Adam Burgess Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 I loved my Roland XP50. Used that thing till it literally fell to pieces. My Nord Stage 2 88 and Kronos 61 combo was also a favourite! More recently, so cheap it paid for itself within minutes, was useful (essential?) to get thru a few unexpected drummer-less gigs, sounds great, plays fine, weighs nothing: The magnificent Korg i3 (2020 version)! Hate having to use a 9V adapter and the fact you can't rename patches, but apart from that. I love the little thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zephonic Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Roland XP80 2 1 Quote local: Korg Nautilus 61 AT | Yamaha MODX8 away: GigPerformer | 16" MBP M1 Max home: Kawai RX-2 | Korg D1 | Roland Fantom X7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Coda Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Fender Rhodes mk I 73 and Moog Minimoog D A.C. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon E Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Best and most useful; Nord Stage 3 Compact. Most enjoyable Hammond B3/Leslie 122. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffincltnc Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 The Best: Kurzweil Forte 7 Most Useful: Roland Fantom 8 Most Enjoyable: Nord Stage 2 HA76 2 Quote Yamaha U1 Upright, Roland Fantom 8, Nord Stage 4 HA73, Nord Wave 2, Korg Nautilus 73, Viscount Legend Live, Lots of Mainstage/VST Libraries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpgxk3 Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Home, A100 & 122. Gigs Mojo 61 with lower manual. Meat, potatoes mit gravy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewall08530 Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Korg Triton Studio 76. The first keyboard that did everything I needed and had a smooth unweighted action that allowed me to start using just 1 board on my gigs. and every Nord keyboard that I’ve owned. ✔️ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 9 hours ago, drawback said: Nord Stage 2 Compact. Ditto. Approaching 10 years old, versatile and practical. Cheers, Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adan Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Useful and Enjoyable chart on different axes (plural of "axis," no pun intended). My most enjoyable keyboards have also been the most difficult or impossible to gig with: Petrof Grand, Rhodes Suitcase Mark I, Hammond chop. The most useful have been the Nords, and in particular the NSC2 I had for a few years. Quote Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro Home: Vintage Vibe 64 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
octa Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Haven’t had YC88 long enough to eclipse the years of useful enjoyment the NS2c provided, but for the last year or so and the next few years, YC88! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 I could answer this in a few ways, based on gigging instruments vs. home instruments. The most useful gigging instruments for me have been NS2 and NS3 (Compact versions) which have just about everything I could dream of needing for live gigs. The home instrument that has brought me the most joy is my Yamaha CP-80, with Hammond A-101/Leslie 122 as a close second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threadslayer Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Hammond B3 and all of the acoustic pianos I've owned For me, synthesizers were just tools of the trade Quote Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. -Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABECK Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Most useful, Roland FA-08 (as long as I brought my Vent II with me). Light, great action and great sounds. Could have been more flexible on the controller side, but there wasn't a gig I couldn't get through with that board. There was nothing sexy or particularly fun about it, but it was a damn good tool. Def on the "regrettable sale" list for me. The new Fantom-08 has me wondering..... Most enjoyable, E-MU Emulator III. There was a great finger to ear connection on that board. Plus, the filters were awesome!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaptainkeys Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 31 minutes ago, ABECK said: The new Fantom-08 has me wondering..... It has me wondering too, I'd love to try one out. You might even be able to get by with this board without the Vent, since you'll have the new VTW engine, which is greatly improved over the SuperNatural organs in the FA. Quote Instruments: Walters Grand Console Upright Piano circa 1950 something, Kurzweil PC4-88, Ibanez TMB-100 Studio Gear: Audient EVO16, JBL 305P MKII monitors, assorted microphones, Reaper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 If you have the opportunity, funds and the room a larger harp acoustic piano gets the most use of any instrument in my home. A Studio or Upright, Baby Grand that is still in tunable condition, or if you can afford a rebuilt one. Hey, if you can afford one new you’re blessed. But life is short, play a real piano if you have the means. CME XKey - not for giggling or playing on. I’ve found it really useful for notation and sequencing when sitting at a table or desk. 1 Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJkeys Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Nord Stage 2 Compact, then Stage 3 Compact. Best single boards I have ever owned. -dj Quote iMac i7 13.5.2 Studio One 5.5.2 Nord Stage 3 Nord Wave 2 Nektar T4 Drawmer DL 241 Focusrite ISA Two Focusrite Clarett 8 Pre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polychrest Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 The original analogue Korg CX-3 wasn’t the best keyboard I’ve ever owned, nor the most enjoyable to play, but it still has a special place in the keyboard corner of my heart. It was big Hammond sounds from a small portable package—the first stage-worthy Hammond clone—and it revolutionized gigging for a throwback organ player like me. It made my gear load-in and load-out a one-person job, a big deal for the guys I gigged with….and for my back. And it sounded cool. 4 Quote "I like rock and roll, man, I don't like much else." John Lennon 1970 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 It's pretty hard to compare older keyboards to newer ones as far as the workstations (though you could with analogs and of course things like organs and rhodes etc). So I look at them "for that time". My first real pro keyboard was a JX-10 and it was a powerhouse. It of course had limitations as far as piano and organ etc (though I tried) and mine had some mechanical keybed issues but I loved that keyboard. Pretty much near the top of the heap as far as utility for its time was not a keyboard but my trusty E-MU Proteus. It not only had an amazing number of sounds and easy programmability but even acted as a submixer when I gigged it with that JX-10 I mentioned above. My Kurzweil pc3 would be near the top as well but it has suffered from a few reliability issues that knock it down. My current MODX scores well but I can't really put it into the "beloved" category due to build quality, keybed and the darn wall wart. I also have a love-hate relationship with touchscreens; they can make life very easy at times (like naming patches) but sometimes they slow things down and I worry a bit about long-term reliability. As far as use in a home studio, I'm 100% software other than the controller. This is so many lightyears ahead of a room full of midi gear in terms of convenience that I'll probably never bother to hook up any hardware. It helps that the sound quality and features of software (IMO) rivals anything I've heard from hardware, though I've certainly not tried everything out there. When I play u-he's Repro 5 and a few others I am inspired to play it and that's what matters. I can't say that about many software instruments I have tried over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan_evett Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Have owned a lot of keys over four decades; so pinning down one or three to fit the OP's request isn't quite going to happen. Best is a toss-up: Roland Fantom 7 / Nord Stage 3, 76 Most useful (another toss-up): Nord Stage 3, 76 / Yamaha S-90ES Most enjoyable: Kawai KG-2 grand Quote 'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo. We need a barfing cat emoticon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursers Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 S70XS for me - super heavy but had the best time with it and at the time had killer sounds. 2 Quote The Keyboard Chronicles Podcast Check out your fellow forumites in an Apple Music playlist Check out your fellow forumites in a Spotify playlist My Music: Stainless Fields Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Quinn Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Yamaha C3 acoustic piano. It’s what I play the most. Great fun! ’61 A100 w/Leslie 145. A thrill to play! Yamaha P-515. I’ve only had it for two months but have enjoyed playing it more than any other digital keyboard I’ve ever owned. It responds to my touch in a natural / comfortable way and the speaker system provides a very pleasing sound! 2 Quote https://alquinn.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branwell Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Roland VK1 Organ. Got me through all of the 80's and half of the 90's as my foundation live board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EscapeRocks Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 In the last decade, it would be the Casio PX-5S. I bought it shortly after it became available. I was looking for an 88 note board, lightweight, with good piano sounds, and editable overall sounds. The things I discovered it could do as far as controller function fit it perfectly with my then new transition into Mainstage. The fact I can send MIDI and USB MIDI at the same time on the 4 zones within each stage setting make for some cool routing possibilities for Mainstage control, and external hardware board control. It's been taken apart several times to change its color. It's been dropped. It's been schlepped around to countless gigs, and while now having that nice "beat up" patina, it still works. Overall it would be the Korg Triton Extreme 61 with MOSS board. It introduced me to workstations and touch screen joy. Which has finally led to my Nautilus 61 3 1 Quote David Gig Rig:Roland Fantom 08 | Roland Jupiter 80 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Nord Lead 🙄 1 Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b3plyr Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Infinite Response Vax77 with MainStage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mynameisdanno Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 For live: Joining the NS2C/NS3C chorus. Pair it with any weighted board in Dual KB mode and I'm 100% there for 95% of the gigs. The ability to easily fly with it, the speed of programming patches, etc. Yes, I bump up against its limitations from time to time, but the immediacy and ease of programming a patch to do 95-100% of what I want to do is SO worth it. The original Stage 2 Compact has met my needs for so long that I'm just now beginning to use the Stage 3 for new projects, even though I bought it off of @Tonysounds almost three years ago now. The build quality / reliability is just great too. Every Nord I've ever had has been 100% trouble free despite being regularly sent via checked baggage, riding around in bumpy single axle trailers, etc. Even the Nord Electro 2 I bought in 2004 is still doing faithful wedding band duty for the guy I sold it to. For recording, my '55 C3 and 142 get more use than anything else. For practice and just plain ol' playing for enjoyment, the Yamaha U1. One day I will get a Baldwin SF10 and I'm sure it will replace the U1 in my heart, but first I need a place to put it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnchop Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Most enjoyable: Korg M3. I wanted the 73 but could only swing the 61. Regardless, the keyboard feel was perfect for me. Loved the sounds, the UI and controls, and the RADIAS expansion. Karma was fun as hell despite the cheese factor. The only cons were the boot-up time and the time a circuit board died and required months to get a fix. But man, I'd buy that board all over again if it was supported. Passed the smile test every time I turned it on. Shouldn't have sold it despite needing some cash at the time. Most useful: Kurzweil PC3. It had a more than adequate sound for every live occasion and was a total trooper until it developed the well-known pitchbend calibration issue and had a botched fix that nuked my Kore64 expansion board. I even liked the action, which seemed to loosen up over the years. These experiences turned me into one of those folks who's more nervous about hardware keyboards than computer-based rigs. Quote I make software noises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nadroj Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Not the most useful because it’s frustratingly limited, but the Nord Electro 4 is the only board I’ve ever had that I 1) enjoy playing every time I touch it, 2) I’ve taken out when I could have taken a more capable board, simply because I wanted to play it instead. Quote Hammond SKX Mainstage 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cphollis Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Does anyone see a pattern here? 1 Quote Want to make your band better? Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polychrest Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 22 minutes ago, cphollis said: Does anyone see a pattern here? It’s an Alfred Hitchcock film: Nord by Nordbest 5 Quote "I like rock and roll, man, I don't like much else." John Lennon 1970 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.