HP or SW, your preference?

[Rejiggered]

Hi all, let me preface:

- I know this has been covered in a previous thread (which I've read), but I could use a fresh round of opinions as I'm about to pull the trigger on my purchase
- I know this is highly subjective and personal, but there's no dealer within 3 hours of me with units on hand so that I can try both out for myself. Consequently, I'll be completely depending on others' input for the decision unfortunately
- I'd like to stick with only the Electro 4 if possible, and not lug a second keyboard for some light gigging.
- I'll likely be 60% organ and 40% piano/el. piano., so pretty even mix with a bit more organ
- I could be talked into bringing a very lightweight secondary controller (like a M-Audio keystation, etc) for dual manual action if I went the HP route I suppose.
- I'm a piano player primarily, who likes to fake it as a B3 player when needed. Consequently, I'm not a purist, ie don't mind LED drawbars, etc.
- Must have 73/76 keys, for the room and also for the extra memory.
- As a frame of reference, I have an old Yamaha Motif 7 with synth/unweighted keys (which I'm selling) and despise the action due to its lightness. Definitely looking for something heavier.
- I have a real piano and a big old Roland A-80 from yesteryear (~60 lbs. !) at home if want a weighted feel (won't be taking those out for obvious reasons).

With all that said, what would you guys choose? I realize it's a compromise however you go, but I'd like to get a general consensus seeing that I'll be buying w/o being able to try. Just how annoying is it to play organ from a weighted controller? Would it bother you more than playing piano from a semi-weighted keyboard?

Thanks for your opinions!
Steve

[Gustavo]

I have a NS2 SW because there was no HP available. But if you are absolutely sure you do not need the bitimbrality or synth section of the NS2, and you are primarily a piano player, I'd go with Electro 4 HP. BUUUT if weight is a primary concern, I'd rather have the SW, as you can still play good piano parts.

[Rejiggered]

Thanks for the reply Gustavo. Sorry, should have mentioned that yes I'm aware Electro is not multi-timbral, it's not a concern in my case.

I am primarily a piano player, but I'll being playing slightly more organ than piano. So I guess I'm wondering if I'll be more bothered by having to play B3 parts from a weighted keyboard than vice versa (piano from semi-weighted). Also, the weight difference between the two is so small that it's inconsequential to me.

Thanks,
Steve

[anotherscott]

I guess I'm wondering if I'll be more bothered by having to play B3 parts from a weighted keyboard than vice versa (piano from semi-weighted).

It's a little more complicated than that, because the real question is how bothered you will be playing B3 parts from the particular weighted keyboard in the HP vs, playing piano parts from the particular semi-weighted keyboard in the SW!

But just to get you into the ballpark of the kind of difference to expect, you don't have to ask us, you can try it. You said you own a Motif 7 and a Roland A80. So run a MIDI cable out of the Roland into the Yamaha, and call up an organ patch, to get an idea of what it's like to play organ from a weighted action; and compare how bad that experience is to that of playing a piano sound from the Motif's own action. Then you can make your own personal determination as to which approach is the worse compromise. It's not a perfect eval, but at least gives you some amount of relevant first hand experience.

I think you're on the right track with possibly buying the HP Nord and adding a lightweight secondary organ-action controller ... or the flip of that (get an SW Nord, and add a lightweight 88).

[Rejiggered]

Thanks, good advice. I also should mention, I've briefly played on an Electro 4 61 and was surprised how decent the semi-weighted action initially seemed to me, as compared to the friggin' nothing-ness of the crappy Motif I'm used to, so maybe there's my answer. I'm having a hard time getting off the fence on this one though.

Thanks

[pablomastodon]

FWIW, I'm a big fan of the SW action...

Pablo

[analogika]

I have a SW73 Stage 2, and while the stiffer action of the newer keys is a little annoying coming from an Electro 2 (especially for clavinet hacking), it's a lovely compromise for pianos.

I can not play Hammond on a weighted keyboard. Not the way a Hammond needs to be played when I'm doing the talking.

[Ignatius]

Frustrated with trying to control the spiky output and comfortably play acoustic piano on my Electro 2 61, I tried the 4 HP. I did not like the feel of the weighted keys, and this drove me into the arms of the Korg SV-1 73, whose piano is wonderful, but whose organ sounds are pretty rigid - no draw bars.

So now I regret losing the E2 waterfall keys for playing organ, E Piano and clav, and the draw bars, however electronic they were. I plan to replenish my Electro supply with whichever of the 2, 3 or 4 I can afford when I finally get to it. Unlikely I will seek a 4HP. I loved the waterfall for organ sounds. I love the SV-1 for playing the piano. (It has something called an RHH key bed, I think, which many people really hate, so maybe that tells you something.)

Happy hunting.

[Stinker]

"I'll likely be 60% organ and 40% piano/el. piano., so pretty even mix with a bit more organ"
"I'm a piano player primarily, who likes to fake it as a B3 player when needed."

This is very much my position - I recently purchased an electro 4d and was tossing up over the SW keys or the electro 4 HP - I sat and played both for a couple of hours in the music shop and found the SW keys much better for organ playing and fine for piano, and the HP keys great for piano, but not so good for organ. The guy in the shop had a similar split of organ/piano playing to me and recomended the sw keys over hp keys if you were doing any amount of organ playing.

Having now played with tmy keyboard for a couple of months, I am very happy with my decision to go with the sw keys

[Rejiggered]

Thanks everyone, these are great replies! Keep 'em coming if you have 'em.