Technics SX PR600

excellent touch and feel for a digital piano – In 1995 I purchased one of the first full size digital keyboards marketed in Australia. I looked at all those offered at the time.....Roland, Korg, Yamaha, Casio, Kawai. Having played a piano all my life I wanted something as near to an acoustic piano as possible in terms of sound and feel! And living in the Adelaide hills (because of altitude and humidity) could not keep an acoustic piano in tune for any length of time!

After playing everything available I settled on a Technics SX PR600 full size digital keyboard. Oh boy, was this a good choice. Although large and heavy, weighing in at 85Kgs this keyboard, even today, almost 20 years later surpasses anything else in terms of sound, touch and feel. It truly sounds, and plays, like a concert grand piano! The keys are properly weighted to give a natural feel and the sound is, of course, touch sensitive....the harder you strike the key the louder will be the response. Of course it has lots of 'bells and whistles' in terms of sounds and rhythms which I was not after in a piano, but the sound quality is as near to a good concert grand as I have heard in any other digital instrument. The only down side is it's sound output! Although rated at 40 watts per side the sound volume suffers in a noisy environment and at times I would have done anything for more sheer volume!

My concern now is that this instrument is 20 years old and nothing lasts for ever!!!! I know, sooner or later, there will come a time when I will sit at this keyboard, hit the main switch, and nothing will happen, and how I will regret that day because, this instrument (because of it's age) is not supported any more.....repairs are no longer possible and when that day comes, this piano will have to be consigned to 'landfill'.

I can't describe the joy that this piano has given over the years, both in the playing and the listening. It was worth every cent of the original purchase price....just a pity Technics are no longer marketed in this country, Panasonic produced an outstanding instrument here.