Dave Keys

Looks good, although I don't tend to use a mixer live as the Kronos has one built in, or I can use the inputs on the YC73 for a basic 2 board setup. Would love our band leader to get a proper mixer like this for the band (but with more sliders) so we can go full IEM and stop spending more time than is necessary soundchecking monitor inputs.

These are all time contextual but here goes: Roland U20 - yes it's a rompler, but it was 1992, I was 18, broke, and never had a board before then that made authentic Piano and string sounds. I traded in 3 analog synths to get one. Korg Kronos 2 61 - the swiss army knife of boards. Yamaha YC73 - a real players instrument. Casio CT S500 - a joy - no wires, no amps. Just pick up and play - the sounds are awesome, the action v playable.

Hey Reeze. I live in Birmingham so may come up and see you on 27th April if I don’t get a gig myself. Glad you got sorted for an A800. I just bought a board from Thomann in Germany and there was no import duty to pay or additional delivery into the UK if it’s over £149. They take care of it all for you and the price you see is the price you pay

The main thing with heavy boards is that if you put your back out, it becomes academic as you wont be playing any gigs! I realised this last year so sold the RD700nx and Gator Slim hard case combo (86lbs/39kg) for a CP88 and soft case combo at 51lbs/23kg.

Also a lovely board, but I don’t think I’d have got one for £235, even second hand.

For gigs it’s the YC73 on the bottom, and the Swiss Army knife of boards, the Kronos 2 61 on top. I’ve got vintage synths too, and for my TV writing, shedloads of soft synths, but there’s little or no time for tweaking these days.

Holy crikey - you weren't kidding about the Casio CT-S500 Scott. How Casio are able to build a board with such a playable action, functionality, quality of tone, not to mention surprisingly high build quality, for £235 delivered is incredible. Just what I've been looking for. I am having to revise my view of Casio as a brand. At this price point, they rule the roost. The search is over, and many thanks to you and others for your helpful input. Keyboard Corner at its best!

I think the RD 88 is an excellent board, but this RD 08 sounds like a cynical product of the accounting department, rather than being musician inspired as it ought. A board I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole. Life brings enough overheads without adding costs on top.

Well, Scott has got me pretty excited about the CT-S500 which arrives in the next day or two. The new GoKeys 5 looks interesting, but as has been pointed out, it sounds like the same action. Maybe my local Fairdeal or PMT will have one in for me to try out.

Of course. If I said the Nord Electro HP 73 had a dreadful action, would that preclude you from bringing one in for evaluation, or would you simply take that advice into account and see for yourself? Many are happy with the Electro, just as many here are happy with the Go:Keys. It just wasn’t for me.

Yes, I saw the S 1000 V but it’s overkill for my requirements, and I agree with you, the red areas don’t look good. I prefer the more minimalist look of the S 500.

Well, I've decided to send back the Go:Keys. It's another board I so wanted to like, but it has a ludicrously over the top initial resistance to the keys that is not even present on my 6'6 Grand Piano, let alone the CP or YC. It's a board that fights you when you try to play it; a gatekeeper action, if you like. And of course, the speakers don't do the sounds justice. But then, what do I expect for just over £200... I was going to hang onto it and compare it side by side with the CT-S500 when it arrives, but there's no point. My mind is drifting on to going a little pricier with a CK61, but with a YC and CP already in situ, what would I gain, other than portability and speakers?

CK61 does sound appealing, although I’ve already got the YC73 and CP88. Do none of the other pro manufacturers like Roland or Korg produce a similar board with speakers - of a similar quality?

Well, I've got the Roland Go:Keys on evaluation, and have ordered the Casio CT-S500 for evaluation also. My first impression of the Go:Keys - I love the form factor, and it could well become a design classic. Don't laugh - nobody foresaw the VL-tone's collectability. That said, I can see exactly what critics of the board mean. I'm not too sure about the action, and agree it's far too firm, but I can understand why they've done this. Action is a deal breaker, and I got rid of a Nord Electro 5 73HP for this very reason. Could I get used to it? Not sure. Sounds are great, but too many of the features are hidden beneath menus. As for accompaniment backings. Not massively impressed. If I ever needed backings, it would be swing beats, latin and rock. There's 1 latin beat that I could make use of. Speakers - rather muffled and middly. I used the bluetooth to play 'Anyone Out There' by Duran Duran (my go to track for testing speakers). After hearing how highly spoken of the S500 is, I'm looking forward to testing it out side by side the Go:Keys.

I've ordered the Go: Keys from Amazon for evaluation and would do the same with the CT-s500 but it's not in stock at the mo.