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Are you a "flagship keyboard" type?


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Depends. I usually seem to have one in the rig. These days rigs revolve around the Kronos 2-88. That big heavy bas****.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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I have been. I currently have a Modx7 and while I love the sounds and features, I don't like the chassis, keys and especially hate the wall wart. It doesn't help that it sits above a Nord Electro which is about the same weight, but is made of metal and wood, has nicer keys (albeit waterfall so not apples to oranges) and has an internal power supply.

 

I'm considering selling both and getting a Nord stage, as much as I'm a bit leery of having only one keyboard after my Kurzweil pc3 has had issues....I just appreciate the good build quality and they still manage to keep the weight down.

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The TP/8 was not meant to be a substitute for a proper weighted hammer action. The TP/8 was meant to be a semi-weighted keybed, somewhere in between synth action and weighted action. Some like its attempt at getting there, others don't. But if your reason for not liking it is because it doesn't emulate a weighted action bed, that's not the manufacturer's intention. The TP40 line of keybeds was the attempt at emulating weighted action.

 

I simply find it uncomfortable and awkward to play, so their intention doesn't really enter into the picture for my use in particular. I understand others find it quite to their liking, and that's just fine. They're certainly welcome to it. With lighter springs I might join in the appreciation of its finer points (and indeed I'm not alone - I've seen posts from others who have replaced the springs in Kurzweil gear that shared the same action with something lighter.) My point was that what I value won't always line up with a what a manufacturer deems more premium.

Acoustic: Shigeru Kawai SK-7 ~ Breedlove C2/R

MIDI: Kurzweil Forte ~ Sequential Prophet X ~ Yamaha CP88 ~ Expressive E Osmose

Electric: Schecter Solo Custom Exotic ~ Chapman MLB1 Signature Bass

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I really hate to sound cynical (I guess my NYR lasted 36 hours :laugh:) but I wonder what I could add to the majority of these posts to explain why I just can"t justify paying up to 6 grand CDN for a flagship that will always fall short in any given category. Too many 'yeah buts!'

____________________________________
Rod

Here for the gear.

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Yes, because the 01Wfd & Triton had the breadth of sounds I was looking for, coupled with approachable sequencers. I ran outside gear from both, but it became too much of an octopus-style PITA to keep it all in sync. It gradually morphed into a lone Korg TR61 and a fistful of software synths, spearheaded by Logic Pro. My DAW became my workstation. I'm sure that's too restrictive for some, but I've wanted to neo-orchestrate above anything else, so my cockeyed software version of a Patrick Moraz rig is right on the mark.

 "I want to be an intellectual, but I don't have the brainpower.
  The absent-mindedness, I've got that licked."
        ~ John Cleese

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The first real synth I bought was a year-old floor model Roland JX-10...flag ship? I dunno; the DX7 had just landed and was all the rage. I really preferred the JX sound, 76 keys and aftertouch. My folks gave me a new Roland S-550 for my high school graduation. The 700 series were about to drop and they got it for $1500 off MSRP. The cool store let me come in and copy all of their disk library to my own disks. An 18 year old with a state of the art sampler and a strong hybrid synth...Oh MAN! I loved that rig. Did several original sound tracks for the theater department at my old high school for a few years. Probably the height of my creative output.

 

Many years later, got my hands on a second hand SY77...a former flagship...just as the Motifs and Fantoms were about to drop. Then continued to ride the clearance wave with a Korg MS2000 as Mars Music was about to go under. Did a bunch of buys and sells on eBay in its heyday. From those ventures, just as I started to gig regularly, I still have the Rhodes VK1000 and a hard gigged Yamaha EX5; both possible flagships in their day but about 5 to 10 years out of style when they joined my stable. Lucky to nab a Fantom X6 from a guy desperate for the new G. Gigged the heck out-a that thing. A couple of years later swapped it for an X7 that happened to have the audio track upgrade and both the Orchestra and Electric Piano SRX cards installed...holy CRAP! Those were cool, but again about a decade since that kit"s limelight.

 

Far from a flag ship, but I pounced on the VR09; pre-ordered at the January announcement and waited SIX, long months for delivery. Loved/hated it for 6 years before more or less replacing it with a demo, second fiddle MODX7. In between that, Behringer"s flagship is a Deep Mind 12? Some might consider it more of a tug boat with fountains, but I love it. Preordered that bad boy, too.

 

There"s my life"s keyboard journey in a nut shell. What a wonderful ride so far. Now-a-days I am liking the cheap little gadgets and gizmos, but haven"t laid down the cash for them yet. That dern Micro Freak is really tempting me, but Argon 8 keeps me yearning...neither are anything near flagships, but both seem like uber-powerful sound creation tools (toys?).

 

To bring it somewhat back to OP"s topic, I"ve had a couple of possible flagship moments, and REALY enjoy getting brand new stuff. However the mileage gained and obtained from the used and utility stuff has it own rewards, too.

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I haven't thought about this before, but yes, I've mostly gone for flagship models, but not for any conscious decision.

 

I remember my first electronic keyboard. I only knew one shop and they only sold Casio. I went in intending to buy a particular model, based off the brochure, but thought I might stretch to the next model up if I thought it was enough better to justify the price difference. I ended up coming out with the model above that again, which I think was the top of the range. it was certainly the best one that particular store had.

 

Much later it was the Roland RD1000, I think was their flagship at the time. In more recent years the PC3 and Forte, but in between I've bought lower models.

 

DigitalFakeBook Free chord/lyric display software for windows.
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Unless all you are looking for is one specific thing - like the best piano OR the best organ OR the best synth - I Dom the get the argument about a flagship being too expensive. Because even buying the best piano and best clonewheel (2 keyboards) will usually cost as much or more than any one flagship, and you still have to buy additional keyboards if you want a good VA synth, sampling, etc. When I bought my Kronos 61 I paid $2700.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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I was never a flagship model buyer, as most of these models are too heavy to carry around on a motorbike (my usual way to go to gigs) or an airplane . I always prefered smaller, lighter models: NE2, NE3, NE D4 are the ones i used the most. I always appreciate a nice Nord Stage 88 when i have it delivered to concert :) (which happens in fly in gigs) but I guess i'm too old and too lazy to carry it around myself...
Be grateful for what you've got - a Nord, a laptop and two hands
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I"m not really a flagship type, but I have an Alesis SR-16 and Casio SK-1 and WK-7600. Those are kind of flagships, but I also have an MX49 which is the lowest tier of the Motif series.
Yamaha MX49, Casio SK1/WK-7600, Korg Minilogue, Alesis SR-16, Casio CT-X3000, FL Studio, many VSTs, percussion, woodwinds, strings, and sound effects.
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I had a Yamaha S90 back when it came out, but really used it primarily as a controller. It was replaced by a Kurzweil MIDIBoard, which was eventually replaced by a VAX77. So I am more into top-of-the-line MIDI controllers, and get most of my sounds from software or a few well-placed synths. Toying with the idea of getting a Kawai MP11SE, purely for the keybed.
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I am now because:

 

- I'm old enough to afford the flagship. (i.e. house paid off, kids long out of college, etc.)

- I've lost the patience with hooking lots of cheaper stuff together to accomplish the same tasks.

- I don't let stuff collect; I've probably owned 30 keyboards/modules over the years but I try to keep my number of keyboards to 3-4 at any one time so I want those to cover as much territory as possible.

 

But there was a time when I was quite thrilled to be playing in a band with a Yamaha P90, Roland JV-1010 and an Alesis QS6.

Yamaha CK88, Arturia Keylab 61 MkII, Moog Sub 37, Yamaha U1 Upright, Casio CT-S500, Mac Logic/Mainstage, iPad Camelot, Spacestation V.3, QSC K10.2, JBL EON One Compact

www.stickmanor.com

There's a thin white line between fear and fury - Stickman

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The closest I ever came to going with what at the time may have been considered a Flagship board was when I lived in Alaska.

 

At the time I had a Kawai K8. Not a bad little board, and it worked OK. Then one day a friend of mine loaned me an Alesis Quadraverb, I connected it to the Kawai, and programmed it to change the patches through MIDI. Really brought it to life.

 

After a bit, my friend asked for the Quadraverb back. I was living in Homer AK at the time, and drove the 75 miles to Kenai to a music store called "The Music Box" with the intention of purchasing a Quadraverb for myself..

 

We were working on the transaction, when he suggested I come with him and try this brand new keyboard that he had just gotten in his store.

 

After just about 10 minutes of trying it out, I shelved the idea of the Quadraverb. We worked out payment arrangements, and I left with a brand new Korg M1.

 

This was my workhorse board for years

 

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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Depends when I am buying, what I am purchasing, my financial state and my needs at the time... so yes and no! My big buying days are over I think for gigging boards . . .but you never know!

 CP-50, YC 73,  FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122

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Back in my road warrior days, flagship would have meant an Oberheim 8 voice, Prophet V, Jupiter 8, etc. simply out of my price range playing $50 gigs. About as realistic a goal as a Synclavier or Fairlight. I guess the only flagship I ever owned was my Hammond B3.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.

-Mark Twain

 

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Flagships.. I really like this thread.

I've tended to go for flagships of recent years, simply because they have everything I need. The Kronos2 for example. It's got all the sounds I could want, and any missing sound I could sample it in or buy another library. It's virtually futurerproof.

Although it cost a lot more up front, I'm not going to need to get a 3rd board or swap it out for another, so I'm saving on the depreciation, trade in, hassle of private sale, etc. So in the long run it's probably better value than a cheaper board.

 

The lower weighted board I use isn't a flagship - in fact I swapped over the flagship RD700nx (retired it to the studio) for a Nord Electro 5 due to it being less than half the weight of the RD, and easier to gig with. It's a nice board, but it is a compromise; it's not as nice a keyboard action as the RD and there are limitations such as having fixed split points etc. Now, if Roland or anyone were to come up with an action as nice as the RD in a 73 note flagship version, that looked as good as the Nord, then maybe I would trade the Nord in for that. Maybe I should've gone flagship with that lower board after all!

 

 

 

 

 

Yamaha YC73

Korg Kronos2 61

Yamaha CP88

Roland Jupiter 8

Roland JX3P

Roland D50

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Well so much for holding to a consistent position. As of today I'm flying the Roland flag on a Fantom 6. Returned the Jupiter Xm for full credit and sold the CP73. I liked both the Jupiter and the CP. This move had nothing to do with being dissatisfied with those boards and everything to do with finding the right combination of axes that work for me in a live rig.

 

I'll write more about the Fantom in the Fantom thread. For purposes of this thread I'll just note that, for any "do it all" keyboard, 3 out of 4 is enough. The Fantom is an incredible synth even in it's current forum, and the APs are excellent. EPs are more than useable, but I believe Roland will update to Supernatural EPs. I doubt Roland will put a good enough clone engine into it, but that's ok. I can gig Fantom/Mojo or Fantom/VR09. Or for a one board solution I can outsource organ to iPhone, ipad, or module.

 

Though my bottom board is now only semi-weighted, I'm fine with that. Weighted is only essential for piano gigs, and that"s what the P121 is for.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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Though my bottom board is now only semi-weighted, I'm fine with that.

 

Are you OK with 61 keys?

 

In a band context, with a bass player, absolutely. The compromises it entails are not significant. Some folks will disagree.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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Some folks will disagree.

 

of course. This is a forum. Just wondering what your thoughts were. 30 years ago I gigged with an Ensoniq EPS 16+ as my only board and I was working 2 or 3 nights a week. I just remember you really liked the Yamah CP 73

 

:nopity:
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Some folks will disagree.

 

of course. This is a forum. Just wondering what your thoughts were. 30 years ago I gigged with an Ensoniq EPS 16+ as my only board and I was working 2 or 3 nights a week. I just remember you really liked the Yamah CP 73

 

Trying to stay in the orbit of the thread topic . . . I'm grappling with the issue of how to maximize what I can get out of a 2 keyboard rig. I do like the CP73, but it only does one thing well: pianos. The Mojo also only does one thing (at a time, since it's monotimbral) well. So it sort of came down to a choice between Mojo or CP combined with something else that does at least a couple things well. Not sure I'm explaining this well, but in any case I'm sticking with the Mojo, it's the instrument they'll have to pry from my cold dead fingers. Looking around at boards that excel at synth, APs, and EPs . . . that kinda describes something flagshippy, Settled on the Fantom. Needs to up its EP game, but the platform and hardware are fantastic.

 

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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Though my bottom board is now only semi-weighted, I'm fine with that.

 

Are you OK with 61 keys?

Yes, I'm more than fine with this. I have an octave up and down, but only use it one or two times a gig for a big ending with a low piano note.

Saves stage-space and my DMC-122 fits nice in the back of my car.

Nord Piano 5-73, Nord Stage 3
Author of QSheets: The fastest lead sheet viewer in the world that also plays Audio Files and send Program Changes!
https://qsheets.eriknie.synology.me/

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I"m not. I had then-flag Motif XF (bought 1 damn month before Kronos launched!). Travel gigs were a pain so I bought a light weight mini-motif MOXF and decided I"m just fine with it. I"m a hobbyist rocker, not a professional musician, so thats part of it. Its not the money - i could afford whatever i decided I want to afford. Its weight and size. My lack of free time prevents me from ever learning all of the extra bells and whistles of the flag ... I"m a moron at the expert level of utilization. I program just enough to be able to play the songs i need to play - usually to always not in the most elegant manner - and then i just play some songs. I play single board, nothing i do warrants a 2 or 3 board setup. My big lament of MOXF was its a 61 key and its tiny screen requires ridiculous menu diving to do simple things. I waited for Montage to down-segment and it finally did - now i ride a MODX7 and i love it. I had to get used to playing piano on a synth but that started long ago with Motif XF7 - and all of the 'compromises' that entails. As a rocker, nobody notices but I could never pull off nuanced AP music with it, but i have no nuance lol. Also still can"t pull of nuanced B3 anything due to Yamaha deficiency there. Again, i live with it.
The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it.
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Yes, but...

I own a Motif ES8, Kurz PC361, and Yammy CP4. However I bought the ES on a blowout sale right when the XS models were hitting the stores. I bought both the PC361 and the CP4 used. Both looked and played as new.

 

I just recently bought a used older Lenovo T series laptop, Lenovo's self-proclaimed flagship business laptop.

 

I like nice gear, I just don't like new gear prices. :smile:

 

I am of course grateful to you guys who have to the latest and greatest. You keep the used market viable for the rest of us. :grin:

"It is a danger to create something and risk rejection. It is a greater danger to create nothing and allow mediocrity to rule."

"You owe it to us all to get on with what you're good at." W.H. Auden

 

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At the time of purchase, the K2000VP, then K2661, then the PC2 and PC2X, then all three PC3 (61, 76, & 88) I guess were considered flagship keyboards. The SP88X, Nord Electro 3-73 (neither of which I have not, also don't have the older K series Kurzweils) would not be considered as such. Not sure where to classify the Hammond SK1-73, kind of fits in a separate clonewheel category.

MIDI controllers: the original eMu Xboard 49 and Samson Carbon 49 (neither of which I have now), and the Samson Carbon 61 and IK Multimedia Keys 37 Pro are all lower end, but accomplish my needs.

 

(The Baldwin Howard 5' 8" grand piano is definitely not a flagship, but a Bosendorfer Imperial Grand costs about as much as my home and land are worth, I'm just glad to have it anyhow).

 

Likely won't be buying more keyboards, what I have are way excessive to my needs, abilities, and ability to carry them anywhere.

 

Computer wise, I tend to buy refurbished flagship models, like the HP Z-series workstations on the Microsoft side, and the Macbook Pro models that can be user upgraded. Less money, almost the same performance.

 

Howard Grand|Hamm SK1-73|Kurz PC2|PC2X|PC3|PC3X|PC361; QSC K10's

HP DAW|Epi Les Paul & LP 5-str bass|iPad mini2

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Jim

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Nope. Depends entirely on the instrument. I am still in love with my SK1, and it wasn't a flagship when it came out. Nord Stage, yeah I tend to go big just to get it all. Roland FA 07 is not a flagship, but I dig it! I like my Sub 37 a LOT more than I liked Voyager, and I had the Voyager first. A90EX I think was a flagship. Real instruments speak to you.
Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me.
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I am practically adamant about NOT buying the latest and greatest.

 

A digital piano is still a digital piano. It's never going to actually sound like a piano string.

 

One of my favorite boards is still the Roland RD300 GX. This was right before they went " Supernatural".

 

The previous sample - Superior Grand - did a great job of emphasizing the fundaimental tone. The upper harmonic was made adjustable via an extensive touch sensitivity feature..

 

In my case, I only dial in the upper harmonic when I really am digging in.

 

I have another thread on here about older Yamahas and Rolands. I have a favorite Yamaha ( older) also. It is the P 140, which has speakers.

 

For some reason the 140 speaker system works well when a subwoofer is added. Once again, just the right harmonics come through.

 

I am all about bang for the buck and not about gear that depreciates. As noted , the Yamaha CP5 has depreciated nearly 2000 dollars since it was discontinued in 2015.

 

Buy judiciously and don't get caught up chasing a carrot on a stick.

 

 

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