| LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Keyboard suggestions | |
| dudsy -- 04/18/2007, 19:44:29 -- #34604 | |
| Hey everyone I'm planning to buy a new keyboard......basically I play in a soul/funk/rnb band and I'm looking for a new one as my yamaha p120 just doens't cut it ne more....here are some of the things that i am looking for - 88 keys, weighted keys - some nice rhodes or E.P sounds - some nice organ, hammond sounds - different grand piano options - clavi, wurlitzer...... - strings basically i want a good keyboard.....something to fit this the band i am in......and something to do the job any suggestions??? i played one of the yamaha motifs last week (forgot which model tho) but i was pretty happy with that.... dudsy | |
| Jazz+ -- 04/18/2007, 20:36:18 -- #34604 | |
| I sold all my digital pianos and I like my new 33 pound Roland FP4 ($1015) digital piano best for gigging. The weighted action is really fast, the key return is very quick. The piano sound has a bright resonance so it doesn't sound muffled live like all my other digital pianos did. I use a pair of 500 watt 35 pound EV SXa360 powered speakers ($929 each) SOLD: Yamaha P250, P120, P90, Kawai ES4, Kurzweil PC2X, PC88, MicroPiano. | |
| Jazz+ -- 04/18/2007, 20:39:08 -- #34604 | |
| I also sold my Motif, I did not like that piano sound. The S90ES piano sound is not bad, but I don't hear it having very bright overtones when playing live and therefore it sounds muffled to me. My favorite is the RD-700SX but it's a lot heavier than my FP4 and I like the speed of the FP4 action. | |
| jaledin -- 04/18/2007, 22:43:03 -- #34604 | |
| I'm not following you -- you want *all* those sounds in one keyboard? Part of me would say, seriously, good luck. If you don't care about the action -- weighted keys -- just grab an Electro 73. In fact, I'm picking one up (for the second time!) to cover Wurlitzer/Rhodes/Clav/Hammond -- but I'm using a second weighted board to play piano/lower manual on. You won't get strings or anything with the Electro, howeve. I don't know that you can get the top quality sounds you want except with a workstation or running a Motif rack or similar to a controller (which should probably have better piano sounds). If you have $3000, the Nord Stage might work for you -- I don't know your level of investment or ability in Hammond or electric piano sounds, which may be a deal-breaker if you want a more authentic action for any of those sounds. | |
| Jazz+ -- 04/18/2007, 23:35:25 -- #34604 | |
| The Electro action is not designed for playing piano and Rhodes on, it's an organ action. The organ is also its best sound. The Electro pianos leave a lot to be desired. Don't get a Motif for jazz, instead try eother the Roland digital pianos (RD-700SX, FP4 or FP7) or the Yamaha S90ES. | |
| mstore -- 04/19/2007, 00:57:38 -- #34604 | |
| Get a Clavia Nord Stage. The best rhodes sounds , the best piano and wurlitzer sounds ever... and the action feels great. We just got one to our school. The upright pianosound is also very good. The effects are also very good and very easy to use. Check it out. http://www.clavia.se/products/nord%20stage/default.asp | |
| knotty -- 04/19/2007, 09:08:36 -- #34604 | |
| In a different price range. You might want to try the Yahama YPG or DGX 620 (I think I have this right). They carry this at Guitar Center or Costco if you want to try it. Maybe not good for stage, but it has most of what you're asking for, at a low price. http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D65229%252526CTID%25253D205200,00.html | |
| Scot -- 04/19/2007, 09:55:55 -- #34604 | |
| I've heard poor things from pianists trying to use the Electro for gigs. I love my Yamaha S90es, the Motif ES is great too if you want an S90es with a built in sequencer. | |
| Jazz+ -- 04/19/2007, 10:00:32 -- #34604 | |
| I had a Nord Stage for one week and got rid of it. It's not the best Rhodes sound available anymore (SRX-12 is). I agree the Nord organ sound is quite good. The piano is clangy and boxy sounding, IMO. | |
| jaledin -- 04/19/2007, 13:06:35 -- #34604 | |
| I've heard similar things about the Nord Stage's acoustic piano sound -- I haven't heard that it outright sucks, like the Electro's acoustic piano, but just that it isn't the best. You could get an Electro Rack -- organs, Wurlitzer, Rhodes, Clavinet and play it on whichever board you want. I'd only use the Electro's piano sounds MIDIed to a weighted board -- it's okay for simple chords, though, like the kinds of things might be played on a real Wurlitzer piano. I think the Electro's electric pianos are plenty good enough for me, when played on a piano-action board, but I could see someone preferring something else. | |
| savage -- 04/19/2007, 14:06:20 -- #34604 | |
| Hey Jazz+, how good are the piano and rhodes sounds of the FP-4 compared to SRX-11 and SRX-12? | |
| jaledin -- 04/19/2007, 17:18:58 -- #34604 | |
| There's a guy at the Keyboard Magazine forum (musicplayer.com) who put up an A/B test of the SRX-12 Rhodes versus the Scarbee. I had no idea the Rhodes could sound so sweet from hardware. I have no difficulty believing that the SRX Rhodes smokes pretty much anything out there. Wow. | |
| pphilip -- 04/20/2007, 04:44:01 -- #34604 | |
| I have the Electro 73 and all of the sounds are pretty authentic except for the acoustic piano sound. So I put it on top of my old Yamaha pf85. That way I have a piano sound available at all times. Also, the Electro is perfect by itself if you have to play bass all night in a keyboard, guitar/sax and drums trio setting. | |
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