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Another keyboard recommendation soliciation


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I'm still looking around the Keyboard Corner at the musicplayers.com forum, but maybe a few folks here can help too...

 

Here's the goal: $500-1000 price range, something with decent acoustic piano and a B3-ish organ (bells and whistles like leslie sim, drawbars, etc... are nice but not required), weighted or semi-weighter keys preferred, at least 61 keys. Other cool voices are always nice, but sequencers, MIDI, or advances synthesizer stuff probably wouldn't get used much.

 

FWIW, the people at the Keyboard Corner seem to like the Casio Priva series, but aside from a decent piano, I have no idea if it has a passable organ (not looking for a pipe organ..)

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I have a Casio Privia and for what you're looking for it's perfect. Doesn't have that many different sounds but it's just the basics. Has two organ sounds "Pipe Organ" and "Perc Organ" both are cool. The weighted keys makes it play and feel exactly like a piano. Sounds great plugged into a PA or just with the speakers on it. MIDI function is really nice too.

Edited by Kalle
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I've been thinking of picking up a new keyboard myself recently, I have a realtively cheap Casio CTK-700, I'm finally getting good enough at it, that I feel comfortable going out and getting something a little better. I've heard a lot of good things about the Casio Priva as well.

 

--Mike

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You have a bunch of options, most of them involve buying used.

 

(1) Nord Electro -- Used, you could snag one for around $1000 or just over. I hate the piano sound that comes with the 2.0 OS but apparently the 3.0 OS has a much improved piano sound (I cannot verify this myself as I've not played it). Buy it used, upgrade it (for free) and go. Bonus! Among the top B-3 clones plus excellent EPs (really, you get this and you're set pretty much for life, this item is an many professional's rigs including our own Mikael Jorgensen's). Downside: I hate the feel of the keys -- too light for EPs, too heavy for organ -- other people don't mind this or like it, go with your taste. I used to have one, so I can answer questions if you like.

 

(2) Casio Privia -- New, $400 - $600 depending on model. Then you have $400 - $600 to spend on a rack module for organ/miscellaneous sounds. You can probably pick up the E-mu B-3 rack module used (they don't make them anymore) for around $400 or another rack module in the Proteus 2000 line and snag the B-3 ROM for a hundred or so (be careful, E-mu has a habit of naming wildly different versions the exact same thing, so make sure the ROM that you get will work for the rack that you get). Bonus! Depending on the rack module you get, you'll snag other sounds (maybe mellotron and synths so you can sound just like Wilco, which is my dream -- don't steal it). Downside: the Privia is great with the famous caveat FOR THE MONEY. It only has a single layer (the soft sound is the same as the loud sound only, um, softer) and the action is not my favorite. Eventually, you'll want better. Also, the E-mu B-3 module or ROM sounds pretty good, but any decent clonewheel will smoke it. You can't set the drawbars you just select from (an admittedly very large) collection of presets. The Leslie sim is not so much as sim as much as a crossfade between the slow and fast Leslie sounds. I have this loaded in my E-mu Vintage Keys, so, again, I can answer questions if you like.

 

(3) Same as above, but substitute a used Roland VK-8M clonewheel module for the E-mu module. This will run you more, but you might be happier with the degree to which you can tweak the organ sound. Bonus! Overall the Roland is a better clone (though not as good as the Nord IMHO), plus you get drawbars and a decent Leslie sim (though not as good as the Nord or, my favorite, the Korg CX-3). If you're happy with the Roland, you'll be happy for a while. Downside: Um, you just spent a lot of money, G. I don't have the Roland, though I've messed around on one plenty at stores.

 

My personal preference is to focus on one thing. Get a piano, love it, get the organ later when you have the cash. That way, you're not stuck with gear that doesn't improve as you improve. (I think Jon Brion has a Privia but I've only seen him touch it once.) Have you considered Yamaha's P90, P120, or P140? None of these will fool anyone with their organ sims, but they have really good, expressive grand pianos, with an action that, if you like it (it's really heavy and some people hate it), will make you a more expressive player (I really like it). They're all triple-strike pianos (the pianissimo sound is a different sample than the mezzoforte sound is a different sample than the fortissimo sound) which adds up to a more realistic sound. The P140 is out of your price range but it the newest. I've not spent a lot of time with it. The P90 is in your price range and the P120 might be if you find it used (I think it it was replaced with the P140). Bonus! The P120 has an excellent Rhodes sound (I don't like the P90's Rhodes).

 

Ah, choices.

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Thanks guys.

 

It's not actually for me, it's for my GF who probably isn't as much as a gear slut as me. I'd find a way to get the Electro, but even used I haven't seen them cheaper than $1200.

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Thanks guys.

 

It's not actually for me, it's for my GF who probably isn't as much as a gear slut as me. I'd find a way to get the Electro, but even used I haven't seen them cheaper than $1200.

 

So you don't love her an additional $200 worth? For shame.

 

Hmmm... What type of music does she play? If it's straight rock and pop the Privia would do well (and you can buy yourself another guitar with the money you saved -- note that this is how I got into massive amounts of debt). If you add classical or solo piano, the Yamaha P90 would be a better choice (as it is a more expressive instrument). The action is wildly different in these machines and since that is such a matter of personal preference, you might just have to drag her to a music store for some surreptitious research.

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So you don't love her an additional $200 worth? For shame.

 

Hmmm... What type of music does she play? If it's straight rock and pop the Privia would do well (and you can buy yourself another guitar with the money you saved -- note that this is how I got into massive amounts of debt). If you add classical or solo piano, the Yamaha P90 would be a better choice (as it is a more expressive instrument). The action is wildly different in these machines and since that is such a matter of personal preference, you might just have to drag her to a music store for some surreptitious research.

 

No, it's her money, not mine.

 

I think we're going to try out some Pivias and see whether they fit the bill (pop/rock - Wilco and more). I'm hoping she'll hold out for the Nord, but we'll see :)

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So you don't love her enough to buy it for her? For shame.

 

BTW, why is Trey playing a LP Gold Top w/ P90s?

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Because they didn't have sunburst Tele Customs with Bigsbys? (That makes me a sad panda.)

 

I thought he used custom made hollowbodies form Languadoc?

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I thought he used custom made hollowbodies form Languadoc?

 

Yeah, but I use a Tele Custom (and apparently look a lot like Trey when done in South Park caricature).

 

This might be a more fitting avatar for me:

 

750620475_l.jpg

Edited by ginandcigarettes
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Yeah, but I use a Tele Custom (and apparently look a lot like Trey when done in South Park caricature).

 

This might be a more fitting avatar for me:

 

750620475_l.jpg

 

Now I know why you know so much about keyboards, Mikal Jorgenson ;)

 

(PS - did you make that avatar yourself? That's pretty good)

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Downside: the Privia is great with the famous caveat FOR THE MONEY. It only has a single layer (the soft sound is the same as the loud sound only, um, softer)

 

I've now found out that this is incorrect. It turns out that the PX 110 and PX 310 both have triple strikes (three separate samples -- soft, medium, and loud) for their piano sounds) and the PX 100, PX 300, PX 400R, and, well, the other Privia-esque ones, I suppose, have a dual strike. Whether this adds up to a noticibly better performance, I dunno, as I only have played on the 400 (to my ear, in a noisy music store I could not discern a second sample but this shows you what I know). I should probably stop guessing what the right answer is and start checking my facts. I blame the liberal media.

 

Cheers

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I've now found out that this is incorrect. It turns out that the PX 110 and PX 310 both have triple strikes (three separate samples -- soft, medium, and loud) for their piano sounds) and the PX 100, PX 300, PX 400R, and, well, the other Privia-esque ones, I suppose, have a dual strike. Whether this adds up to a noticibly better performance, I dunno, as I only have played on the 400 (to my ear, in a noisy music store I could not discern a second sample but this shows you what I know). I should probably stop guessing what the right answer is and start checking my facts. I blame the liberal media.

 

Cheers

 

Cool thanks - my guess is that these will have workable piano sounds, I'm more concerned about the organs...

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Yeah, but I use a Tele Custom (and apparently look a lot like Trey when done in South Park caricature).

 

This might be a more fitting avatar for me:

 

750620475_l.jpg

 

 

look what you made me do

 

10hk0mb.jpg

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look what you made me do

 

10hk0mb.jpg

Bwahahahahaha

 

If I had been drinking milk it would be coming out my nose right now. They all look like who they are supposed to look like, but Pat is earily similar. I think it's the hair. Or that he really is just a real life cartoon character. You should post that on another topic that, you know, is seen by more people than you and me.

 

And, by the way, I didn't make you do anything that you didn't already want to do.

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  • 4 weeks later...
I've now found out that this is incorrect. It turns out that the PX 110 and PX 310 both have triple strikes (three separate samples -- soft, medium, and loud) for their piano sounds) and the PX 100, PX 300, PX 400R, and, well, the other Privia-esque ones, I suppose, have a dual strike. Whether this adds up to a noticibly better performance, I dunno, as I only have played on the 400 (to my ear, in a noisy music store I could not discern a second sample but this shows you what I know). I should probably stop guessing what the right answer is and start checking my facts. I blame the liberal media.

 

Cheers

 

Just an update: she went with the Privia 555R. Good piece of equipment for the price. The "drawbar organ" patches really need a rotary speaker sim though....

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