I have been playing piano for nearly two years. After a year playing my wife's piano, which is in the same room as the television, I wanted something that I could practice on in my studio. When my old master controller gave up the ghost, I knew that I needed something that could also fill that role.

My studio is a cramped spare bedroom, so size was a consideration. The MP5 was one of the few digital pianos that would fit. After reading reviews on the various options (Casio, Yamaha, Korg), and trying out those that were available in local showrooms, I knew that the MP5 was the one for me.

As a piano, it sounds very nice and at least as realistic as any of the other digital pianos I tried independent of price. As with any digital piano, it is not quite the same as playing an acoustic piano. In the seven or eight months that I have owned it, though, Kawai has released a few firmware updates to close that gap even more. .

The feel is good. The action lends itself to expressive playing. Again, it is not quite a real piano. I suspect that, as far as digital pianos go, you would need to move to something like the MP8 with its wooden keys. Within its price range, though, the MP5 is great.

As a master controller, the only feature I wanted that the MP5 lacks is aftertouch. Configuration of up to four zones is trivial. Each zone can either drive an internal sound module or an external MIDI device. The controls make it simple to adjust things on the fly and encourage experimentation.

Build quality. This feels like a well-built piano. The majority of the body is metal. The knobs and sliders feel sturdy. The wooden endcaps lend a sense of quality and sturdiness.

The keys, while plastic, feel substantial and solidly connected to the action. Initially I would sometimes feel/hear two keys rubbing together when I hit them at an angle, but I have not noticed this for a few months now. Either I am a better player now or the keyboard needed to break in.

The one area where the build quality could be improved is in the bottom. The rest of the piano feels very solid and finished, but the bottom is some sort of particle board. My MP5 sits in my studio on a reasonably sturdy platform stand, so it is unlikely to take a spill. If you are taking this on the road, though, this may be a concern.

While there are a few areas that I might change, this is a great digital piano and master controller and probably the best within this price range.

Heres the deal. I'm a jazz and funk player. I went to school for Classical and Jazz. I have a Hammond Xk-2, nord electro, korg sp100, etc..the list goes on. I own a lot of keyboards so you can take my comments seriously. now...This particular keyboard has great touch. Just wonderful to play piano on and the action is very nice. As with all weighted keyboards you need to try them out as everyone likes different feels. I took a risk and bought it based on other reviews and haven't been let down. BUY if...you want it for Piano..a GOOD piano Don't buy if...you are using it for an organ, synth, whatever else. Its called a Stage Piano for a reason. ITS A STAGE PIANO! Thats why i graded it lower in value. I highly recommend if you are a classical/jazz/rock pianist that needs a superb sounding grand. The variations of the piano sounds are great too. I would recommend this to others for sure. not to mention, it looks pretty on stage.

Firstly, I'm comparing the Kawai MP5 to my experiences with the Yamaha S90ES, Yamaha P120, and Kurzweil SP76

I got this piano 2 weeks ago, and I am very satisfied with it. The design is very simple, intended as a stage piano, but Kawai added a lot of features that surpass normal stage piano functions.

I'm very surprised that this piano doesn't more attention. It is amazing. The action is very good, just slightly lighter than I'm used to. The keyboard sounds are very good and very tweakable with the EQ and tone editor. They sound much better than the Kurzweil sounds I've had, and the difference between it and the Yamaha's are a matter of personal taste.

And I don't think you can beat the features in this price range. Very high (192) polyphony, 256 sounds that you can layer over 4 channels. A very powerful and flexible keyboard. The interface is also very intuitive. The buttons even light up so you can see them in the dark.

The only thing that doesn't give this a perfect 5 is that some of the sliders don't feel as solid as they could be, but I haven't had any issues so far.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who plays mainly piano sounds and would like to mix in some new sounds to their playing.

Ok, I have had this keyboard for about three weeks now and I must say that I cannot stop playing it. I was very skeptical about purchasing this item because none of the local music stores carried them so there was no way for me to sample one. I tried Roland, Korg, and Yamaha, and this Keyboard beats them all hands down. The tones can be changed on the fly if you want to tweak them, however the onboard samples are simply ridiculous. The Pianos are the best for classical music, but I find that the Mellow Piano Patch works best for me for Gospel Music. The EPs are also great, when you play the Classic EP 1, you will swear that you are playing a real Fender Rhodes 73. There is also a leslie switch out there for all of you organ players, and the organs are also great. The Horns, strings, drum kits are all tremendous. One of the best things about this keyboard it that you can layer 4 sounds at once very easily. I normally layer a Piano and Strings in the right hand and put a bass in the left hand and with the 192 note polyphony, you never hear a note drop! Man if someone stole this keyboard I would buy one the next day without hesitation. Try one for yourself and you will see what I mean...Kawai Great Job, You have come leap years from the old K1 Models.