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Suggestions on Piano and Organ gigging KB?


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Hi All

 

I am in the market for a new keyboard as I've outgrown my Casio Privia PX-320.

 

Wondering if it is realistic to find a great piano (with weighted keys) and also with great organ sounds in one KB that is easier to drag around and won't break the bank.

 

Budget approx 1500-2000 USD. I understand there will inevitably be compromises at that price point, e.g. playing organ with weighted keys, that's OK I am more of a piano guy.

 

Don't need fancy workstation or arranger/composer - just great preset sounds, ideally spanning the classics (Rhodes, Wurly, Hammond, Vox, Farfisa, Clavinet).

 

Or maybe better to get separate KBs for piano and organ? Drawbars, pedals nice but don't necessarily have to have.

 

Also appreciate any advice as to how to go about buying one - I'm sure you need to bang away on them and listen to truly test them but few showrooms have a great selection.

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

BobbyG

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I really like my Kurzweil SP6 and its slightly below your budget. Great presets has the K3B organ engine. At your budget you could move up to PC4. Another possibility would be the 73 Key Korg Grandstage.

Boards: Kurzweil SP-6, Roland FA-08, VR-09, DeepMind 12

Modules: Korg Radias, Roland D-05, Bk7-m & Sonic Cell

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I see there is a "like new, open box" Nord Electro 5 HP for $1900 on ebay. That seems to fit the bill if you can live with 73 keys. (Electro 6 is closer to 3k).

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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I really like my Kurzweil SP6 and its slightly below your budget. Great presets has the K3B organ engine. At your budget you could move up to PC4. Another possibility would be the 73 Key Korg Grandstage.

 

+1. I"m still watching the market for a better combination board in a sub-40 pound package. I use both AP and B3 and am fairly happy with both, although I use the CP4 for piano-centric gigs because of its better action. I"m not willing to trade up to a PC4 because the extra functionality isn"t worth the extra dough. If I could get a board like the CP4 with a good B3 emulation I would jump.

 

CA93, MODX8, YC88, K8.2
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Secondhand Nord Stage Classic or EX? Decent hammer action with high-trigger for organ.

 

Personally, I'd probably look for two boards - say a Roland VR09 over an 88 controller (keep your Casio perhaps?), giving you actions optimi[sz]ed for either piano or organ. Or add a non-hammer 61-key controller to the Kurzweil SP6 or PC4.

 

Cheers, Mike.

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I agree... new Kurzweil SP6/PC4 or used Nord. In terms of Nords you might find in your price range, the models with the piano actions that are better than average for organ would be Nord Stage, Stage EX or Stage 2 in either the 76 or 88 key versions, or Nord Stage 2EX 88, but they are in the 36 to 41 lb range. Models with lesser action but lighter overall travel weight would be the Nord Stage 2EX 76 and Electro 3HP, 4HP, or 5HP.

 

Or for a 2-keyboard rig, you could keep your Casio and add a Numa Organ 2 (organ only), Crumar Mojo 61 (organ and EPs/Clav), or Roland VR-09 (wide range of sounds, organ still very good but not quite in the league of the Numa/Crumar).

 

If you have an iPad (or Mac/Win laptop or Windows tablet you're willing to gig with), you can also use that as a sound source, to fill in any gaps you may have. You could even add sounds to your current Casio that way, though a keyboard with more MIDI functionality would be preferable.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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How about a module? Pick the keyboard of your choice and add a Roland VK8M or a Viscount Legend module. Small footprint and could hookup to your keyboard in one minute. I sometimes use my Voce V5+/Ventilator with my Kurzweil PC3. Hook up is fast, small foot print. Opens up the door for more k/b choices.

57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn

Delaware Dave

Exit93band

 

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Or for a 2-keyboard rig, you could keep your Casio and add a Numa Organ 2 (organ only), Crumar Mojo 61 (organ and EPs/Clav), or Roland VR-09 (wide range of sounds, organ still very good but not quite in the league of the Numa/Crumar).
Or Yamaha YC61 (wide range of sounds, quality and capability unknown - also price).

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

 

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How about pairing a Yamaha Reface YC with a good weighted AP?
That addresses

great organ sounds
(for a given value of "great"), but not

great piano (with weighted keys)
I think the PX320 would make a good controller. Although you'll struggle to find a hammer-action 88 that's

easier to drag around
.than the Casio. The Nord HPs are in that weight bracket, and offer good organ+pianos, but the TP100 action is (subjectively, but popularly) considered much worse than Casio's.

 

Cheers, Mike.

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Even just for organ, from the little I've heard and seen, I think the YC61 seems a lot better than the Reface YC.

 

I've never played a Casio in the PX-x20 series, I don't know what its action is like. I liked the actions in the older Privias (PX-x00, PX-x10) and disliked the action that followed (PX-x30) which I found comparable to the worst of the TP100s. Then the Privia actions got a lot better again... though I still prefer the oldest ones.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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