This is sort of the same post as I put on the PSR Tutorial forum....

Last Sat. I had an experience..
I played a Kwai piano... priced at $5,000 something.

The piano had styles... really rough... Yamaha's E series could compete with the styles I heard from this keyboard.

However, the hammered action was great(I'm so new at this). I loved the hammered action.

Yamaha has (piano's/keyboards) that can do pretty well with what a weighted keyboard and an arranger can do, But Yamaha wants what I spent for my last pickup truck...$15,000.

Thoughts?

Well, if you like the feel of a real piano, get a KB with weighted keys ...
One problem I found after playing KB and not playing piano for a number of years, was that when I tried playing piano again, after a while I was developing a problem in my forearm ...

"Play what you love, Love what you play"

I allways have 2 keyboards in my setup, an 88 key piano board and a (preferably) 76 key arranger... I prefer playing weighted keys.. Espescially when it comes to piano and orchestral patches,....


And i have been dreaming from a weighted 88 key totl arranger for all my life...



Keep in mind that Kawai probably makes the best hammer action keybed, the MP7, MP11 and VPC1 are all top of the line.. Only Roland RD800 comes close when we talk about grandpiano action...

I use a Casio Privia weighted piano feel keyboard at home for practice and an unweighted BK9 for gigs. I think its important to keep your technique up with a weighted board.

Take a look at the Casio's. Great Piano and decent backing functions.

I have always played with unweighted keys, but once in a while will play on the kurzweil at church. Don't like the feel- I think it actually slows my movement down keeping fingers on the keys just a touch longer to get extra depth I perceive I need. But it's just me , and a matter of what anybody is used to.

the lighter the better for my style of playing.....

How different we are ...weighted keys improves your dynamics... most folks that play light keybeds lose the dynamics...Playing for any given time on a light bed, destroys the finger strenght you develop on weighted action..

Did you hear that Don Mason - you've lost your dynamics.

Gary

Just a side note to what Fran said. To develope technique
( yes thats includes dynamics ) you need a weighted board. Finger independence and speed come from playing weighted keys,
All serious organists practice piano also.

It's very simple....Play your PSR and record the midi data...and you will find your dynamics gone....you will have a string of 100 values( I think Yamaha only measures 100 and not 127) for velocity...that is full filtered sound...Most likely you are not even aware...You lose the key feel with light touch, and a weighted keyboard allows this touch to be manageable..
Sorry, you will lose this argument...big time

BTW: Don's SD7 is not the light touch of a PSR..

FLY LIGHT KEYS FLY.....

What Fran and Bill are saying is true, however, many people have suffered tendonitis in their forearms from playing 'piano' keys due to the added pressure needed when striking the keys ...

Good comments all.

Any suggestions for an 88 key weighted keyboard that can be midi'd to my Yamaha? Under $1,000?

Tx

With or witouth onboard sounds?
Mobile or not mobile?

You can not go wrong with most Casio's
PX5s and PX360 come to mind..
Great keyfeel and good quallity piano sounds onboard..

Unless you want to have aftertouch too..


and then there is the midi keybeds witouth sounds, you might even find a Kawai VPC1 used for just under $1000. or the Roland A88... great keyfeel but just as expensive as the Casio PX-5S.


But for a better advise, i would love more information on how you mean to use this 88 keybed..

Backous,

Tx for the response. At this point I wouldn't be gigging with the 88 keyboard. I'm new at this so I would use the board more so to develop my playing technique and perhaps recording.

I would even consider a Yamaha CVP 700 series down the line. But at this point, my abilities with a weighted keyboard are limited.

Again tx for responding.

at under $1000 you cant go wrong with Casio, they all have the same great keybed and good sound, and are quite portable...

As tou allready have an arranger, the PX-5S is a great lightweight choice... If you try hard, you should be able to find a used one for under $600

Now I am a big fan of Casio keyboards and it is good to see a confirmation for Casio keyboards from someone who seems to have a lot of experience with various music gear.

I don't mind paying top dollars for quality but not for brand names (though I'd admit that many a time a good name implies good quality, but not always and often they are over-priced because of the names) whether they are computers, sports items, or music gear.

I get all my Roland products at cost thanks to a dealer friend, but sometimes he and I do not buy certain products by Roland due to the high prices. I think Casio has "forced" other manufacturers to come out with lower priced versions of their high-end synths.

I've been enjoying playing my Casio PX-330 now ready to upgrade perhaps to the Casio PX-360 or the PX-560. Recently I played the Casio CGP 700 at the local Guitar Center. The ivory feel keyboard was real good. The action was just perfect and natural for me. It was very easy and fast to move around on the color touch screen. Many good sounds. All of that with the nice looking stand, I think for, $800? I knew, then, I can buy either PX-360 or PX560 without any hesitation.

We bought a Casio PX-5s for a church group overseas just recently. An interesting fact about the pro keyboard PX-5x. Both professional musicians and hobbyists buy them and there is tons of support. I am downloading patches to install when I make the travel next week.

Been looking around...found two interesting keyboards that might work for me, right price.

Casio Privia PX 5S and Yamaha DGX 650.

These pianos will be used only for practice for me to learn piano. The board won't be going out on gigs I don't think.

I'm sort of leaning toward the DGX 650 because it has styles, in the event I might want to mess around with that. I'd like to midi with my Tyros once in a while but I'm guessing it might be tricky as the 650 only has a USB out.

The Casio seems like a pretty good board for the money, and has midi hookups, but no styles.

What do you think?

The DGX 650 is a nice board, and I had the opportunity to try one out at the local music store.

Gary

The PX-5S in my opinion has better piano sounds, and a much better action, i disliked the DGX action..

The PX-5S is a perfect solution for putting under an arranger, as it has a lot to add in addition to an arranger. great sounds, and some really deep arpeggiator, combined with lots of controll (sliders/knobs)

If you want a PX-5S type board with arranger styles on board from Casio, you really need to look at the new PX360 and PX560(the later one releasing this month) they both have a very nice touchscreen, same keybed as the PX5s, and the same sound engine.. PX350 has probably more to offer where it comes to sounds then the PX5s...both have also more then 200 styles on board, the 560 also has an arpeggiator


The DGX 650 is soundwise and stylewise comparable to the low end yamaha arrangers of the PSR-E series, tough with some reasonable piano sounds added. the only thing where i think the 650 may outshine the casios is when it comes to flute, brass and other acoustic instrument sounds.




I hope this helps you

Bachus, Gary,

Tx for the responses, it does help.