I have just bought a MOX8 (sight unseen) and I am a little stunned at just how poor the action is! I ordered without trying it, having had good experiences with Yamaha’s in the past, but I find this almost unplayable (literally).

Mine has a very loud ‘thud’ noise when you play and the keys have a very shallow depth when pressed.

Have I just struck a bad one is is this a case of you get what you pay for?

thanks Tony

Tony,

My experience with the MOX8 keyboard is that it is fine. It is almost the same as my NORD stage 88 and similar or better than other keyboards I have owned. It is a compromised graded hammer to allow synthesizer organ and piano to all be played on the one keyboard - so I guess it is fair to say that you could not expect a piano feel from it.

gfullick - 14 January 2012 07:43 PM

It is a compromised graded hammer to allow synthesizer organ and piano to all be played on the one keyboard

I don’t believe that’s the case… it really isn’t notably better for synth/organ than most other weighted actions (and they don’t make any such claim about it on their web site or any place I’ve ever seen). I think the compromise in the design is to keep cost and weight down, that’s all. Though those are good goals too!

Thanks for the replies…

I think for general playing the action is probably fine but for piano i think it loses a lot of detail.

I actually am not a fan of the Nord actions either, in fact I had to do a gig on one of the new “Nord Piano” boards and I would say that was the worst feeling action I have ever played - i described it as ‘trying to play a waterbed’ !

My previous keyboard was an s90es which to me has the perfect action...so i guess it was a lot to expect the MOX to compete with this given the savings in weight.

I am selling the MOX....its not for me.

tony8028 - 14 January 2012 08:38 PM

I actually am not a fan of the Nord actions either, in fact I had to do a gig on one of the new “Nord Piano” boards and I would say that was the worst feeling action I have ever played - i described it as ‘trying to play a waterbed’ !

My previous keyboard was an s90es which to me has the perfect action...so i guess it was a lot to expect the MOX to compete with this given the savings in weight.

I am selling the MOX....its not for me.

A lot of this is really subjective. I happen to like the Nord Piano action, and I don’t like the CP33/P155 action which I think is the same as the S90ES… though I think the CP1 and CP5 actions are excellent.

An S90XS (or S70XS) will basically gives you MOX sounds and S90ES key feel, I think. Or you could get a Motif Rack XS and drive it from any 88 you like. Or you could get a MOX6, drive its piano sounds from whatever 88 you like, and use its own light action for synth/organ, which, if you don’t already have other boards, might be the least expensive way to get the best of all worlds.

Certainly anotherscott is correct, all preferences for actions are going to be subjective.

tony8028, the difference between the S90 and MOX8 actions is the former has a Balanced Hammer action, and the later a Graded Hammer action.  The Balanced Hammer action, which you seem to prefer, is a weighted hammmer action that is UNIFORM across the keyboard; all keys are weighted the same.  The Graded Hammer action, as the name implies, has GRADED amounts of key weight across the keyboard, heavier at the bass end, gradually lighter towards the treble end.  This is how an accoustic piano action is built, which is what the Graded Hammer action is trying to emulate.  If you are not used to the heavier feel on the low notes, it probably does feel like hitting a waterbed.  Personally, I have always loved the Yamaha Graded Hammer action, but I have been a life-long piano player.  And, this is very subjective....

cmayhle - 14 January 2012 09:47 PM

the later a Graded Hammer action.  The Balanced Hammer action, which you seem to prefer, is a weighted hammmer action that is UNIFORM across the keyboard; all keys are weighted the same.  The Graded Hammer action, as the name implies, has GRADED amounts of key weight across the keyboard, heavier at the bass end, gradually lighter towards the treble end. 

While what you say is true, the gradedness is not the only difference between the actions. They really do feel quite different. It’s not like the center section of the MOX feels like the entire S90 does and the differences are only that the bottom gets heavier and the top gets lighter. It’s been a while since I played anything in that series, but from what I remember, the entire mechanism is different and doesn’t feel the same as the MOX anywhere.

anotherscott - 14 January 2012 10:07 PM

...the gradedness is not the only different between the actions. They really do feel quite different. It’s not like the center section of the MOX feels like the entire S90 does and the differences are only that the bottom gets heavier and the top gets lighter.

That may very well be the case anotherscott, and if so the best take-away from all of this is:  Don’t buy a keyboard before first getting your hands on it!

yea, i dont really think theres much point people essentially trolling the forums saying they dont like such a basic aspect of a product that wasnt particurly hidden from them in the store.

for instance, it is probably reasonable to complain about a aspect of a piece of supporting software, or some technicality in the way u initiate / configure something inside the keyboard, because these are things that only through bringing it home, setting it up, and playing with it for ages can u really determine these things. but just playing in the store for a few hours (or even every night for a week!) u can determine whether u think the action is totally not your style or not

tony8082, can’t you just return the keyboard and get a refund?

I find the action of the MoX8 to be fine. Not great or outstanding, but fine and adequate for an allround playing experience. In fact I find the high end Yamaha end Roland stage pianos to be too heavy and not that pleasent to play. Lots of real grand pianos and upright pianos are much lighter action-wise. I’ve had a Nord stage piano with weighted action and I was very fond of the action. I only sold it because I wanted the flexibility the Mox8 offers. Lots of pro players are very fond of the Nords, so it can’t be all that bad.

remember there’s also velocity curves to adjust to your liking which can change the overall feel of the mox

if i compare the mox8 with my sl 999 pro i must say its different. the sl 990 pro is perfect for piano. the mox 8 key is for me a good compromise between piano keys and synthaction keys…

remember there’s also velocity curves to adjust to your liking which can change the overall feel of the mox

Strangely, I currently own the Nord Piano and S90ES, and now considering getting the MOX 8 as well. My local music store does not have the MOX 8 on demo but I believe the action is similar to other Yamaha DPs with GHS action.

And yes I’ve tried all DPs and workstations from Yamaha/Korg/Roland/Nord and I would say the GHS action though not the greatest, is the best given the weight and cost.

My favorite action is from the S90ES (though I don’t think it’s connected to the piano sound very well) and the Nord Piano action is perfectly usable from a practical standpoint.