Advice needed on buying keyboard

[jpowell]

Hi All,

I'm a big Wilco fan. Would like to buy a portable keyboard-something that might help me play the music of Wilco and other similar bands. Any advice is appreciated. I don't have the money to buy what Mikael and Pat may play and am not sure of what specific boards they play. Also am clueless about amps. Thanks in advance for help. John

[In a little rowboat]

Hi All,

I'm a big Wilco fan. Would like to buy a portable keyboard-something that might be something to play the music of Wilco and other similar bands. Any advice is appreciated. I don't have the money to buy what Mikael and Pat may play and am not sure of what specific boards they play. Also am clueless about amps. Thanks in advance for help. John

 

 

not an expert in this field...if portability and flexible programability are what you need, I use the MircoKorg XL, which I can highly recommend...

 

http://www.korg.com/product.aspx?pd=545

 

In regard to amps, do you mean for a keyboard? If so, you want clean headroom with some stereo/DI apps, but my advice would be to focus on the keyboard choice first, as you can always go direct in to the board with keys and sound good...

[Moss]

I'm actually in the same boat as well, looking for a good keyboard that can get all the sounds I want and I know nothing about keyboards. I have had people recommend the Yamaha Motif series pretty highly. They are a bit pricey but they do seem pretty versatile. Probably more than I need though. The other question is do I go with 88 keys? 72 keys? Less? I have really just started looking so it would be great to get some input.

[ginandcigarettes]

The first thing to do is figure out how much money you're willing to spend and then what you want to sound like and what features you want.

 

I'm guessing that since you're looking to sound like Wilco you're going to want piano, some electric pianos, and some organ and synth (but really, not much synth). Really, a good piano sound will get you through most of Wilco's keyboard catalog. Casio, M-Audio, and Yamaha make some decent piano-centric keyboards in the $500-$900 range, but they won't have much of the other sounds (but they probably will have enough that will do fine in a pinch). I neglected to mention that these are hammer-action keyboards so they will feel like a piano -- that may or may not be your thing.

 

The Nord Electro 2 is a fine choice that has a really good Rhodes EP, a pretty good Wurlitzer, great Clavinet, and excellent Hammond organ. The stock piano is truly awful, but they might have a better version now. You can find a used one for $900-$1000. The Nord Electro 3 is really outstanding and (apparently) has a much better piano, but you'll be spending $2000 new for that guy. These have semi-weighted keys so they feel slightly heavier than a synthesizer, but they're nowhere near a piano. I pretty good compromise since you'd be playing piano and organ from it.

 

Also check out the Nord Stage if money is no object and the Korg SV-1, which is the Stage's cheaper (but not as versatile) competitor. I haven't played the Nord Stage in a while, but I remember being impressed with its piano and electric piano and less impressed with its synths. The SV-1 has great pianos and EPs, but its organ section is not so hot.

 

As far as amps, I have a Motion Sound KT-80 and I love it but I don't have a lot of experience with other amps except for older Roland amps that I generally despise. The KT-80 are really uncolored and they have three inputs and a mic input, a tube channel, and an XLR out so you don't need to mic the amp. I actually really love this aspect (though it might be more standard on keyboard amps now, it's been a while since I investigated what's out there), since you can set the amp up for yourself so you have a monitor, and let the sound guy deal with the audience. I personally hate going straight into the board because I can never hear myself. I think the KM-12 has replaced the KT-80 and it looks to lack the tube channel. That sucks.

 

Also, JBL EON powered speakers are really nice and uncolored. I think Pat Sansone uses a pair for monitors. You're going to spend a little over $500 for either of these amps.

 

Anyway, let us know more about what you're looking for and what you're willing to spend and we'll see if we can help out.

 

Cheers!

[Moss]

Hope you don't mind me jumping on your question and getting some answers for myself! Personally I'm willing to spend as much as needed to get the keyboard that does everything I want but I don't want to spend any more than I need to. Features I would like to see:

 

1. Good Piano sound

2. Good Hammond organ type song

3. Different sounds ( the Cure, The Cars).

 

What about if our band wants to cover "Won't get fooled again" or something like that? Do most keyboards have that sequencer type capability?

[jpowell]

Wow, I'm thankful for your reply, Out of Tune, although somewhat overwhelmed (I have only bought one keyboard in my life-1981 Casio) but definitely want 72 to 88 keys, a piano "feel," and some various sounds that might be give me a little variety to the basic piano sound. I'm probably only looking to spend 500 to 600 dollars on the keyboard, and then finding an amp to go with it. I'm basically just looking to find some people to play with, so I don't expect to be on a stage soon although something I could set up for an open mic night that is respectable sounding would be nice. I'll keep reading on and appreciate any other advice posted here by others. I also like The Cure and The Cars! John

[KramkonG]

Awww...I thought it was going to say "Advice on buying a keytar." Damn.

 

[ginandcigarettes]

1. Good Piano sound

2. Good Hammond organ type song

3. Different sounds ( the Cure, The Cars).

 

What about if our band wants to cover "Won't get fooled again" or something like that? Do most keyboards have that sequencer type capability?

 

Any of the workstations will get you a lot of good sounds (Yamaha Motif, Korg Triton, Kurzweil PC3X, whatever the hell Roland makes). I tend to like Yamaha and to a lesser extent Kurzweil for pianos. None of their hammond organs will fool anyone if it was solo'ed in a track, but they can all do a decent enough job in-the-mix.

 

I think all of these workstations will also have a sequencer, but that's really not what "Won't get fooled again" is (unless you just wanted to have the keyboard play the part for you). I think it's two sine waves (one an octave higher) with a tremolo effect (probably done by syncing the synth's amp section to one of its low-frequency oscillators) -- i think that's right; it's been a long time since I programmed a synth. Anyway, all workstations should be able to do this. And you could probably do a good job of this on a Nord Electro or Stage (which are not workstations and have fewer sounds, though the sounds they have might be better) just by pulling out the 8' and the 4' drawbar on the Hammond section and adding tremolo with the depth set all the way up.

 

Wow, I'm thankful for your reply, Out of Tune, although somewhat overwhelmed (I have only bought one keyboard in my life-1981 Casio) but definitely want 72 to 88 keys, a piano "feel," and some various sounds that might be give me a little variety to the basic piano sound. I'm probably only looking to spend 500 to 600 dollars on the keyboard, and then finding an amp to go with it.

 

Is Out of Tune me? Oh well, I'll take the credit even if I don't deserve it. Definitely check out the Casio CDP series and the Yamaha P85. They'll both set you back around $400 to $500 and they're pretty darn good for the price. If you're looking at keyboards online, remember that only HAMMER ACTION keys feel like a piano. They might say that they have weighted keys or soft touch or piano-like, but none of those feel like a piano. If you want to play something that feels like a piano, make sure it says it has hammer action.

[jpowell]

Any of the workstations will get you a lot of good sounds (Yamaha Motif, Korg Triton, Kurzweil PC3X, whatever the hell Roland makes). I tend to like Yamaha and to a lesser extent Kurzweil for pianos. None of their hammond organs will fool anyone if it was solo'ed in a track, but they can all do a decent enough job in-the-mix.

 

I think all of these workstations will also have a sequencer, but that's really not what "Won't get fooled again" is (unless you just wanted to have the keyboard play the part for you). I think it's two sine waves (one an octave higher) with a tremolo effect (probably done by syncing the synth's amp section to one of its low-frequency oscillators) -- i think that's right; it's been a long time since I programmed a synth. Anyway, all workstations should be able to do this. And you could probably do a good job of this on a Nord Electro or Stage (which are not workstations and have fewer sounds, though the sounds they have might be better) just by pulling out the 8' and the 4' drawbar on the Hammond section and adding tremolo with the depth set all the way up.

 

 

 

Is Out of Tune me? Oh well, I'll take the credit even if I don't deserve it. Definitely check out the Casio CDP series and the Yamaha P85. They'll both set you back around $400 to $500 and they're pretty darn good for the price. If you're looking at keyboards online, remember that only HAMMER ACTION keys feel like a piano. They might say that they have weighted keys or soft touch or piano-like, but none of those feel like a piano. If you want to play something that feels like a piano, make sure it says it has hammer action.

Yea, thanks for the info G and C....it just seems like such a big decision and then get it and not be happy with it.

[Moss]

So I went to guitar center to start the process of keyboard shopping. I think I'm even more confused. I was pretty much set on thinking I needed a big workstation type keyboard like the Yamaha Motif but now I'm not so sure. I don't really plan to use the keyboard to write entire music pieces, like layering drums, and multiple tracks of keyboard.

 

I'm now leaning towards something more like the Korg X-50:

 

 

Even the microkorg's seemed like they had an amazing sound:

 

 

Basically I'm even more unsure of what I want now.

[Moss]

Still searching for the right keyboard. Someone recommended a Yamaha CP5 to me. Anybody have experience with those?

[mahinty]

I can't tell you much about Yamahas, and those fancy workstations, but I can tell you that I never regretted buying a Nord.

 

They are incredibly playable and intuitive - they may be digital but they have a great feel. In your search, do not underestimate simplicity. The Nord's dedicated knobs and buttons were a breath of fresh air when they first came on the market. For too long keyboards were all about soft buttons and menus - and some of today's Workstations are still like that.

 

Korg's SV1 is similar to the Nord Electro, and looks cool and has a good piano sound:

 

 

 

 

 

See here for an earlier Nord chatter:

 

http://forums.viachi...-nord-keyboard/

[Synthesizer Patel]

Still searching for the right keyboard. Someone recommended a Yamaha CP5 to me. Anybody have experience with those?

 

If people are suggesting you spend $1000 or something, have you ever just thought about buying a few vintage things for the same price? a Honher Pianet T for electric piano (people claim they were used by Led Zeppelin etc... which is not quite true of that model, but they are still vintage sounding and a cheaper version of a Fender Rhodes/Wurlitzer) a reasonably good Combo Organ, a good chord organ, a harmonium etc... you could probably get all those together for $1000 if you search around, and although you won't have a real 'piano sound' as such - at least you'll have real instuments with distinct sounds to play with. just an idea.

[Moss]

If people are suggesting you spend $1000 or something, have you ever just thought about buying a few vintage things for the same price? a Honher Pianet T for electric piano (people claim they were used by Led Zeppelin etc... which is not quite true of that model, but they are still vintage sounding and a cheaper version of a Fender Rhodes/Wurlitzer) a reasonably good Combo Organ, a good chord organ, a harmonium etc... you could probably get all those together for $1000 if you search around, and although you won't have a real 'piano sound' as such - at least you'll have real instuments with distinct sounds to play with. just an idea.

 

Interesting idea. I do kind of want an all in 1 unit that I could bring to gigs but would not rule out a used or vintage set up. I have been checking out pictures of keyboardists I like to see what they use (like Supergrass, Band of Horses, etc...) but it seems to be such a hodge podge it just gets me more confused.

[GtrPlyr]

I have a Korg M1 that I got in the early 90s that is still great, but was thinking of getting another keyboard to add to the arsenal. I'm looking for one with realistic sounding B3, piano, horn and string patches as well as a good selection of other instrument patches. Anyone have any recommendations?