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(More customer reviews)As testified by the proliferating, confusing number of Kurzweil keyboards based on the still-recent PC3 (soon after its release there were several modified, or PC-"lite" versions in addition to Kurzweil's use of PC sounds in its supposedly more "performance-oriented" SP series), Kurzweil keyboards continue to represent the steepest learning curve of any professional digital keyboard. With instruction manuals that can number up to 300 pages, they increasingly appear to be aimed at a market consisting of younger musicians who: 1. have lots of time on their hands; 2. are not impatient when it comes to spending as much time learning the technology of their instrument as learning the music itself; 3. are frankly more interested in "programming" than "performing."
After owning approximately 30 keyboards, I'm still most fond of the Kurzweil piano sound (with Roland 2nd, followed by Korg and Yamaha), but in A-B comparisons I don't hear any significant difference between the piano sound of my first Kurzweil (the K1000, made in Japan) and more recent PC and SP models (made in Korea by Young Chang). No piano strikes me as having more "add-ons"--from the "Triple Strike" piano (I have yet to determine precisely what it is and what difference it makes compared to the non-Triple Strike instruments that preceded it) to the hyped "Take 6" samples (the first time was a bit of a novelty; the 2nd was merely gratuitous gimmickry). Moreover, Kurzweil, to a greater degree than any other manufacturer, is constantly issuing "upgrades" to its operating systems (although they're supposedly "easy" to download and install, I invariably take my instrument to a dealer for installation).
I've seen as many as three musicians playing high-end synthesizers costing in the vicinity (and upwards) of the Kurzweil PC3K8 while accompanying a gospel choir. Each musician was playing a single, built-in, pre-set sound, and together the trio was not making nearly as much music as a single proficient gospel pianist on an "old-fashioned" acoustic instrument. So it would appear that numerous owners of these "performance workstations" (Kurzweil and otherwise) have yet to figure them out (should such an occurrence ever happen).
If you're still sold (it's hard NOT to be upon reading the lavish descriptions of the potential of these "killer keyboards"), be aware that for most professional gigging, and especially for moving from one place to another, the weight of the keyboard becomes increasingly important (here's where the current SP4-7 looks like a stand-out among all the new Kurzweils for the working musician). At the same time, when the action is fully weighted, the piano is not only more satisfying to play but even "sounds" better. As for 88 vs. 76 keys, 88 keys is preferred by many owners who are also programmers because of the added room for assigning different sounds to 4 different "zones." But for a pianist who merely wishes to split the keyboard with a walking acoustic bass in the left hand, two zones (along with 76 keys) are absolutely sufficient.
If you find a PC88, PC1 or PC2 that's in like-new condition (or close to it), you may wish to compare costs along with piano touch and sound. At its core, the PC3 still strikes me as sounding like the preceding Kurzweil piano except with the addition of many more bells and whistles (i.e. "effects").
And last, if you're not especially technically inclined or exceptionally patient--and if you plan to program the instrument to suit your personal needs--try to find someone who can help with what can otherwise be a tedious and frustrating project. (Unfortunately, such individuals can be difficult to find, even in the stores that carry and sell the instrument and even when I issue generous offers to pay youthful techies, passionate gearheads," etc. in return for their labors.)
None of the numerous musicians I work with has the least idea of what I'm required to go through merely to "set up" the keyboard so that the desired synthesized "bass player" or "organist" comes along with me on a job (thanks to these labor-intensive keyboards, a music job is definitely no longer a "gig"). Instead, at the first sign of a weird, unwanted sound (like "Take 6" samplings or space-like sounds out of a 1950s science fiction movie) or a muddy bass (darn, the pedal is sustaining the lower end of the keyboard instead of the piano only), we're back to the days of "Shoot the piano player!" I'm no longer willing to be either another musician's scapegoat or a masochist--especially at the meager pay scale most musicians have been reduced to these days--so more than ever, I'm content to play a single preset piano program.
Final afterthought: before becoming infatuated or mesmerized by all of the "fantastic features" that come with these instruments, imagine what an Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, or Bill Evans would do if, upon seating himself at his Bosendorfer or Steinway, he were offered an extra panel with hundreds of "effects" to select from! It's simply ludicrous. The only effect that really matters is the ambience or resonance of the room the player finds himself performing in. The first thing I do with any keyboard I acquire is figure out how to extinguish ALL effects (the only exception might be some vibrato or tremolo with a B3, vibraharp, or FM electric piano sound). At this moment in history, the American public (and for that matter, the large European and Asian market for these instruments) has been as brainwashed by "Effects" as the recent hordes of iPad and electronic tablet owners are dumbfounded or spellbound by the bombardment of non-stop, forever proliferating "Apps" ("Angry Birds" appear to be the most popular yet).
[I had a job last night and, despite determining to stay with only one good piano sound on a new PC-model Kurz with fully-weighted action, I somehow managed to set off unwanted echo-y, reverberating "effects." Glancing thru the manual was of no help, since the most minor adjustment is usually sufficient to kick in the echo machine and even demote me to Bank 6 along with experiencing a complete loss of all piano sounds. As I said, these can be frustrating keyboards.]
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