Kurzweil has great instruments... i am using an old pc3x (which essentially is the same as the pc3a8 witouth sample memmory) as my mainstage controller, the onboard VAST synthesis is incredible flexible .. and in the same form still used in todays current model Forte...

But what makes the pc3x such a strong keyboard is the number of assignable controllers.. wheels, buttons, aftertouch, ribbon comtroller(incredible versatile) and breath controller connection.. for a 10 year old instrument the sounds are okay, and to me the fatar keybed is acceptable (action) but all those controll options make it a very nice mainstage controller...

A used Kurzweil Pc3X can be bought just under €1000 here in Holland.. it offers a lot of bang for the buck... altough, its not an option in this case as its quite heavy... and John is looking for a light mobile controller..

best of both worlds..

Wish it was the "best" of both worlds...

But current day stagepiano/attanger workstations all combine a low end stage piano with a low end arranger...

The korg havian 30 is build on a pa300 arranger
Yamaha dgx 660 combines yamahas lowest tier p45 with a psr 400 series arranger
Casio px 360/560 arranger part is not even worth mentioning
Same goes for the pa500, far from high end arranger, where they added a better piano sound and 88 keys

So far the only company delivering on this was the GEM sk880 which 20 years ago indeed was the best of both worlds (stage piano/synth/arranger)

If you want "almost" the best of both worlds, then there only is the yamaha CVP 709, but thats not a portable version... however, if yamaha would make a stage piano version of the CVP709 follow up, now that would be interesting..

If you. Urrently want best of both worlds... you should go stagepiano+arranger module+laptop. With only Ketron SD40 being a viable choice as the arranger module...

Just a small correction as regards my interest in the Studiologic. I am not looking for a cheap MIDI controller but rather for a budget replacement/addition in the field of piano sounds. At present I have the PA800 and ketron SD1plus as well as the old Yamaha P80 stage piano. The latter has (for me ) a phenomenal keyboard action and strangely the sound thru my simple small Creative T10 speakers is also impressive. Unfortunately once you start recording the sound it loses out big time. I have just finished completing a full CD only playing the Yamaha P80 ( as a beginner really as I set out to play the piano in 2015) and am pleased with the result though in all fairness the result would have been better of course had I been able to record all that with the high end pianos mentioned in this thread. By the time I can afford to splash out a wack of money for a decent stage piano I will definitely bear in mind the Roland RD2000, as well as the Yamahas such as the CP40 and CP4 and of course the Nord.
Incidentally I just uploaded my piano CD for a friend of mine so if any are you are curious what a beginner at the age of 65 with a piano with a sample memory of 13 Mb ( yes megabyte!!!) can sound like, feel free. ( CD covers with content included):

https://wetransfer.com/downloads/2dcb416...14091542/5ed5fd

regards,
John Smies

My guess for the best of both worlds would be the FP90 with a BK7M module or maybe module from Kentron. If you need more editing, midi zones, etc then the 2000 with a module would be a great setup.
I agree that when the manufactuers come up with a hybrid they don't put the best they have in the keyboards.

its a good setup for sure... however, the bk7m is getting old soundwise compared to for example the Ketron SD40

The FP90, is less suited as a midi controller then the Roland RD2000... and people seem to forget about the Montage 8, that can do anything the RD2000 can but also comes with a huge amount of other realtime performance tools..

however even tough the Montage 8 has superb action, it still falls short of the Roland action..

I recently bought a Yamaha P-255 stage piano, and I LOVE it. It's mostly for the dueling Piano Shows, but I like having it in my studio for quick inspiration. There's a WAY cool app that lets you customize it well beyond the panel limitations, and the on board speakers are fantastic. It's manageable for transit (38lbs), has dedicated line outs, and aux in, plus a usb music player. On board drums are limited (10 patterns) but useable, and 3 LH bass options - all great.
I played everything out there before settling on this one. The Kawai ES100 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft47x20F9cg was a close second, but had a wimpy sound and lighter, less accurate key feel.
The Yamaha P-115 was really nice, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxDsTNbK2HE, and a little lighter, but the key feel and sound system were lacking. Also misses the app connection and music player.
The Roland FP30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDjokwNhu4c was also in the running, but based on key touch, sound system, and versatility - I went with the higher end piece.
The $500-!500 pianos all seem to have noisy keys to me - the P255 has the quietest ones, which is important if you record vocals and pianos at the same time. My mic picks up all the key noise, so I wanted minimal sound.
Just more thoughts for your think tank!

BK7 had all the lead sounds I wanted. Very good guitars, horns, organs, sax and drums. Piano o.k.
I liked it a lot, but too much plugging in and setting up, with laptop, controller keyboard, external screen, vocalizer, mixer all essential to what I was doing.

[video:youtube]https://youtu.be/kZ7mC4eoaX0[/video]