Doepfer PK88 GH

I've tested several keyboards: Kawai VPC1, M-Audio Hammer 88, Akai Road 88 and this one. The fact that is comes in a flightcase is amazing. It's compact, solid and simple. If you are a heavy touring musician that plays synth parts on it, buy it.

However, the Fatar keybed feels a little too light for piano parts. The velocitycurve is too strong for most software piano's (it reached a high velocity very fast so everything is loud all the time). I chose the M-audio over this one.

I was splitted between VPC1 and PK88 but in the end I preffered the last. Not only for the price, but I mostly liked the concept that after more than 20 years of continous production is about to perfection. If VPC1 would have Kawai GF grand action (instead of RM3-II) maybe I would vote vice versa. But being put into a position to choose between two compromises I voted for the Doepfer.

The look is striking, housing made of 7mm plywood which is relatively lightweight and solid. Total weight is exactly 20 kilos, most of it being the keybed itself. The all thing is extremely compact and heavy, at the limit to which a man can carry it.

Concerning the keyboard I can compare it with the former Fatar TP/10MDS (which I have it into my Korg EC510) and Roland Ivory feel G (in A88) and S (FP-80) which I both demoed a couple days before. I can say that I prefer the feeling of TP/40GH as it seems more consistent to what I am expecting as a piano surrogate; it allows me better control of the pace and dynamics of my play.

In comparison, the old TP/10 was too light to proper balance me, especialy in low registers (not being graded at all) and ivory feel G being too frictional instead of inertial. I would say Ivory feel S being somehow similar to Doepfer's.

Key travel is 11.3mm and the finishing of the keys (both black and white) not too glossy and nice to feel. The key travel up to the keys is deeper that Ivory feel G and comparable to Ivory Feel S.

Conversion to midi is extremely well done, probably the most of what 2-sensor technology can offer. I can easily obtain for each of the keys all the midi values from 0 to 127 in a very controllable and consistent way. Connected to Pianoteq it is a truly pleasure to tasle from any of the piano varieties using mostly slight fast keyboard velocity curve or just liniar.

As for cons, I can say that:
- the front edge that covers the keybed is too narrow and a too much a portion of the keys are left to be seen.
- some keys seem shorter by a submillimeter or so which is visible from aside.
- I don't know if the sponge covering lid and top of the keys is durable enough and will not crumble after years.

Later edit:
After more than 3 months of extensive use I can say this keyboard is a good rehersal tool although not an ultimate playing one. But if you've managed good tremolos on it then surely you'll get brilliant ones on any piano on earth.

The relatively fast bottoming gives good feedback, tempo wise. Being also heavy on touch you get tired fast if you don't acquire relaxed hand. So, it seems to me like ideal tool for developing and maintaining good piano technique.

This is a good keyboard without excess features. Touch is good but not piano like. I think static weight is high but dynamic weight is low. Touch feels heavy when playing piano and light when playing forte which is not how most acoustic pianos feel. Still it is playable for classical music. My only gripe is that my particular keyboard is quite uneven - a lot of black keys are are louder than white. I could return it but I chose to fix it with software. Also you could ask thomann to check your keyboard for evenness before you buy. I think this keyboard would be good for gigging pianist.