If I was a big name, all of my stuff would be custom...

[Sundown]

If I was a well-paid top performer (professional), I wouldn't have any off-the-shelf keyboards. Everything in my arsenal would have some level of customization, be it a different paint job, wood end-cheeks, a special bender/mod wheel, etc.

 

Of all of the instruments on stage, it seems like keyboards are the most likely to be stock. Perhaps they are the most tedious to customize, or there just aren't many aftermarket accessories like there are for guitars.

 

There are some good custom jobs in this forum (Matestubb's clonewheel takes the cake), and I would definitely follow his lead if this were my living.

 

 

[WesG]

Custom keyboards are much harder to get right than custom guitars. Like orders of magnitude. And the number of techs doing work like Moe's is VERY VERY small. I think guys like Ken Rich have pretty much all the business they want.

 

[ElmerJFudd]

Nice!

 

So where to start... hmm..

 

Operating System: Mac / Win / Linux / iOS / Android / Other

 

VST/AU Host: Main Stage / Cantabile / Other

 

Feedback: LED / LCD ... Touch Screen

 

Controls: Knobs / Faders / After Touch / Switches / Mod Wheel / Pitch Wheel / Mouse / Track Ball / Joy Stick / Other

 

Case Construction: Wood / Plastic / Aluminum / Graphite / Other

 

Action Sourced From: Fatar / Yamaha / Kawai / Roland / Other

 

Action Size: 25 / 49 / 61 / 73 / 76 / 88

 

Action Type: Semi Weight Synth / Organ / Balanced Hammer / Graded Hammer

 

Key Material: Wood / Plastic / other

 

Key Color: Ebony and Ivory / Ivory and Ebony / other

 

Key Style: Lipped / Diving Board / Waterfall

 

Installed VST/AUs

 

Acoustic Pianos:

 

Electric Pianos:

 

Organ Simulation:

 

FM Synth:

 

Subtractive Synth:

 

 

 

 

[Lindaru]

37 or 49 keys with four octave range by buttons you depress for octave of choice, choice of black or neon colors which will stand out under black light or stage lighting, ADSR sliders, joy stick, three or four octave pitch slider, velocity sensitive, polyphonic capability on all patches, rhythm only patches, light weight, hard plastic carry case.

 

That will do for now.

 

 

[Josh Paxton]

I know one guy not a top-tier touring guy, but just a local working muso who has this very cool, vintage-looking board that he gets all sort of nice sounds from, which lots of people admire but no one can identify by sight.

 

It's a bog standard Nord Electro that he covered with black gaff tape.

 

And I was astonished at the number of knowledgeable people I fooled by simply covering up the Nord logo on the back of mine, and then sticking a Wurlitzer name plate over it.

 

My point: getting the results you want may not require as elaborate a job as you think.

[timwat]

I got into the gaffer's tape habit back in my church days. Some folks here have given me good-natured grief for still gaffing over every white logo on every piece of gear that makes it to a gig (including the Kronos and CP4).

 

I concur, there's something silly but very real about that "mystery keyboard" factor that people somehow elevate in their minds.

[MathOfInsects]

I gaffe my nameplates. Today--this very day--I played a gig where a guy from the next band was studying my set-up, and asked what my top board was. "Roland," I said. "OK," he said. "VR-09," I said. "Oh! I brought the same board," he said. Incredible that he didn't know until I said it, just because of the gaffing.

[CEB]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y70/CEB2/A7305E35-E05C-4BFA-B086-E1B38C4BA549_zpsm5gip6xy.jpg

[PianoMan51]

(And you'd need your own Nudie!)

http://67.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lm8jg1DK4b1qc1yc7o1_500.jpg

[Stokely]

I guess I'm confused as to why anyone would tape over the manufacturer name (?) Other than being a sponsor for another brand (if that even happens), why bother?

 

It is unfortunate that keys don't have even a little bit of the custom options of basses, guitars and drums. Though, the audience typically doesn't see much of them so having some kind of custom paint job would be a bit lost on most folks.

It's so much of the buying decision when it comes to guitars and basses at least, while we are stuck with one look per model typically (I do recall the m50 had a couple different colors, too bad I never wanted an m50 )

 

[Reezekeys]

You play guitar or bass, you're out front. Any keyboardist in a sideperson situation wanting to customize the look of their setup is doing it for themselves IMO. Go for it if it makes ya feel good I say. I wonder if anyone's gotten a gig based on what color their keyboard is? :-)

[eric]

I used to goof around with the tape and logos.

 

Back in the late '80s I had my JX-8P taped off to only show "ola" and my Juno-106 taped and used white paint so it read "land of ska" (an original song by my ska band).

 

I've used a "custom" rolling and tilting keyboard stand for the better part of 25 years, which has been a ton of fun. I have a 30' snake that give me enough room on big stages so I can roll all over the place, up to the front for a solo, turn sideways to mix it up and just have fun performing.

 

I'm in the process of building my next generation rolling stand and will post some pics and details here when it is closer to being complete.

[timwat]

I guess I'm confused as to why anyone would tape over the manufacturer name

 

Well, when I was leading the worship ministry at church, I heard more than once that the huge white logos seemed garish and out of place. After thinking about it and trying to see their point of view, I figured they had a point...and more importantly, it was easier to tape up the things than have folks in my church distracted by them.

 

So that's how it started, at least for me.

 

And Reezekeys, I would tend to agree with you...except I play in a lot of situations where I'm more than just a side person. KB players only have to be part of the back if they choose to be.

[David Emm]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y70/CEB2/A7305E35-E05C-4BFA-B086-E1B38C4BA549_zpsm5gip6xy.jpg

 

I've enjoyed Sparks for many years and even saw them live once, back when Ron toured with a real Jupiter-8. I notice that his "Ronald" synth mysteriously became a Yamaha ES 8. Their songs are often simple, but the hooks and the vocals have serious cockeyed cred. Its funny, too, like the very genuine string quartet waltz of "I'm Under The Table With Her." Here's a taste that'll either make you a fan or send you screaming.

 

Sparks

 

 

 

[David Emm]

I have misplaced brand pride and prefer to let the logo shine. However, I also richly approved when a friend pulled out a controller neatly festooned with "Futurama" stickers. Its certainly not the same as an involved airbrush job or hand-buffed wooden end-caps, but then, people that picky aren't your target observer for "Futurama" stickers.

[timwat]

I Can't Believe That You Would Fall For All the Crap In This Song:

 

[video:youtube]

 

 

[ElmerJFudd]

I guess I'm confused as to why anyone would tape over the manufacturer name (?) Other than being a sponsor for another brand (if that even happens), why bother?

 

It is unfortunate that keys don't have even a little bit of the custom options of basses, guitars and drums. Though, the audience typically doesn't see much of them so having some kind of custom paint job would be a bit lost on most folks.

It's so much of the buying decision when it comes to guitars and basses at least, while we are stuck with one look per model typically (I do recall the m50 had a couple different colors, too bad I never wanted an m50 )

 

The audience can't see the brand on my keyboard because I play with my back to the audience - because I don't want them to see my top secret tapping technique.

[Sundown]

I agree that any visual changes are for the benefit of the player, as opposed to the benefit of the audience. It would be for my own benefit.

 

I'm not against showing the brand or model. To me it's about making the instrument feel more like an instrument and less like a computer, and making it more playable. Real wood cheeks done well give an instrument a feel of craftsmanship. As for playability, I would replace any paddles or joysticks with custom wheels.

 

My dream controller would be a Roland JX-10 with wood end cheeks, a black paint job (with new silk screening for the controls), and a custom set of wheels to replace the paddle. I would love to add a set of sliders and rotary encoders, but I don't know how they could be patched into the O/S, other than treating them like outboard MIDI controllers. I would also like to experiment with wood keys on a synth action. I love wood keys with my MP11, and I'd be curious what a lighter version would feel like for a synth.

[timwat]

A few years ago, there were several thread here about just this kind of work. I know there are small one-man companies who do custom wood end caps, new silkscreening of control panels, custom lighting, etc. of synths, drum machines and the like.

 

But haven't seen any threads, links or references to these kinds of services in a really long time.

[Josh Paxton]

A few years back I had some "nonconsensual customization" done: someone turned the Nord logo into Nerd. I assume it was someone in my regular band at the time, though none of them ever copped to it. But I loved it and left it that way.

[CowboyNQ]

This is a phenomenon I was completely unaware of. But hey why not, nothing wrong with being a bit individualistic I reckon. I'm unlikely to try it myself, but if I did, it might prevent the following:

 

We played a show last weekend where the lead singer introduced me as "Korg" before the last song of the night. What a wit he is! Or half of one anyway. If he does it again I might have to steal his tambourine or hide his hair product...

 

Forgive a slight digression - international cricketers will often sand all the logos off their bats before sponsorship negotiations are finalised. There's also rumours that some slap a "brand a" logo on a "brand b" bat because they prefer the feel of "brand b" even though they're sponsored by "brand a". I wonder if an endorsed musician has ever done something similar?

[Josh Paxton]

We played a show last weekend where the lead singer introduced me as "Korg" before the last song of the night.

 

Oddly I once had a woman ask me, with a straight face, if my name was Korg, because that's what it said on my keyboard. So I asked her if her name was Coach, because that's what it said on her purse. We then called each other by those names for the rest of the night.

[mate stubb]

There's also rumours that some slap a "brand a" logo on a "brand b" bat because they prefer the feel of "brand b" even though they're sponsored by "brand a". I wonder if an endorsed musician has ever done something similar?

 

Yes. The pics seem to have disappeared online, but Alicia Keys did a TV appearance with a vintage Roland Jupiter 8 which had the Roland logo blacked out and a Yamaha sticker added. She had become a Yamaha endorser, but it was a lame move anyway.

[Mjazz]

I think Daryl Hall has always been one for covering up his keyboard logos, with tape or a LFDH sticker or both.

http://i66.tinypic.com/140x0jk.jpg

[Dr88s]

Yes. The pics seem to have disappeared online, but Alicia Keys did a TV appearance with a vintage Roland Jupiter 8 which had the Roland logo blacked out and a Yamaha sticker added.

 

Nothing EVER disappears on the internet. (Except for Zeronyne's chicken foot notation which I never had the pleasure to see myself)

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FMBJEkaC8Lw/Rytx8JmbPlI/AAAAAAAAKYU/ZmKXDzizysk/s400/2078877os3.jpg

[CowboyNQ]

Oddly I once had a woman ask me, with a straight face, if my name was Korg, because that's what it said on my keyboard.

You just reminded me of a female acquaintance who was telling me about this great band she saw at a pub. "What was their name," I asked. Her response: "I think it was 'Pearl'".

[ElmerJFudd]

LOL if a fan did look at your rig and assume your name was Korg, oh man... what an ego she must have thought you possess. I mean, not that there isn't plenty of precedent for it in music. On the other hand, my ma used to write my name on all my clothes so I'd know they were mine at camp or school whatever. Maybe she thought you don't want to get your keyboard mixed up with the opening act's. Or vice versa should you not be headlining.

[Josh Paxton]

LOL if a fan did look at your rig and assume your name was Korg, oh man... what an ego she must have thought you possess.

 

To be fair, that is what I try to project every second I'm onstage.

[MathOfInsects]

You project a high degree of Korgness.

 

[MorayM]

Oddly I once had a woman ask me, with a straight face, if my name was Korg, because that's what it said on my keyboard.

You just reminded me of a female acquaintance who was telling me about this great band she saw at a pub. "What was their name," I asked. Her response: "I think it was 'Pearl'".

 

http://imagesmtv-a.akamaihd.net/uri/mgid:file:http:shared:mtv.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/tumblr_mjkpoypNgM1qg385jo1_500-1445352332.gif