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Need to replace a Korg N1, any suggestions under $500?


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My N1 was stolen about a week ago and I got the insurance money so I'm shopping for a new keyboard. I know nothing about keyboards, I got lucky on the N1 and now I'm kinda stuck on getting something high quality again.

 

The musts:

 

 

I'd like to keep the audio quality similar or better than the Korg, it was really nice. The only complaint we had with the N1 was its weight, so something lighter would be nice.

 

What've you got for me?

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Hey dude. I don't know about the weight, but I can tell you that the Yamaha S80 should fit all the other requirements, I've seen them sell for less than $500 on eBay...It has 88 weighted keys with channel AT, a really cool arpeggiator with TONS of great settings, you can edit all the presets, and has (IMO) several great rock piano sounds, including acoustics, Rhodes, Wurlys, and DX7 type EPs that like I said you can edit. Good luck.

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Korg N1 is 23,8 kg.

 

Korg Triton LE 20 kg

Korg TR88 24,1 kg (about the same), but you would need some luck for the price.

Yamaha MO8 21 kg, but you will hardly get it for 500 USD. But, that would be my choice.

Yamaha Motif 8 is a heavy-weight vice-champion at 28 kg.

Roland XV-88, 26 kg. Heavy.

Roland Fantom S88 is a heavy-weight champion at 29,5 kg.

Kurzweil PC1X 23 kg

Kurzweil PC2X 23,6 kg

 

All those should satisfy must and wants, most of them are heavier than your ex-keyboard N1, but it is up to you to decide how much weight is OK for you. My pick would be Yamaha MO8, but my reasons may not be in correspondence with our needs.

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I'd be wary of anything more than 10 years old unless you know the previous user. Finding parts for older keyboards can be a challenge (especially for Alesis gear).

 

Does this keyboard have to have 88 keys?

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Finding something for under $500 with 88 keys that actually sounds good really narrows it down.

 

I'll second the Kurzweil PC2X and Yamaha S80. Both are well built with serviceable sounds and a good keybed.

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Thanks for the replies guys. Let me make it clear that I'm willing to sacrifice any of the "synthy" features for price. All the band really needs is a good grand piano sound and 88 weighted keys. Everything else is 100% unnecessary (just would be nice).

 

How about another N1?
:)

Seriously, what else can you have for 500 dollars that will sound reasonably good?


If you up your budget to 1500 then you'll have tons more options like the Yamaha MOX8, which is less than 15kg.

 

I'm thinking another N1 would be a good call. We already know how to use it and know that we like it. The only issue is finding a good one. They're kinda hard to come by.

 

I know the budget is limited, but there's no way we're dropping $1500 on a piano we use at 2 shows a year, just isn't practical.

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How about Casio Privia PX330, or similar?

 

 

A friend of mine bought a Casio Privia and they are very happy with it, especially with how incredibly light weight it is. It's in the price range you are looking for and although it doesn't have a huge variety of sounds, you could always pick up a used synth module to add more if you needed them.

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N1R > NS5R.

 

NS5R has a very noisy headphone output, and overdrive/distortion effect have some crosstalk and noise that's not there on any other AI2 synth or rack... Really weird. Not to mention that N1R has full synthesis options, where NS5R doesn't have it all (particularly aftertouch and modwheel modulation amounts. I'd gladly swap my NS5R for an N1R, but N1R is quite rare over here...

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Yeah N1R is a lot of fun and much easier to edit than NS5R. I have the N1R and had the NS5R, but haven't really felt any sonic differences and my NS5R sounded good to me on headphones, no noise at all. Maybe your particular unit has a problem, ED?

 

The Casio PX-330 is a good suggestion based on what the OP says he needs. A PX-3 would be even better.

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Yeah you definitely need the N1R. Get them while they're cheap. I got mine from Tomkeen (was it a couple years ago or last year?) for 90 dollars + shipping from Holland, which turned out to be about 150 dollars total.

Now they're going for about 200 + shipping.

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AI2 deserved a lot better representative than it's flagship 01W with only 6MB of original uncompressed AI2 waves. All other AI2 synths were based on X3 engine (compressed waves), including N1, and that's a pity. N1 might have some better A/D convertors and perhaps some other tech. improvements, but it's ancestor line starts with X3. In comparison with 01W, X3 sounds as if it comes from a metal basket.

 

AI2 had such a distinctive tone marvelously good for instruments like Vibraphone, Jazz Guitar, French Horn, Timpani, Brass, Strings with a good selection of pads. They SHOULD have made an upgrade to have a full selection of waves in best possible uncompressed wave articulation with 64 polyphony, sequencer and portamento.

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