano, but with the touch curve, it makes up for it. It feels that much better than any of the competition.

Haven't needed a backup, but would rely on it. It feels very well made. Don't know about the ply wood underneath though...somebody else has commented on it. I don't know whether that will hold up, maybe, maybe not, not sure.

Fantastic piano, great sounds, great feel, great price. Extremely happy with the buy, and am sure it was the best in the price range.

It's very easy to combine sounds, change effects and edit patches.

192 voices is more than enough!!!
One of the main reasons that took me to try and buy this piano was the keyboard action. I'm a big roland and Korg fan but this one had better touch than everything else i tried (personal opinion).
It doesn't have aftertouch but than again...it's a digital piano not a workstation!

All sounds are good (overall). When i choose a digital piano i choose mainly because of the piano sounds. This little baby here has a couple of great piano sounds. E.Pianos are also very good. Strings and soft pads are warm and very usefull. Organs and Drawbars also sound pretty good to me. All sounds react pretty well to velocity changes. Onboard effects are also pretty good.

All i can say is that recently i did a little upgrade to version 1.14 and it was very easy to install. It did correct a few minor "bugs" so i'm happy about it.

Well, i can't give my personal about this one!

If it was stollen i would burn the dammmmmmmm thief lol.
I would buy another one!

This is and extremely simple interface, even with the smallish LCD screen.

This is the only category i really care to expound on. The piano sounds are top of the line, and the graded hammer action is just right, not too heavy or too light. The other sounds such as EP's are also high quality and very useable as stand alone voices or as a layer with other voices. The drawbar organs are really good, with a very convincing leslie effect. I only wish that these organs had a separate chorus effect, but you can't have it all i guess. Other voices are good, but this lacks portamento, but again, this is a stage piano.

Built for the long haul AND lightweight! A joy to move around!

I just purchase the MP5 and found it extremely easy to use out of the box. I quickly learned how to blend sounds. It's really just plug it in and go.

I was really looking for a great keyboard feel with an excellent piano sound - I was less worried about features. However, this has plenty of MIDI controller capability in case you want to expand your inventory of sounds with Reason or something similar. It has plenty of input / output jacks - very easy / convenience for moving from practing in headphones to playing through an amp or recording stereo tracks to a console.

I played quite a few keyboards, Yahama M08, S08, Casio P320, Yahama P85, Roland 300SX and the MP5 beat the cheaper models and more than held its own with more expensive models.

I mainly picked this one for the piano sounds but was pleasantly surprised at how nicely the strings blended with the main piano sounds. Fantastic!

Too early to know, but it looks, feels like a very well made unit.

Haven't had a need so far.

I'm very pleased with this purchase. It's perfect for my home studio and, given it's relative light weight, I can play out easily. The toughest part of this keyboard is negotiating price - they go so quickly sellers have very little incentive to bargin.

This is one of the most straight forward keyboards I've used - very easy to understand. Only needed to check the manual for details on a few parameters. Very easy to layer sounds on the fly.

Polyphony is 192 - that'll do. No problems layering a few things internally. The effects are quite usable - global reverb and then separate fx for each zone. MIDI features on this unit are the reason I bought it - they are deep. Being able to use its four zones internally or externally (or both simultaneously) is very powerful - and you can selectively turn off pedals and controllers per zone. Being able to turn zones on and off on the fly is why I like this unit so much - so easy to add a layer on the fly without affecting your other sounds. Note offs are managed so that you'll never get stuck notes when turing zones on and off. The built-in metronome feature is also quite handy. Another feature will let you use the mod wheel to scroll values when editing - nice time saver.

This is a subjective area, but I feel the piano sounds are excellent and quite usable live or in the sudio. Though I've started toying with VST pianos in the studio, for use in live performance the Kawai piano sounds easily keep pace - there's also are no latency issue to manage and no risk of a hard drive failure shutting me down at a gig. The quality of the remaining sounds are between average and excellent - very few 'fillers' in there. Though the drums kits and guitar sounds are nice, I don't have need for them in a full band setting.

Now, as far as the keyboard action, I find it to be very playable and responsive - even with the default velocity curve. The keys have a firm bottom and can absorb some pretty hard pounding without maxing out early. The MP-9000, with Kawai's wooden key technology, was even better, but I could no longer haul a 90lb keyboard to jobs - the MP-5 is around half the weight. I've recently played the Yamaha and Roland competitors, and while I like the feel their keybeds very much (as much or maybe even a little more), I think the responsiveness of the Kawai fit my tastes better - but this could be more about the way the sounds respond to my playing than the actual keyboard mechanism. It is one of the few pianos that, for me, sounds and responds acceptably playing a delicate classical tune and also when pounding out a rock tune.

I have no backup for this unit, but don't have any reliability concerns. I had used my Kawai MP-9000 for 10 years and never had a single problem.

From my experience, their customer support is outstanding. They are quite responsive and working to add some additional features in their upcoming OS upgrades. btw - the MP5 has an upgradedable OS - through simple MIDI file downloads.

I'm a big fan of this keyboard. I've used it at two jobs in the past few weeks, and it's been rock solid. If this one were stolen, I'd replace it immediately with another MP5. I think this unit offers best-in-class MIDI controller features, a very playable keybed, great piano sounds and a very usable expanded sound set.

let me say upfront that i am not impressed with the onboard sounds on stage pianos. i bought the MP5 as a good value midi controller to use with my soft pianos. digital piano manufacturers just cannot compete with the latest soft pianos from people like Ivory and the Bluthner Model One with 24 bit 40 gig sound libraries.

that said i was pleasantly surprised with all the piano patches. like others have mentioned i thought the Number Two patches to the Number One patches. so if you demo in the store listen the Grand 2 which has a more wood sound with upfront key action sound. incidentally you can dial in the key action sound to suit your tastes.

i think you could certainly use all the pianos in a live setting no problems at all. however be under no illusions they could be seriously used to record in a studio. when recorded on professional equipment and listened to on serious studio monitors the pianos all sound thin and a little flat IMHO.

apart from the pianos i thought the other patches/presets were mediocre at best. the EPs were ok but too clean to be convincing. none of the other sounds could compete with their software rivals. in particualr i thought the strings were brittle and very nasty.

the EQs and reverbs are clean and simple to use - again very useful in a live setting.

i use teh USB and that works very well. i really like the fact Kawai did not write separate drivers for the USB and you just use the windows drivers. nice, reliable and sensible.

the polyphony is great 192. no issues there.

i have already mentioned the built in effects are modest but clean and simple to use. no real issues there.

the key action: yes for plastic keys they are good. not as good as the MP8 wood keys that is for sure. the keys have a little sideways give and wobble - not too much just a little. they are also nicely weighted. defintely the best plastic keys i could find. much better than the CP33, Roland 300, etc.

if i could have found a better plastic key action i would have bought it as this was the manin reason for buying the MP5.

my only misgiving is how durable and long lasting the keys will be. i have had the MP5 for about three months and have noticed that the keys in the middle octaves may be becoming slightly spongey and soft. but it is too early to tell for certain.

my advice if it key action that is really important save the extra money and get the MP8. i wish i had. it is not that the MP5 action is bad it is that the MP8 is so much better.

i thin i have already covered this.

the key action is good for plastic under 2K piano. no complaints. it also allows you to altered the way the piano plays both manualy and also through an autmated function that matches your piano syle to the key settings.

the pianos are ok but the other sounds are very ordinary.

for plastic keys under 2K piano it is surprisingly expressive to play.

my main criticism is that for live use it is made of plastic unlike the MP8 that is made of metal. also the under side is just thick cardboard and would be easy to break.

if you were playing live on a regualr basis a hard gig case would be essential. the plastic shell body looks and feels too delicate to me.

also the plastic shell is impossible to clean and you cannot use sulfide based detergent on it. finger prints are very hard if not impossible to remove. maybe not such a big consideration for your live instrument but mine is in the living room and it is impossible to remove greasey finger prints.

my main criticism of this piano is the construction materials - cheap plastic that is a nightmare to clean.

if it was lost i would upgrade to the MP8 for the awesome wood keys and the metal body. otherwise i am happy with my purchase. however as i said i really do not use the on board patches and prefer to use high quality soft pianos. so as a fully weighted midi controller it is excellent. and

IMHO in this price range the MP5 is the way to go in terms of key actions and playability BUT seriosuly consider the MP8 for those features.

i only gave this an 8/10 because in australia the $2200 makes it much less value than in the USA where it reatails about $1100. the price in australia should be much closer to the USA. not twice the price!

Compared to my (departed) Yammy S80 the MP5 programs very easily. I can set up four different sounds, apply effects and various pedal controllers to each one, mix 'em in real time and instantly save any edits. For a gigging musician, this board is perfect. I know it isn't as "deep" as the 80 i.e. no arpeggiator, no sequence player, not as many parameters to edit; but in terms of keyboard feel, weight, sounds, support and looks...it's a winner!

As a classically trained pianist the touch is paramount, and the MP5 has a very responsive, graded hammer action. There's 192 notes/polyphony so that's not an issue. It has a full set of high quality effects that can be applied to each sound separately. The two rotary effects are really excellent and convincing with the drawbar settings. I'm especially impressed with the ease with which I can program splits and layers. It can't accept any expansion AFAIK but I easily uploaded the latest 1.11 OS via usb. I use midi only to control an outboard sound source but I understand the midi implementation is complete. The ease it offers when programming new setups and moving it (since it only weighs 45 lbs.) is really the #1 feature for me, a 55-year old jazz pianist.

It offers velocity but no aftertouch. I've found the various sounds to be very good to excellent with very few dogs. The vocal sounds, especially the jazz ensemble are really terrific. The female scat singer is implemented really well. The various pianos are generally excellent, especially when I layer two or three different sounds. The B3 emulations are particularly convincing using the rotary effect with gradual speed up/down. As Frank Zappa said, in a hockey rink nobody can tell the difference between a real string section and a keyboard string section. I agree as I've never found any keyboard to have a true orchestral sound.

Not sure. My first MP5, sold to me as a demo froze up after two days of programming. It wouldn't take a replacement OS and the dealer took it back at their expense. Its replacement, a new sample fresh from the (Indonesian) factory is perfect. I think, for the first few gigs I have this February I'll bring my 49-key Yamaha controller and QY100 just in case. The build appears robust and handsome with wood end caps and black metal case. Check back in six months!

Kawai's US rep, Troy R. is extremely responsive and supportive, even offering proactive suggestions based on my needs. Reachable via email or using their 800 number I was able to get my questions answered almost instantly. Compared to my poor Yamaha experience this has been a revelation...and Troy is a jazzer, too!

Anytime in the next three years I would immediately replace it with another copy. I've been gigging for +40 years and have played most keyboards i.e. suitcase reed orgen, Doric organ, Wurlitzer 200, Suitcase Rhodes, Kurzweil 76-key piano, Quadrasynth, Yamaha S80 etc. (Regrettably, I never owned a Vox Continental but I rejected the Farfisa as too cheesy! LOL!) I own a beautiful 1927 Steinway M baby grand that is my standard, of course. IMHO, there is no better gigging keyboard, especially at the bargain price ($1100) Since I play lh bass in my jazz quartet the easy programmability makes this board a no-brainer for me. Why isn't Kawai in the top ranks i.e. Yamaha, Korg, Roland?

I just got the updated MP-5 and am impressed with the piano sounds. After comparing R700SX, FP7, CP33 and some others- I concluder this is the only 'living' piano sound. After a while I experienced the MP as a Real piano. S-Reso, sample-off samples, etc prob. do the trick. After tweaking with velocity-switches etc, a nice F-Rhodes patch emerged. Not standard though. Not bad at all. The other sounds are medium Q. Some stand out like a few organ sounds and guitar sounds. The strings are not to good. But: if you are searching for a good digital piano, this is the best of the best in this pricerange.

Nice specs, check it out. 192 voices poly, 4 x multi FX, very, very nice keyboard.

Like I wrote; fantastic piano.

Some hassle about clicking keys on some models it seems. The ones made in Indonesia seem to have this problem, I did nogt notice it yet. Anyway I accept that artefact considering the Super Piano sounds and nice feel keyboard. The instrument feels like a qualty built instrument at this moment- better than Roland. Well, time will tell.

It is pretty easy to use. I've only just got mine and I can do much of the things without even looking through the manual

Polyphony is great at 192, so hopefully, no fear of dropouts. The effects are pretty good also - I like the pedal wah effect (Needs an expression pedal to work) which acts like a guitar wah-wah simulation and is very nice with EPs and clavs. MIDI seems good. It transmits accross the whole volume range (127), unlike my Yamaha P90, which goes to about 100 or so (This was the only bad thing about the P90).

The knobs (more about these later) control varying parameters, such as effects, EG and MIDI CC's. The zone control is very good and ennables real-time control over factors such as dual voice (The Piano and default Zone 2 'String Pad' sound is beautiful when combined)

For a stage piano, it has a lot going for it

Sounds are a subjective thing of course, however I am very impressed with the Pianos. Very expressive and a good choice. Although a few seem to be altered versions of the same sample, rather than new pianos outright. There are some very good all-round sounds, such as a few very usable brass samples, strings, organs and chior. The EP's are a more standard affair, but are very usable none the less. The synth sounds are pretty good also.

The control knobs is where I feel is the only real serious letdown with this instrument. Someone below has already commented about these and is right in what he says. They don't have a centre mark, so your not too sure whether you are in the middle or not when turning them blind, but more worryingly is that they are not very accurate, sometimes they will be upto about +/- 5 values out when you have set the knob dead center. Also, if you turn them quickly to and throw, it sometimes doesn't register the values properly either,

Also I've noticed that if a value on the screen says 64 (half-way, 12 O'clock) and the dial is at, say 32 (quater way round, 9 O'clock) from setting a previous value or effect not relating to the one you are about the change, when you turn the dial, it will start the count from 32, despite the dial being physically set at 64. You have to turn the dial either to '0' or '127' and start again for it to register the count, which is pretty wierd when you are used to it starting from the last position, like on my Yamaha synth.

Its a shame as the rest of the buttons and sliders seem good. and the whole keyboard feels very solid

Appart from the control knobs, this is a very good instrument.

I find this keyboard very easy to use. 4 Zones can be assigned 4 different sounds which can be layered, or velocity sensitive turned on or off, or assigned to different key ranges. Easy to layer a string pad under a piano patch and bring string volume up and down via an exression pedal.

Effects are basic and sound fine. Althogh rotary effect is not as programmable and realistic as some. 192 Polyphony is pretty good considering the keyboard cost. ($1100 U.S.)

Velocity sensitivity can be adjusted to the players style. I like action. I have been able to play leads faster and with more ease. User sensitivity option monitors your playing style to determine correct velocity set up. Purchased mainly for piano sounds and action. I must confess I was suprised how useable the string and brass patches are.

Not sure, Gigged only once so far and it worked fine. Cut through on stage also. At 45 pounds, the is the max weight I care to move around.

Not used yet

I like action and simple operating system, Spend more time playing and less programming. I like instant knobs for 4 band EQ. If stolen I would probably purchase again not because it sounds that much better but because it is the right cost/weight/sound/action/ease of use combo for my needs.

I don't know if it gets easier than this, all the relevant functions have dedicated buttons, not much digging through the menus even if you want to change the voicing, string resonance, key-off effect and such. Maybe for the MIDI settings, but that's not something you'll be doing on stage. But even then - the Setup section has a hundred or so slots already set up for MIDI zones (1-4 zones with variations).

I had a Roland XP-80 before this one, a great synth with excellent sounds (with 4 expansions), but creating multi-sound performances was a pain - no sound categories, and setting the hi-lo notes for a zone meant digging with a shovel.
On the MP5 I press and hold the Zone Select button, press the start and the finish note, and that's it. Transposing is done in the same manner - press and hold, then press the key on the keyboard for the amount you want to transpose (above and below middle C).

Changing the effect and reverb rate/depth, EQ, cutoff/attack/release, MIDI CC#'s with the 4 knobs is easy, I'd only wish if those were more precise.

The manual is great, no comments needed.

For me the keys are great for this price range, medium-heavy with not much of that "spongy" feeling - you can see that the mechanism is well done just by looking at the size and the shape of the synth.

But there is one thing everybody forgets - there is a great difference if you try to play a stage piano like this on a normal X-stand, or a sturdy wooden stand. I tried a Roland FP-4 and at first the keys felt better than the MP5, because MP5 was rocking on a tiny single X-stand, and Roland was on its own wooden stand, which gives a hard base to the keys and your fingers.

MP5 works great as a master controller, you can use Zone sliders, SW button (asignable), foot controls and the 4 knobs (with the MIDI CC# pressed) to control external gear or computer software.
The thing Kawai did with the Mod Wheel is great - you can assign it to be a Data Edit wheel, which means naming setups is easy, as well as other stuff. I almost never use it anyway, so this is handy.

It's also great as a sound module - polyphony is 192, so no problems there. It can also work in 16 multitimbral mode for playing back MIDI files.

I could use a two-track sequencer, but that's just me.

Sounds

Pianos and ep's are great, especially classic and jazz pianos, and there are lots of variations - I love it. Same goes for strings/pads sounds that can be used with piano/ep sounds or for themselves, and are even better if you play around with FX.

Bass and guitar sounds are ok, no better or worse than the competition, drums the same, but there are only 2 "normal" kits.

Synth sounds are good but I'd like a few synth strings more (miss them from XP-80) - I'd also like more different types of lead sounds, cause I play some progressive music, but I'll get these from another synth with faster keys anyway.

The brass sounds are very expressive, the difference from normal and aggressive playing is nicely programmed, and you can find brass for all kinds of music - pop, funk, jazz, even old-school James Brown style.

And then there are Drawbars - these are excellent! All kinds of drawbars that can be stacked together and controlled via Zone sliders - ok, only 4, but this is a stage piano - coupled with two types of rotary and distortion (rotary2 has overdrive on its own). These are all usable, and really stand out in a band. There is also a separate "key click" sound you can add.

Kawai put Organ sounds in a different category appart from Drawbars, which speaks for itself.

Oh yeah, there are a few very realistic Vocal sounds that are velocity-controlled, which is so helpful if you are harmonizing vocal parts. And is also fun :)


Effects

First I noticed is that the reverb is very good, and the same goes for all the rest - good quality effects for my taste - and there are 4 independent FX processors so you can add a different FX to every zone - not so on the MP4 model (only one FX and reverb type for all zones).

This way you can add massive chorus, tremolo, phaser, delay or whatever, all coupled with reverb, and even vibrato settings, to create a thick, animated evolving pad - and don't forget the Voicing (normal, stretched, wide stretched) option, which can give you some nice touches with strings. Also there are the cutoff/attack/decay/release controls and some asignable MIDI CC#'s.

This is far more than I expected from a stage piano.

I have two quarrels with Kawai: first - two buttons (store and transpose) have a habit of "sinking" every now and then if I press them too hard, so I have to pick them up with my nail. And it's brand new! Appart from this the buttons are very good, nice feel and a light touch is all you need.

Second - the knobs are not precise enough - they do not "zero" on the center marker, each one is a milimeter or two away either left or right. Also, they sometimes act "funny". For example - you have just changed FX parameters, and now want to change the EQ - you press the EQ button (now the knobs are left in a position you selected for the FX), and find out that the "zero" position is even further away from the center - some 2 stops away! Then, if you turn the knob a few times, it is centered once again.

This is not good, and feels like Kawai was saving money here. But, being a DIY freak, I think I'll open it and change these knobs and fix the buttons, so no fear for me. Did it with XP-80.

Appart from this, the synth is really sturdy and I doubt anything would break or malfunction during transport.

This is my first time I bought anything from Kawai, so I can't tell.
But I do know that they have upgraded the software for MP4, and I mean really upgraded it - 256 setups instead of 64, new MIDI and foot controller options, SW button options and so on. Great move, but this is about MP5, so no opinion here.

This is a synth well worth the money. You get a great sounding a and feeling stage piano, with lots of sounds and the flexibility to create your own sounds much different from the presets.

Also you get a great MIDI controller, easily hooked up to a computer, with lots of setups pre-programmed especially for this purpose, and it makes composing a breeze.

I'm not giving it a 10 just because the problems with those two buttons and knobs.

This keyboard is the best I have ever owned. The user manual is straigt to the point and only has a few pages, about 10 or so. The action is by far the best in this price range. Also this keyboard has two settings that can be customized to the users playing style.

OK Where do we start on the Features. First off this instrument has 192 Note Polyphony, USB, Midi-In/Out/Thru. To inputs for different typeso of pedals. 88 Key weithted action, who could want for more.

I must tell you all that I have been searching for the perfect piano replacement for about a year now. I sampled Roland, Korgs, Yamahas, Ensoniq, Kurzweil, everything out there, and I must tell you that nothing out there even comes close to this instrument on price or functionality. Every single sound in this instrument is amazing, and if you don't like something you have realtime controls to change it on the fly. The pianos are simply incredible. My favorite is the Mellow Piano, It reminds me of the steinway grand I used to play in college. The Organs are also very realistic and with the leslie swith in action you will never know that you are not playing the real thing. The Strings, Horns, Basses, and Drumkits makes this instrument the best out there now. Also did I mention that this one also has a couple of Jazz Scat voice presets.
If you are inclined to classical music or classical gospel music (Richard Smallwood) This is the instrument for you!
The effects are realtime assignable and are also great.

No problems as of yet, Comes with warranty.... but I hope I don't have to use it.

Haven't had to use customer support. If this keyboard was lost or stolen I would by one the next day without a second thought. Nothing else comes close. Get by a dealer and check it out for yourself you will not be disappointed.

Best value for the money, again.
88 Key IV Hammer Action
256 Sounds
192 Polyphony
Drum Kits
GM Internal Preset for sequencing

really easy to use : totally visual, well designed

really good polyphony

I don't find this keyboard action and piano sound as it should be : acutally i prefer from far steinberg the grand combined with a fatar sl-880 pro : you can't beat that team for a canned great piano sound.......but they're a bit too much for a computer to play live with other vstis sounds

For the built in sound studio grand after hours of tweaking almost like the grand (both are emulating a kawai ex concert piano), but you can't get the goodies that you get with the grand : when you release a note on the grand you can hear it muff the note, the kawai won't do it even though you can tweak the sound the parameters are graded from 1 to 10 : they should increase the difference between each step especially the string resonance that is not enough in the high range....

The other built-in sounds are ridiculous, the effects also......
But as a stage piano/controller it will do the job.....

it think i will trust it for gigs.

I'm a lazy piano player who have been playing composing for almost 30 years now.....

The last years have given us a great step forward with steinberg the grand about real piano sound in a box.....

form me this is : german team 10(the grand) japanese team 7 (kawai)

the only way to make it sound almost the same is decrease the quality of the grand vs the mp5

If i lose it i would not buy one again: i would buy a muscle pc that would only play the grand (i wish i had listened to my friends advices)

I find it very easy to operate, the user interface is very intuitive and makes a well thought-out impression, the first hours I've played it I didn't even glance at the manual, as most functions are where I (you?) expect them. The buttons are clearly arranged, you see at once which sound or setup you are using (which is great on a dark stage), you can see the zone settings at once. The manual itself is good, the descriptions are short and clear.
The parameter presets are consistently good, well balanced settings. You can sit down and start playing.
Oh, and the firmware version is 1.04.

With a polyphony of 192, you can hardly push this board to its limits. The keyboard action is great, in fact it is the best plastic action that I've ever played (I have the luck to live near a store where they have the Yamaha P70, P120, CP33, CP300, Casios, Roland EP-880, FP-4, FP-5, RD-300SX, RD-700SX and Kawai ES4, MP5 and MP8 ready to play, and I found the action the best from all these aove except for the MP8's). A feature that shold be mentioned is the ability to generate a touch curve according to your style of playing - it really makes a difference!
The 256 sounds are all between good and excellent (except for the drum kits, which are standard), in my opinion there's no sound that is "just there because it's in GM(2)" - none of them is crappy. The piano sounds are excellent, as they are tweakable ad nauseam - temperature, voicing, resonance, cutoff, attack, decay, release - you name it.
It has 7 types of reverb and 22 effects, independently adjustable for every zone, and anintegrated 4-band-EQ.
The zone concept is very good, there are four internal and external zones, each with its own key range, voice (and own voice settings), effects, sound parameters etc. - I tested it as a MIDI master keyboard, and (in my opinion) it is really good at that. A usable feature is the possibility to start an external sequencer with an on-board button, so you don't have to leave your keyboard.
It is a pure stage piano, it doesn't have expansion capabilities, a sequencer or rhythm patterns (as for example the RD-700sx has). As I don't need them (I already have a home keyboard and music software on my PC) I rate this category "9" anyway, as I found the other sections to be really feature-rich.

To me the keyboard was the reason to buy it - with the custom generaterd touch curve it is very expressive, in my opinion even better than Roland's excellent PHA. Of course it has velocity, no poly aftertouch, only channel aftertouch (adjustable by controller).
The sounds are all, as mentioned above, good to excellent and very tweakable, so there's a sound for everything :)
So far I played mainly blues and boogie-woogie on it, for which it is excellent (with "bright" voicing), but I also played some Rock ballads and some Bach, and I found sounds and keyboard fitting well to all of them.
I didn't use the effects extensively (yet), but to me they look solid. Every effect has adjustable depth plus one parameter (often frequency), so I consider them okay.
It is, as mentioned above, very expressive, very dynamic to me, and it is really fun playing - for this, the superb keyboard action and the extensive ability to tweak the sounds to your liking, I rate this section a "10".

I didn't have any opportunity to test it on stage yet, but it seems dependable to me.
It's build very robust (as in "stage piano" as opposed to "home/style piano"), aluminium housing, internal power supply, no wiggling keys, buttons or knobs, from my first impression the quality is solid. I'd estimate the reliability high.

I didn't have to deal with Kawai's customer support directly, but on the german Kawai website there's a forum where they are very friendly and helpful.
Plus, for what I give them high credit, for the predecessor, the MP4, they added features that were requested in the forum in the next firmware upgrade.

If it were lost or stolen, I'd buy it again without hesitation. It's definitely worth what I paid, in fact, I consider it a bargain buy.
I play piano since 16 years, and I've played mainly uprights and home keyboards. I started with classical music and slowly moved towards blues and boogie-woogie and helped as a keyboarder in a rock band.
I really love the action of this keyboard (did I mention superb?), the tweakable sounds and (yes) its looks. It fits onto stage as well as into my living room. I don't like its weight (20 kg), but for a stage piano this is ok.
As mentioned above, I compared it to virtually the whole spectrum of Kawai, Casio, Roland and Yamaha stage pianos and I chose it because of its superb keyboard action, the possibility to create a custom touch curve, the ability to adjust the piano sounds, the warm sounds and its abilities as a midi controller.
The only thing I'm missing is a digital audio connector (preferably optical), but thats hard to find in this price range.
I consider it an inspiring product, and sice I've been playing it, I created several new melodies and songs.

A tip for those who want to play it in a store: adjust the user touch curve to your needs - that helps a lot.

I'd say: test it, compare it, if you like it, buy it :) If you'd like to have a rhythm section and an arpeggiator integrated, tone-wheel-organs wih drawbar simulation etc. either consider buying some synth or a MIDI expander or look for the Roland RD-700sx, which has also a very good action (haven't had a chance to test the Yamaha S-90ES). But if you look for a "pure" stage piano with superb action, highly tweakable high-quality sounds, good effects and first-class master/MIDI capabilities at an affordable price, this may be THE board for you.