Members Redfearn73 Posted September 27, 2005 Members Share Posted September 27, 2005 Hi, I'm a piano/organ player who plays mainly at home but have gigged on request with other peoples equipment. I now need a cheapish giggable keyboard setup. I have a Technics PR603 which is obviously not giggable and I'm acquiring a Farfisa Compact soon. Ideally I would like some basic direction, knowing absolutely nothing about synths or keyboard options. Primarily, I need a good piano sound and action, with good organ sounds, with the possibility of adding a sustain pedal paramount. I'd also like to get into playing around with synth sounds and stuff, but I have no idea what I'd be doing or anything or how I would go about starting it. What setup would you guys recommend given my situation. I am going to sell my technics which might get something like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GigMan Posted September 27, 2005 Members Share Posted September 27, 2005 Check out a used Yamaha S90 - here it is new for $1,695 USD: http://www.8thstreet.com/product.asp?ProductCode=8240&Category=Synthesizers ...but I'll bet on the used market they are now coming down towards $1,200 or even $1,100 USD. Don't confuse it w/the brand new model, the S90ES - which goes for about $2,100 USD new. The S90/S90ES has the excellent piano sounds you're looking for, as well as strings, brass, organs & electronic synth sounds too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Redfearn73 Posted September 28, 2005 Author Members Share Posted September 28, 2005 Thanks for the suggestion, it seems to be the sort of thing I'm after. The reviews on harmony-central don't seem to be too flattering about the piano sounds though. Are there any good alternatives around or is the Yamama the one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GigMan Posted September 28, 2005 Members Share Posted September 28, 2005 Originally posted by Redfearn73 Thanks for the suggestion, it seems to be the sort of thing I'm after. The reviews on harmony-central don't seem to be too flattering about the piano sounds though. Are there any good alternatives around or is the Yamama the one? Yes - Check out the Roland RD700SX: http://www.americanmusical.com/item--i-ROL-RD700SX-FRS.html ...which is designed as a digital piano but does have additional sounds as well, just like the Yamaha S90. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bunyip99 Posted October 7, 2005 Members Share Posted October 7, 2005 hi there - I just stumbled on Harmony Central site - looks like useful info/forums - so I joined up... about getting a keyboard - I've had a few over the many years. there are really 2 major factors - (1) find an action and size that you love, and (2) look for sounds & features that you really want . (1) Action/size - if you're used to playing real pianos (eg if you learnt classical for years), then it's very hard to get used to the light/fast touch of most modern keyboards. There are some great progressive weighted hammer action units around but they tend to be expensive and fewer sounds - they concentrate on piano sounds + EP/Organs, plus a few others. I've had Yamahas, but I find them too stiff/heavy. Personally I like Rolands - but its purely a personal thing. On the other hand if you grew up on synths or home keyboards you will find it very hard to get used to "proper" piano action. If you like the light/fast touch keyboards then there are more choices around - and most of them cheaper. The other thing is number of keys. Most synths have 61, but if you are a pianist at heart - then you will quickly get frustrated if you don't get 76 or 88 keys to start with - especially if you're doing solo work. So the first step is - find an action and size that you feel real comfortable with and suits your style. After you do that then you worry about the sounds and features you want. You said that you want good piano sounds & action - I have never been happy with the poor attempts to digitise piano sounds. I got a Roland RD700SX 'cause it's the closest thing to the real harmonics & sympathetic resonance of a real piano. Lots of great piano/EP sounds, plus I can drop in a couple of SRX boards in the back for extra sounds. A cheaper option is the RD300SX but you don't get the expandability (which you may or may not need) and the action is not as clean as the 700. But the 300 is around 8 kilos lighter (20 pounds) - which is a real bonus on the road... The S90 range has good sounds + features, but I find the action too stiff. On the Rolands you can adjust the touch which is great. With all that's around these days, don't get side-tracked with all sorts of features you won't need. - like after-touch, rhythm kits, brass or guitar sounds, or hundreds of synth pads - they sound dinky and you'll never need them anyway. No machine does everything well - but they all try. Find a machine that is great at what you really want - and ignore all the fancy extras. If you really want great lead synth sounds - forget the keyboard ones and get a V-Synth or Moog. If you really want a rhythm box get a Boss Dr Rhythm. You'll never get everything in one box - you'll never be happy with the compromises and you'll just end up trading up soon anyway. So spend a few hours at a music shop and start at the low end first. Then you'll find most things on ebay at 20-30% off - even new ones. anyway - time for another wine - good luck... :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Redfearn73 Posted October 14, 2005 Author Members Share Posted October 14, 2005 Thanks for your replies, but regrettably, it looks as if my Technics is worth less than I thought. Looking at around the Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xman911 Posted October 14, 2005 Members Share Posted October 14, 2005 You might find these one for a fair price on ebay. Yamaha P120 http://www.sonicstate.com/synth/yamaha_p120.cfm Korg sp200 http://www.zzounds.com/item--KORSP200 Yamaha P120 Yamaha P90 Yamaha P60 Roland FP2 Roland FP5 Roland RD170 Roland RD300SX Roland RD700SX Yamaha DGX-505 Casio PX-300 M-Audio ProKeys88 Do a little search, and you might find a post like this: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1054534&highlight=piano Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillyWa Posted October 14, 2005 Members Share Posted October 14, 2005 Farfisa Compact! Awesome! Reminds me, I need to get mine fixed and take it out gigging again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Redfearn73 Posted October 14, 2005 Author Members Share Posted October 14, 2005 The Farfisa Compact is indeed amazing the best thing I've ever heard or played. I've been on the lookout for a cheap Compact-Duo for ages, and there was one on ebay that went for just under Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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