Crumar Seven: Four Year Retrospective Review

[@joshgodwin275]

Just found this channel, about to get my hands on one of these this week. I've seen all your other reviews on it and it was great to stumble across this one uploaded right on time! Thank you man its good to see an update

[@jpshawcross]

Oh sweet! I hope you enjoy your keyboard!

[@Edwardball]

Hi James, thanks for the great video. I have mentioned this before, I'm torn between the Crumar and the Legend 70's. I have a retailer that I can go and play a 70's but not the Crumar. The problem is I want good EP and good piano, and I feel with looking around the Crumar is great for EP and the 70's is great for piano. I do know the Crumar has had an upgrade in piano sounds, have you tried them and do you think they get close to the 70's? Also are the actions the same? Big thanks for your advice in advance.

[@samib9256]

I've watched your Pianoforever review of the Crumar Seven so many times for years, absolutely lusting over that keyboard and have never gotten it lol. Very nice to have a retrospective review, and nice to see your face with a beard. Hope you're doing well James!

[@jpshawcross]

Thank you!! It’s a great instrument overall, you should get one someday!

[@jtc1947]

Hi JAMES! Great to see You BACK! BE WELL / SAFE / COMFORTABLE

[@jpshawcross]

Thank you! It’s good to be back!

[@jtc1947]

@@jpshawcross The beard will take a bit of getting used to! SEE YOU SOON!

[@troublesomecorsair]

I think the Yamaha CK88 can apply its internal effects to an external sound Maybe the 61-key version would sit well with the Seven.

[@jpshawcross]

@@troublesomecorsair Two more reasons for me to get a CK61… 🫣

[@YvesPecqueur]

Content de vous revoir !! 🙂🙂 (peut-être rééquilibrer le volume de votre voix/volume de l'instrument !! 🙂)

[@jpshawcross]

Thank you!! Will fix that for next time!

[@DerekJones-j4m]

Awesome video James! Quick question - I noticed a lot of the keyboards you reviewed years ago are still available and have not been replaced by a successor such as this one, the CP88, the MP11SE, etc. why do you think these stage piano companies aren’t releasing new products as much as they used to? Is there not much more to innovate on or do they get lazy/overly comfortable with current sales? Thanks so much!

[@jpshawcross]

Such a good question! Might do some more research and make a whole video response to this question, but here are my initial thoughts. We have been in the “iterative improvement” stage of digital pianos for years now. The MP11SE was, arguably, little more than an iterative improvement over the original MP11. It had a few new and genuinely improved patches, a (slightly) different action, and a subtle aesthetic refresh. I believe Yamaha P125 has been replaced by at least one if not several iterative “new models” that changed almost nothing from the P125 besides aesthetic refreshes - but I need to do more research to confirm my suspicions. Even the Crumar Seven has been replaced by the Seventeen, which has an aesthetic refresh and a few “new” patches which have been available for years. It is becoming harder and harder to “innovate” in the digital piano market at this stage, and only time will tell how these products will evolve in the future.

[@gregprince4601]

Welcome back! Would love to hear your gigs. You're kinder than i would be about sound cutting out, i take it it's not common to the device?

[@jpshawcross]

@@gregprince4601 I do not know if the sound cutting out is common to Crumar Sevens in general or not. Given that it only happens once every few months for about 5-10 seconds, and there’s really not much I can do about it, I feel it’s not necessary to drag the instrument over the coals for it. If it stops being a rare intermittent bug, I’ll really start getting upset. I play it almost daily and rarely have the issue.

[@markb6544]

Hello James, after not seeing anything substantial from you in a few years on your excellent Pianoforever channel, I'm happy to see you're still about. I know life and circumstances change, but you seem slightly uncomfortable mate, I sincerely hope all is well. I'm aware of your admiration for the Kawai ES110, and the ES120 (which I'm considering) looks to address the minor niggles of its predecessor. If ever you get the chance to try it, please do let us know.

[@jpshawcross]

My local music stores do not have Kawai keyboards, but I’ll keep my eye out for an ES-120!

[@markb6544]

It definitely seems an upgrade to the previous model. The speakers have been increased almost 50%, to 20w; the UI has been improved; and the key bed has received additional cushioning to reduce noise. Hopefully that last upgrade hasn't negatively impacted the exquisite action. I forgot to ask earlier... I've been suffering with pain after prolonged practice sessions in my shoulders/top of my back. Do I need to adjust my positioning, or could it simply be due to long play periods?

[@jpshawcross]

@ Interesting! I remember the last time Kawai upgraded the speakers in one of their keyboards that I reviewed, I was not impressed, but now I’m really curious to see an ES120 and play it! I would suggest you examine both your posture and tension, both of which could cause pain. I'd suggest getting a tall mirror (Walmart has cheap ones if you don’t have a standing mirror already) and placing it to one side of the piano bench, so you can see your entire body, and observing your posture as you play. You don’t want to be hunched over or slouching, which can cause pain over time. While you’re playing, also try to relax your shoulders. Don't let them raise up, let them rest naturally and at ease. Hope this helps!

[@markb6544]

Excellent advice, James, thank you. I was actually surprised to notice how tense my shoulders would become during play. Relaxing them doesn't seem to come naturally to me, but at least now I know the likely cause of my aches and will work on letting them rest naturally. One more quick question for you: is the Kawai ES110 a significant upgrade over the likes of the Donner DEP-20 and Inovus i88? I was just curious if the Kawai was a night and day difference to the cheapest 88 key, fully weighted, digital pianos, or more of a subtle improvement. Thank you for your time.

[@jpshawcross]

@ I think you will find the biggest differences between name-brand budget keyboards and off-brand budget keyboards will be the sounds and the action. Especially with the action, it's a night and day difference. The Kawai ES110's action is probably my favorite in this price bracket, and while the Donner wouldn’t be described as “bad”, I would consider it “inferior” for sure. And the sounds on the cheaper keyboards pale in comparison to their name-brand counterparts.

[@develleMusic]

Hey James, how has the action been with practicing classical over the years as opposed to a CP88 or MP11SE? Does the action hold up with classical music or should one go elsewhere when focusing strictly on classical? Thanks!

[@jpshawcross]

@@develleMusic If your primary focus is classical and nothing else, I would actually not recommend the Crumar Seven. It will do classical, yes, and it’s been my main practicing rig for years, but it’s not for everyone, especially those with a strong focus on classical. The response from the action is less predictable and controllable than that of a real piano, or even a good digital piano like the MP11SE. This is fine for the sorts of instruments the Seven models, which would not have had a refined action, and the Seven’s action lends itself well to the playing styles of said electric pianos. But for classical, it can make the subtle nuances very difficult to portray. Also, the acoustic piano patches on the Crumar Seven are dog water. I believe they have downloadable patches on the website that are better, but I never bothered to install them. I just play Beethoven on the Rhodes patch instead. Oh, and it’s only 73 keys. You need 88 for serious classical music.

[@develleMusic]

thank you!

[@coralwinslow8831]

Would you place the Seven over the Viscount Legend 70's after getting to use them for a while?

[@jpshawcross]

The Viscount Legend 70's is the only product on the market that comes close to what the Crumar Seven can offer. I really like both keyboards, and honestly they have their pros and cons. The Seven has the insanely good Rhodes, DX7, CP80, and Clavinet patch, while the Legend has an incredibly accurate Wurlitzer piano patch, as well as much better acoustic piano sounds and more sounds in general. The portability of the Seven is also superior to that of the Legend - the latter does not turn into a suitcase as far as I know, you need a separate hard or soft case for it. The modular aspect of the Legend is cool but seems to mostly be a gimmick rather than the industry-changing revolution Viscount marketed it as. For my use? I'd choose the Crumar Seven. But I wouldn't discourage anyone from choosing the Legend 70's, it's also a great instrument. Which one is right for you mostly depends on your playing style and preferred sound.

[@Edwardball]

@@jpshawcross Hi James, I thought I would come in on this thread. I'm torn between the Crumar and the Legend 70's.I have a retailer that I can go and play a 70's but not the Crumar. The problem is I want good EP and good piano, and I feel with looking around the Crumar is great for EP and the 70's is great for piano. I do know the Crumar has had an upgrade in piano sounds, have you tried them and do they get close to the 70's? Also are the actions the same? Big thanks for your advice.

[@troublesomecorsair]

@@Edwardball I remember the Crumar Seven's action was the same model as what is used in the Viscount Legend '70s Compact and possibly the 88-key version also but I haven't played either. I have played the Viscount Artist-W which is vastly superior to the Crumar Seven, imo, though it took a little while to get used to.

[@Edwardball]

@@troublesomecorsair thanks for the info!

[@adamjacksonmedia]

Please return to KZbin. If you do... I will post my own videos every week.

[@jpshawcross]

I’m working on returning… it’ll still be a while until I’m outputting videos on a regular schedule, got a few in the works though!