Keyboard Recommendations?

[Mikes87]

Hey all, I'm 15 years old, have been playing piano for about 6 or 7 years now. And I really want to start up a combo with two or three of my friends. They problem is, our drummer can't transport his drums to my house or the place we're trying to practice, and I can't transport our Baby Grand Piano there! So I thought up the solution and decided to look into a keyboard. So, do you guys have any suggestions for good, dependable keyboards? Nothing too expensive, but nothing with only 44 of the 88 keys etc... I'd like it to have some good settings on it like organ and such. Well, thats about it, and now that summer is here I'll have a chance to save up my cash. Thanks,
Mikes

[Jazzophone]

We've got a Yamaha PSR-240 - I think - and it's only got about five octaves, but has a good range of synth sounds. There're like eight different organs on it, which is cool, also the general other stuff ie drumbeats, drumkit and wind synth sounds, demo songs (doubt you'll be using those, but they are good for kids who are learning). 8)

[DougR]

The big question is - How much do you care about the "Touch and Feel" of the action?.

IF this matters then you have no choice but to test as many as you can lay your hands on.

Many of the ready-made stage pianos are perfectly acceptable - look for Yamaha (P60/P80), Korg (SP100/SP300) , Roland (lots), GEM and Kurzweil.

Alternatively - consider a good midi controller board and an outboard sound module - Fatar (aka Studiologic) make some ver good boards - used in the GEM Pro series.

[kikkosound]

Mikes

Welcome to the wonderful world of keyboarding. I've been a player for 23 years, and I still don't know what keyboard is best. I do, however, have some preferences........

Kurzwiel is a great board. My PC88MMX is probably a little too expensive, even on the secondart market, but it is the bomb. BTW, try to buy used at this stage. Stores generally soak you, (Though not always.) but there are some real bargains out there for used keyboards, just like computers.

I've had really good luck with Yamahas, Rolands and Korgs, too. Make sure when you go shopping that you try it out, just like a sax!:) Something to watch for, if you are planning on playing this thing at gigs, is portability. 88 key weighted is weighty, and can break your back. (Or in my case, finger!!) sometimes for touring, a 76 semi wieghted is the way to go. It is alot easier to do Hammond organ stuff on a semi, too. (Though my Roland VK7 makes this chore easier than it was on my 88, too.)

You will need a full range type of amp/speaker, to keep up with those darned guitars.

Good Luck

[coyotesax]

kikkosound has all the right advice.....BTW, I saw a Kurzweil K1000 in mint condition on ebay for $300 the other day. I had alot of good years on mine and this Roland XV-88 I have now is only good for the studio unless you want back trouble.

[GZsound]

I'll second the advice you are getting here. You also need to decide if you want a piano type feel, which adds to the expense and the weight, or do you want a synth with good piano sounds?

For most rock and roll band stuff, a synth will give you more sounds and better portability. I would stay away from "consumer" type keyboards with built in speakers, auto rhythm, etc. The are not designed for the rigors of the road.

When I started playing keys, I decided to get a good sounding synth with a controller so I can add rack synths later.

I have an Alesis QS6 which has good sounds..piano, organs, strings, etc. and is easy to transport (61 keys), and I use it to control two EMU rack units for additional layered sounds.

The QS6.2 retails for $600 and is well worth the money. IMHO

You will need a keyboard amp or run it direct into the PA, in which case you need a good monitor speaker.

[Vortex]

The Korg Triton is essentially the standard of keyboards, a lot of professionals use them. The one I'd personally recommend is the Yamaha Motif 8, which has to be one of the top 3 keyboards on the market. It's a bit pricey, but for how much is packed into such an awesome kb it's well worth it. I've been playing mine for almost a year and STILL have barely scraped the surface of its potential. You can practically do anything with this keyboard.

[OnyxSax]

I have a Motif 6 (61 keys), and now that they have come out with the Motif ES, the prices of the "classic" Motifs have come down considerably. Motif 6s can be had for around $1000 these days. Like Vortex says, there is so much stuff packed into these keyboards that they are well worth the price.

Another way to go if price is really serious consideration is the Roland RS-5. It has 61 keys, but it's a decent no-nonsense keyboard for a reasonable price.

[ThomasK]

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[Rahspeak]

for about $600 you could get a Casio Privia PX-300 abd get 88 weighted keys, over 100 sounds and MIDI capabilities. that's what I'm talkin' about!