Source
r/Music•
fdat

Please help an aspiring keyboardist buy the right gear

Thanks ahead guys and gals, I'll try to be brief.

I used to play drums but am most interested in playing piano and hopefully writing some songs. I have a cheap keyboard (think Best Buy, $100) that just sounds way too tinny and weak. I'm ready to spend up to $1500 on a setup.

So... what should I get? New vs used is not that important to me. I like Blues and Rock primarily, but hope to play all kinds of music. I'd like something that can be transported but at the same time I like the idea of a nice digital piano like this one The action and the quality of the basic sounds are more important to me than a zillion features, but if it does the simple things well AND has a zillion features there's nothing wrong with that.

One further note: I would be happy now to get a quality keyboard for basic playability and sound and then later on but a nice whiz-bang gizmo for sampling, recording to computer, special effects, etc. Or buy both now if the total comes in around $1500.

Please put me on the right path to becoming a full-fledged keyboardist. Really anxious to hear what you think, thanks!

Posted Jul 21, 2010, 2:20 AM UTC

06
samferrara•

I have a Nord Stage EX88. It's got pianos- uprights, grands, electric grands, different rhodes pianos, wurlitzer, clavs, harpsichords, organs with adjustable drawbars, and synths. All of these are re-arrangeable. They constantly create new sampled pianos and put them on their website for free download. When I bought my keyboard, the pianos were a little weak, and then they released a string resonance feature, which simulates the tiny resonance and vibration of the strings inside the piano. For instance, if you play a C, the Cb and C# "strings" will "resonate". The 88 is out of your price range, but they make a 72 and (I think) 67 key version which are cheaper. There's also the Nord Piano, which is a trimmed down, no-organs, no-synth version of the Stage and Stage EX. I've always been happy with it, and the ability to update is GREAT. Check out the Nord website. "Clavia Nord"

3
fdatOP•

Thank you, very helpful!

1
Kingsox•

The Nord Lead series of keyboards are good. You should also consider posting this question in the We Are The Music Makers Reddit

3
fdatOP•

Thanks! Someone else recommended Nord too.

1
lolstebbo•

I have a Yamaha NP-30. The keys aren't weighted (but they still have pretty smooth action), but they are graded (lower keys have slightly more resistance than higher keys). It's 12 pounds, can run on AA batteries, and it even has MIDI (meaning with a MIDI to USB cable, you can plug it into your computer). Also, being a Yamaha and part of their digital piano lineup and not their keyboard lineup, it's got few sound samples but they sound great. It cost me, like, USD300, I think.

Although, for $1500 you can easily get something far better, but that'd be my budget-friendly-yet-good-quality recommendation. Hell, a bunch of my friends bought the NP-30 after trying mine.

2
doctorfunknasty•

A digital piano is always awesome, but if you want a wide arrange of sounds, and the ability to tweak them, get a synth. I love my micro korg.

2
fdatOP•

Yeah I think it's really important to me to get a good 'live acoustic' sound. I'm scared of spending big on a synth that sounds good in the store (where they all will sound nice and look shiny, etc) and then later being unhappy. I guess the key is bringing a friend with a good ear and trying out ALL the keyboards on display... but I appreciate the cred given here for Nord and Korg.

1