Well, the specs are out. Must admit I am pleasantly surprised that the 88 comes in under 45lbs (20.1 kg). That’s the same as the G70 76 (and less than the 61 E80!).

Perhaps for younger, fitter guys it’s a good choice?! The pianos seem decent in the official demos, a bit less Korg-like than the PA4X. And the mention of customizable chord recognition and a reference to a mode derived from modern jazz pianists LH chord shapes might make this the go-to choice for the gigging pianist.

My only reservation would be what it always is… an 88 fully weighted action is perfect for pianos, but that’s about it. If you want to play organ or Clavinet or synths, let alone the myriad of acoustic and orchestral sounds, it’s a lot harder with a fully weighted 88.

I guess it boils down to whether you intend to play piano the vast majority of the time, or it’s just one of many sounds you’ll play. Personally, I lead on piano less than half the time, and would always go with a 76. At least with that I have the option of putting a lightweight fully weighted 88 underneath the 76 as needed. There are several well regarded 88’s that clock in around the 25lbs mark…

But yeah… if I were a current Havian user or Clavinova pro pianist arranger playing gigging musician, I’d be looking at the PA5x 88 as the current king of the hill..! 🎹😎

By a VERY wide margin!