Kronos 88 portability/maneuvrability

britkeys · Post by **britkeys** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:31 pm

Hi,

Has anyone moved an 88 around much yet? I haven't seen one yet, and although I know what 23kg feels like as a dumbell in the gym (not so bad), wondered how this translates when you figure in the physical dimensions. Tried carrying it up stairs, or walked 50m with it? I usually don't use a case when transporting keys domestically, as it adds more bulk and weight, just wrap in a nice blanket to protect in the car. So am just talking about the board on it's own.

Cheers, appreciate your thoughts.

aron · Post by **aron** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:36 pm

Wow. It's basically the same weight and width as my S90ES.
That is big. It's not that it is heavy, it's just unwieldy. With a shoulder gig bag, it hurt my shoulder and back sometimes.

It may not fit many cars laying in the back seat. You will have to put it on the front seat laying down or put a seat down in the back of a car.

I love playing 88, just hate carrying it around.

drchris · Post by **drchris** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 10:27 pm

I've transported mine four times so far. I have the Gator GKPE-88-TSA case. The whole thing fits well in my Nissan Armada (of course!), but also goes just fine in my wife's Nissan Altima (rear seats folded down. It is not difficult to maneuver except for going up and down the stairs at home. The wheels are placed so that the case will not "bump" down the stairs without leaving scratches on the stairs. So, the only solution is to pick up the whole thing and carry it down the stairs. Moving it onto a stage or in and out of the vehicle is not very hard.

Remember that it may be important to place the little cardboard inserts back into the space just in front of the keys. These three little inserts came installed in your Kronos with a note to always use them when moving the keyboard. I assume that's to keep the metal rail in the front of the keyboard from impacting the keys themselves during transportation.

If you use the same case, take care to make sure that you line up the foam inserts on the top of the case to miss your joysticks so that no pressure rides on them.

Hope that helps!
Chris

DaveBoulden · Post by **DaveBoulden** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:01 pm

I regularly gig with an M3-88. I can just about manage it in a full flight case by myself. Lifting and carrying the keyboard by itself is not a problem. With the Kronos 88 being 8lbs lighter than the M3-88, I should think it'll not be difficult to move around for gigging with.

aron · Post by **aron** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 12:29 am

If you guys keep on talking like this, they will make the keyboards bigger!

I already complained to Yamaha about the S90 and Motif. Please, no bigger or heavier!

britkeys · Post by **britkeys** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:27 am

Thanks guys, food for thought!! I did have a Motif XS at one time, which i hauled into a theatre in a flight case, and had to get down a steep flight of stairs (and then dragging it back up by the little metal handle on one end). Not much fun!! I am in better shape now tho, and the K88 is 5kg lighter than XS88. ..and only 5 kg heavier than my CP33 which isn't a problem at all. Still torn between which model to get, but thanks for sharing your experiences!!

britkeys · Post by **britkeys** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:32 am

@Aron
You got a point lol! The keyboard I use for most non-theatre gigs is a casio privia 88, which weighs in at 11kg. It has an adaquate piano (plus in-built speakers), is in and out the car twice a day. I know the K88 is in a different class of keyboard entirely, but if it was this weight, I would not be hesitating!

PinkFloydDudi · Post by **PinkFloydDudi** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 5:06 pm

Stories like you are all saying is why I went with the 73. I was extremely excited to hear they were making it weighted keys (otherwise I would have gone for the 88).
Definitely hoping it is much easier to transport than my current stuff.

Subpar · Post by **Subpar** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 7:03 pm

britkeys wrote:Hi,

Has anyone moved an 88 around much yet? I haven't seen one yet, and although I know what 23kg feels like as a dumbell in the gym (not so bad), wondered how this translates when you figure in the physical dimensions. Tried carrying it up stairs, or walked 50m with it? I usually don't use a case when transporting keys domestically, as it adds more bulk and weight, just wrap in a nice blanket to protect in the car. So am just talking about the board on it's own.

Cheers, appreciate your thoughts.

I have carried mine from my studio (upstairs) to various gigs and rehearsals. I will say that its comporable to the triton in size, weight, gerth etc... (the M3 i always disassembled, and only had the 61 version of that).

That being said, for the past several years, the Fantom G8 has been my main axe, so in comparison, the Kronos 88, is WAY better to manuever.

So far the end pieces havent taken much wear and tear, but I intend to replace them with wooden ones anyway!..

FYI, I have loaded the Kronos into a van, into a truck, into trailor, and when I picked it up, into a Civic SI sedan!!! (in the box from the factory...LOL) so its pretty portable.

britkeys · Post by **britkeys** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 7:43 pm

Again thanks for the comparisons, all good to hear what others are thinking. The 73 is another tempting choice, but the pianist in me wants the full 88. I tried some classical piano on an SV1-73 and was fine mainly, but obviously the keys ran out for some pieces and I was tapping on plastic! Not a deal breaker, but another dilemma when I can only afford to buy 1 kronos. (I was thinking earlier today how K73 would be the perfect solution, but now I'm hovering again, that's how it goes!!)

Also tried midi-ing a k6 to an 88 keybed (was a FX8) and this is another option. Worked fine.

Being a pianist first, the 88 keeps calling tho.

Ideally I need all 3 models!!

aron · Post by **aron** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 7:50 pm

If you are a pianist and need this to practice and play live with full range, obviously you need an 88. If you are a gigging player that doesn't need the full range - maybe you might consider a 61 with another smaller/lighter 88 key like the Privia. That's what I am considering.

drchris · Post by **drchris** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:34 am

Another guy (M3 owner) that I play with regularly suggested the 73 to me. I really thought about it, but wanted the full 88 keys. I noticed that the difference between the 73 and 88 is just under 6 lbs. If you don't have a car that can handle the length of the 88, you may want to consider the 73. The weight didn't seem like that much difference to me, so I went with the 88. I'm not a "piano player", but I've already really appreciated having the full width of the keyboard.

britkeys · Post by **britkeys** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 9:19 am

I do only have a small car but think the 88 will fit if I put the front seat right forward. Think I would have to get it delivered rather than pick up tho, as not sure would fit boxed.

aron · Post by **aron** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:04 am

It's a real drag to have to deal with putting an 88 into the front seat. One of which is parking. You need to take the keyboard out before you park, then reverse the car out before putting the keyboard in.

I dealt with this for a couple of years.

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Kronos 88 portability/maneuvrability

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