Music Keyboards?

**Polyal** · 20-12-2006, 09:45 AM

Does anyone have a clue about these things?

Im still not decided on what I am going to get the GF for xmas. Ive been looking around a bit, and I think I want to get a half decent brand, maybe a Yamaha or something like that.

There base model is around the $400 mark.

She's been saying that she wants one, it better not just be a fad..LOL..she does play the piano a bit and since shes moved out has always gone on about practicing etc etc.

Anyone one in the music industry? Or know where and what I should be looking for?

Cheers

:

**Polyal** · 20-12-2006, 10:08 AM

Alright, so Ive found two that look ok.

This one:

https://www.yamahamusic.com.au/shop/...t&productid=18

Which seems to have everything, also the price is nice, but it is a bit plain looking.

Or this one

https://www.yamahamusic.com.au/shop/...ct&productid=5

It has a few more gizmo's, but nothing that I can see that would warrant the extra $100, I cant see that she would want to connect it to the PC either.

Does anyone know of any other "good" brands?

photn · 20-12-2006, 10:10 AM

could always go down to toys r us and get the 60 dollar kind lol........

but seriously, my grandparents picked up a yamaha for chrissie last year... for themselves.....goes really well.....comes with stand and everything. even has back lit keys for when your learning a song. has alot of features and what not........

**Polyal** · 20-12-2006, 10:12 AM

yeah she is pretty capable with the piano, so I dont think she needs all the gizmo's etc, I just want something that will sound good and is within my budget.

I think I know the ones you are talking about, you can get some amazing keyboards.

b2tf · 20-12-2006, 10:24 AM

Anything made by Korg is good, it's been a while since I was around them but I cant remember what sort of money they start at. Your Casio ones are really just made for kids starting out having a bit of a bash, and Yamaha is in the middle, so they wouldnt be a bad choice at all.

Just remember to haggle at purchase time because items like your power supply and the stand to hold them usually arent included in the price.

**Polyal** · 20-12-2006, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b2tf

Anything made by Korg is good, it's been a while since I was around them but I cant remember what sort of money they start at. Your Casio ones are really just made for kids starting out having a bit of a bash, and Yamaha is in the middle, so they wouldnt be a bad choice at all.

Just remember to haggle at purchase time because items like your power supply and the stand to hold them usually arent included in the price.

Which is really weird! Why wouldn't they include the power supply, rather important part I thought..LOL..And they cant be that expensive, its a pretty standard mass produced item.

But yes, thanks for the info.

Any online stores I should look at? I will go down to a store in Geelong today, but its always nice cutting the middle man out. (that sounds evil but save were you can IMO).

edit: just did a quick search on ebay, Korg must be good, very pricey. Perhaps a middle of the road brand is the way to go, I dont know how serious she is; might play it once then it will just collect dust.

Damien · 20-12-2006, 12:49 PM

Well I've been playing Keys for 13 years now, so hopefully I can help you out. My first electronic keyboard was a 61 note Casio which I played for many years, cost me about $300 plus power adaptor, plus stand, plus stool, plus whatever else you need. I then bought a Technics KN3000 electronic keyboard which was a great upgrade, but not really considered a serious Synthesiser by professional standards. I still use it though, has a great Drawbar emulator. Back in 2000 I purchased a Roland RD600 Digital Piano from Turramurra Music in Sydney (www.turramurramusic.com.au) which is full length (88 weighted keys - that is they play like a real piano, not the thin plastic ones you find on electronic keyboards).

Anyway, that's probably all double dutch to you. It will all depend on your price range but here are a few tips:
-Get something that has 'touch sensitive keys' which means that the faster you touch the key the louder the note will sound (just like a real piano)
-Get something that is General MIDI compatible so that she can eventually connect it to a computer and record performances and start to sequence different sounds together (VERY handy if she's a composer)
-As for brands I'd be looking at Casio, Yamaha and Technics. Korg and Roland do make some cheaper entry-level electronic keyboards, but you'll get more bang for your buck from Casio et al.
-Most electronic keyboards in this category don't have inbuilt power supplies and so you'll need to buy a Plug Pack (Wall Wart) power supply, usually 9volts. Some keyboards will also run on D-size batteries.
-The keys on an electronic keyboard will not feel like a piano, they are very thin, made from plastic and are MUCH lighter than a real piano. You can get digital pianos that get closer to the feel of a real piano (the Yamaha S90 is quite impressive) but you're looking at the $1200+ price range (not really appropriate for a possible 'phase' hobby)
-The more you spend on an electronic keyboard will increase the quality of the sounds it can reproduce and the feel of the keys.

I can keep going with more info, but it all depends on how much you want to spend and the specific application. Good sales on for Xmas at the moment though. Do you have an Allens Music store down in Victoria?

Cheers,

Damien

**Polyal** · 20-12-2006, 01:34 PM

Wow Damien thanks for that reply. I dont want to get anything to full on as Im not to sure how serious she is.

Ive narrowed it (so far) down to a Yamaha. Either the YPT200, YPT300 or even this one, depending on what it ends up going for, seems like a bargin at the moment.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....8107&rd=1&rd=1

Damien · 20-12-2006, 01:50 PM

If you can get that eBay one then that's the pick of the three. If you miss out on that then I'd probably just get the YPT200. The YPT300 is nice, but if she doesn't really get into it then that's $100 that you could have saved. And if she really does get into it then she'll be ready for an upgrade in 3-4 years anyway. Those prices seem to be RRP as well.

The Yamaha website doesn't list Touch Sensitive keys as a feature of either the 200 or the 300, so I'd be checking that out first. If that's a main upgrade of the 300 then that's what I'd buy for a first electronic keyboard. My first Casio wasn't touch sensitive and it made it very hard for me to get used to that feature once I upgraded, it also makes it just that much harder to then switch between a real piano and the keyboard.

Electronic Keyboards feel and play very differently to real pianos, they also sound much different. If she's already learning the piano then perhaps you should take her shopping and spoil the surprise. A musical instrument is a very personal object and I know that I would always want to play an instrument myself before I took it home.

dazAUSR · 20-12-2006, 02:00 PM

I play the piano too and if you are getting one you need enough room to stretch the fingers....enough octaves. Yamaha are a good brand, avoid the cheap sounding ones go for a better tone....and your g/f will think it's a piano.. you will get a big sloppy

: and can dance

: while she belts out a tune or two.

Damien · 20-12-2006, 04:02 PM

Speaking of octaves, that eBay keyboard states that it has 76 keys, however if the picture is accurate then it only has 61 keys (which is the standard for keyboards in this range).

dazAUSR · 20-12-2006, 04:20 PM

are you including the black keys when looking at the pic?

Damien · 21-12-2006, 09:23 AM

Yes, I am, it's only a 5 octave keyboard, 12 keys per octave plus an extra 'C' at the top = 61 keys. I know my eyes aren't in the best of shape these days, but after 13 years I think I know how many keys are on a 5 octave keyboard, hell, I own two of them!

dazAUSR · 21-12-2006, 10:20 AM

I wasn't meaning to be smart when saying had you included the black keys. Silly me forgot you have played for so long....a vague moment you could call it. Not all people include the black keys when referring to keyboard instruments because they don't understand.

:

Damien · 21-12-2006, 12:51 PM

LOL, cool, cool...no harm done.

In actual fact I started second guessing myself and actually counted the keys individually in the photo, damn they're small. I think from memory a 76 note keyboard starts on E0 and finishes on A7, but it's been ages since I've played one. Actually, 76 keys would be a nice size now that I think about it.