Kurz no more...this digital's a winner!
Written: Mar 28 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Piano-like touch, great sound, not too many bells and whistles.
Cons: If you want bells and whistles, go up a step. Finish selections are minimal.
The Bottom Line: Fabulous touch and sound in a nice cabinet. Not a lot of extras, but enough if you are just getting into digitals.
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| lynnzop's Full Review: Kurzweil Mark 3 Digital Piano |
I have played the piano (acoustic) since I was forced into piano lessons at age 6 by my mother. Okay, forced is a little strong, but I remember thinking I would rather have braces than take piano lessons. As an adult, I now realize (having watched my own daughter go through braces) that I probably got the better end of the deal.
Recently, I began toying with the idea of trading in my old acoustic for a digital piano. One attraction was the size of the unit - it was considerably smaller than my current piano and I have a small house. Another was the functionality...while I am a piano-player at heart, I thought it would be fun for me (and my kids) to have some other "sounds" to play with.
Ah, but the choices...there are a ton of digital pianos out there. So I figured the best way to find one that I liked was to do some research, visit every piano store in town, and sit down and try them out.
After doing my research, I fell in love with the Kurzweil Mark 3. However, the first Mark 3 that I looked at was had a horrid black matte finish with fake woodgrain. Gag.
But the sound and the touch were incredible. While all of the digitals I tried out had "real" hammer action (my fingers go into convulsions if the action feels like an electronic keyboard), the touch on this was incomparable. Closing my eyes, I could "feel" the hammers striking the strings. Treble keys (above middle "C") are slightly harder to the touch than bass keys...just like a real piano.
Sound-wise, I found the Mark 3 to be much higher quality than any of the other models that I had tested. The sound "moves" across the unit as you play - further enhancing the playing experience. On cheaper models, you will find the sound is dead and stays in one place.
On the Mark 3, I also found the sustaining quality to be better than other models. For example, in playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, I like the notes in the first movement to sustain for a very long time. The notes are more resonant and haunting on this model than others that I tested. Again, when I close my eyes and play, I am listening to a "real" piano...not an electronic imitation.
Back to that doggy-dog black finish on the model I tried out. With eyes wide shut, it was a gorgeous instrument that I could listen to, play, and enjoy for hours. However, I do not walk around my house with my eyes closed. I told the salesman that I really did not like the cheap-looking finish (he had previously told me that he really liked it, so much for HIS opinion!), and he reluctantly took me over to a model that "will cost more money, but it is prettier". Prettier is not a good description. This instrument took my breath away. A beautiful polished mahogany finish that gleamed in the showroom...a real bench with storage area underneath (none of the usual "digital piano cheapo metal 1/2 size bench")...and the same beautiful sound and touch of the black model.
"How much more," I asked, fearing the worst.
"$500"
I don't know about you, but when I am talking about a piece of furniture that will sit in my living room, paying $500 extra is not a big deal to get something I will want to look at. However, right now, in the new Mark 3's, your choice is either the black matte finish or the mahogany. That's it.
Now, most people are not buying a digital piano for just the "Grand Piano" voice. And while there are plenty of other voices for my taste (electric piano, vibes, harpsichord, pipe organ, fast strings, slow strings, fast choir, slow choir, acoustic bass, and electric bass), I realize that some folks may want more voices and all the bells and whistles. There's no disc drive on the Mark 3, no LED screen. You can split the right and left hand into different voices, and transposing to another key is MUCH easier than some of the more complicated models I looked at (just push one button, hit one key, and you are done). You can record 4 songs (if you want to record and play yourself back), and there are standard input/output to midi/speakers/microphone/headphones.
The headphone feature is really nice. If I don't want to listen to my little angel practicing his piano lesson, I can put the headphones on him, and while he can hear everything he plays, I hear nothing. And as a player, when I put the headphones on...let's just say every good thing I said about the sound of the Mark 3 can be amplified by 10x when you listen via headphones. Astounding.
Here's a real interesting point for anyone who is considering cost in the mix of their decision. Of all the units I looked at, the Mark 3 was in the middle of the road in cost. And considering the cabinetry of the more upscale unit (mahogany), I would say it was very comparable. As is the case with most digitals, there is a 2 year factory warranty.
For the level of digital playing that I am into at this point in my life, the Mark 3 fits the bill perfectly, and has the best sound and feel of any digital I have tried. Bar none. If you are looking for more "stuff" on your digital piano, go up a step..the action and sound are the same.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lynnzop
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Member: Lynn Kvigne
Location: The Great Midwest
Reviews written: 101
Trusted by: 72 members
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Publisher of BeadingHelpWeb.com
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