When Has a Piece of Your Gear Surpassed Your Expectations?

[b3plyr]

We all want the best gear, and the best gear is always a moving target. However, every so often a keyboard or some other piece of gear performs better than we expected. What are your experiences. 

 

Here's my first one. For years I played a Kurzweil K2600. I was in a new band and we were recording our first demo CD. We get to a song requiring heavy B3 and I go to the trusty KB3, knowing full well it wasn't going to sound as good as I wanted it to. I was fooled. When I listened to the final CD, I heard what sounded very close to a real B3. And that includes the rather archaic Leslie sim. To this day, even using Hammonds, I have not recorded a better sounding "B3".

[Morrissey]

[Morrissey]

First piece of gear that comes to mind is the Casio WK-3000, and several other models in that Casio line.  I recall it as one of the first mass-produced, hobbyist-level keyboards that incorporated Hammond "drawbar" functionality.  I think maybe it had buttons to adjust four drawbar settings.  It worked better than expected given its price point.  I kept one around awhile as an emergency backup clonewheel.   

[ABECK]

Radial Pro D2.  Not the sexiest piece of gear, but dependable and doesn't get in the way of my sound.  After dealing with cheap DIs that would crap out, the piece of mind is worth the cost.

 

[Morrissey]

The other thing that surpasses my expectations is the resale value of Nords.  It is crazy how those things hold their value.

[rickzjamm]

Kronos.

[niacin]

Korg Vox Continental. I almost sold it a couple of times until I got over the limitations of the clone wheel section and realised how damn good it is at a whole lot of other things. the synth section still surprises me with how flexible it is and how damn good it sounds.

[MathOfInsects]

I've got one: the Radial Key Largo. I bought it for live use, because it met certain needs I had at the time.

Then maybe a year ago I was in a recording session and wasn't completely feeling the keyboard sound I was hearing back. All my normal settings seemed to be the same, and it sounded right when I plugged the cans directly into the keyboard, but it wasn't what I was expecting to hear. So for the next day's session, I brought the Key Largo and a small PPA speaker so I could check sound directly from the outputs. It sounded fine. That's weird because this is a very nice studio. I just swapped their XLRs to my Key Largo and let the engineer know I'd dropped my own stereo DI in the chain. He re-leveled me and also said, "Wow, sounds great." The producer got there and checked in with everyone via talkback, and when he got to me he said something like "I'm really liking what we're doing with your keys," which he meant as self-congratulation, which was funny and fine. When he stepped away later, I asked the engineer if the difference was the DI, and he said, "100%."

Then about two weeks later I recorded at another studio that is related to the first--a boutique offspring. THAT engineer/producer said, "Can you bring whatever DI you used at [the main studio]? I hear it records well." I brought it and we A/B'd the signal from my board to their expensive-ass Neve pre's, and from my board to the Key Largo instead. In every case, blind A/Bing led every listener to pick the Key Largo, literally every time.

I record there a lot, and bringing that box is a standard part of his instructions in advance. I *believe* he now uses both pre's--the Key Largo to bring out the direct color of the keys, and then the expensive-ass Neve pre's to add a little bit of their air to the sound.

[Docbop]

My answer would of been different a few weeks ago, but since getting a Nord it is everything I want.      Going back to my guitar days I would say my old Fender Blackface Princeton Reverb amp that I had modded by Paul Rivera back when Paul was still working out of his garage.   That Princeton was great for gigs and recording.  

[KuruPrionz]

Tech 21 Q-Strip. It's a great EQ and a great DI for live or recording. I haven't tried keys but it's awesome for bass guitar, electric soid body guitar and acoustic/electric guitar so I would expect it's great with keys as well. 2 semi-parametric midrange bands plus high and low shelving EQ means you can make subtle tweaks or dramatic changes to any tone. Plus it can run on phantom power so no power supply or battery needed (although those are both options).

 

It's a keeper.

[AnotherScott]

My problem is that, being an optimist, my expectations are usually pretty high, so it would be hard for anything to surpass them... I just look to be disappointed the least. ;-) Even the things that manage to surpass my expectation in some respect are likely to fall short of them in some other, especially if we're talking about keyboards, where a given model can succeed or fail in so many different ways!

[Tom Williams]

I'll give you two.

 

When I moved from Kurzweil's K2600 to the PC3, I was astounded by the gazillion articulations of full and divisi string sections. 

 

The synthesizer section of the Casioi PX-5s piano, despite being just a rompler (e.g., no actual waveform mutation, just mixing and filtering) nevertheless provides me with huge sonic variety, as well as surprisingly versatile MIDI controller features -- particularly wild as it has no aftertouch.

[eric]

Neo Ventilator. 
 

Rock solid for over a decade. Doing its job exceptionally. 

[stoken6]

Laney CP10. Old-school 10in wedge. Wooden cabinet, 65w (or 100w driving a passive extension speaker), peak only about 115db, so not the loudest.

 

I've had that thing for close to 30 years, and it's almost indestructible. It's been kicked, rattled around in vans, had coffee spilt on it,the dust cap on the speaker is dented - and it still works, and actually sounds quite nice. None of the squawkiness you get from plastic speakers.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Spider76]

Nord Stage 2. I've owned three of them: NS2 HA88, NS2EX HA88, and now a 2EX Compact.

 

For me, it's simply the best combination of features, sounds, playability, interface and portability. No other keyboard I've ever owned comes even close (disclaimer: I haven't tried the NS3 and the latest YC line).

 

Even after 10 years, I sometimes step into a "wow, that's nice!" moment while trying to circumvent the board's limitations, and every time I discover it's not as limited as it looks.

 

The Compact is just amazing for its size and weight. Even when (if) I eventually move on to another model, the little red Nord will always stay as a backup-rehearsal board.

[JamPro]

Funny: I got a Neo Vent a few years ago, and returned after 4-5 days.  It made all the wrong noise: a very loud increase in the floor noise when simply plugged into the audio system, and a very loud pop whenever the unit was switched into bypass.  I was gobsmacked the unit was so noisy; I couldn't make use of it.

[kaptainkeys]

44 minutes ago, JamPro said:

Funny: I got a Neo Vent a few years ago, and returned after 4-5 days.  It made all the wrong noise: a very loud increase in the floor noise when simply plugged into the audio system, and a very loud pop whenever the unit was switched into bypass.  I was gobsmacked the unit was so noisy; I couldn't make use of it.

Sounds like you got a lemon unit, or the cables you were using were picking up some interference.

[Stokely]

Hmm, most of my gear I've been happy with, but also expected to be happy with!

My Virus kb--bought used for 600 dollars with a case!--was better than I ever hoped.  I regret ever selling it, I wanted to fund a clonewheel.  I basically now have a "hi-fi" version in the Summit, but it cost a LOT more and arguably the keys were better on the Virus.

Software-wise, I was absolutely blown away by u-he's Repro.  I waited for a rare sale to buy it, and as soft-synths go it isn't cheap, but it's one of the first software instruments that really inspires me to just noodle on it.

Speaking of leslie pedals, I just hooked up my new Lester K to my Kurzweil Forte yesterday.  Wow, that was quite a bit better than my expectations.  I like it much better than even the tweaked Kurzweil leslies.  Just on slow speed the sound tightens up a lot, and the fast leslie is much more pleasing IMO.   Drive is much nicer.

[Steve Force]

Moog Sub37 Bob Moog Tribute. 

[Threadslayer]

Looking back over my many years of gigging I have come to realize that I never really gave any of my electronic keyboards a fair shake due to my being too cheap/broke to invest in high quality amplification once I had blown my wad on the latest GAS synthesizer or whatever... So as a result, my keys never lived up to my expectations onstage. My B3/Leslie was a different matter, but I did say "electronic keyboards" above.

[Adam Burgess]

The 2020 Korg i3. Bought for a specific use case. Never thought I'd need an arranger, but it's an amazing little thing.

Sounds great, plays fine, weighs about 2kg… what's not to like!

[DJkeys]

18 hours ago, Morrissey said:

The other thing that surpasses my expectations is the resale value of Nords.  It is crazy how those things hold their value.

This is true.  I have owned 6 of them, all purchased new:

 

Electro 3 paid 1695 sold for 1400 (2 years later)

Nord Wave paid 1940 sold 1850 (2 years later)

Stage 2 paid 3400 sold 2400 (6 years later)

Lead A1 paid 1800 sold 1400 (two years later)

 

The definitely hold their value better than any electronic instrument I have ever owned.  My Stage 3 is one of the best purchases I have ever made.

 

-dj

[Morrissey]

12 minutes ago, DJKeys said:

[Nords] definitely hold their value better than any electronic instrument I have ever owned.

 

I paid a fair price for a used NE2 in 2014.  In today's market, I think I could get about the same amount selling it 8 years later.  This "surpasses my expectations" 

[drawback]

Nord Stage 2 Compact, the only keyboard in at least 50 years I’ve ever regretted selling. Surpassing my expectations these days is a new-to-me original Kronos61. So much so, that I’m actually considering updating to a new Kronos2 before they’re gone completely. Might be a keeper for the ages (aged?).

[pinkfloydcramer]

Yamaha YC88, for me (at least) it's a game changer. 

 

Honorable mention to my Kawai ES110, proof that a quality hammer action can be light in weight. The string resonance hits me just right and the onboard rhythm  patterns were an unexpected pleasure for home practice.

[MathOfInsects]

Oh, I’ve got another one. This stupid cart. I think I might have bought it for $20 1990 dollars, as a temporary solution for a couple of gigs where I didn’t feel like carrying everything. If I recall, the weight limit was something like “Do not put any objects on this cart. In fact, just thinking about putting something on it is enough to break it. Congratulations, you broke a cart.”
 

The mechanism connecting the platform and the wheels (which pivot out when the platform is opened) is temperamental at best. The wheels have no other support, so they wobble when you put anything heavier than a fart on it. The telescoping handle, which is what theoretically locks the wheels open, does not always stay extended, making the wheels even less stable. You know how they say if you study a bumble bee it should not be able to fly? This is the bumble bee of equipment carts. 
 

And yet…

 

It just keeps going and going. I’ve probably owned five roller carts of various kinds, and I always end up just using this. I keep waiting for the whole thing to collapse and cost me my entire rig, and it just keeps Wall-e-ing along with no signs of retirement. 
 

In one of the bands I play in the most, at our first gig together, the bass player rolled in with the same cart. Same year, same story—a temporary solution that just refuses to stop working. There are current versions with slightly different wheel sizes and designs; it seems to be these exact carts from this particular time span, 30 years ago, that got the zombie gene.

 

[KuruPrionz]

2 minutes ago, MathOfInsects said:

Oh, I’ve got another one. This stupid cart. I think I might have bought it for $20 1990 dollars, as a temporary solution for a couple of gigs where I didn’t feel like carrying everything. If I recall, the weight limit was something like “Do not put any objects on this cart. In fact, just thinking about putting something on it is enough to break it. Congratulations, you broke a cart.”
 

The mechanism connecting the platform and the wheels (which pivot out when the platform is opened) is temperamental at best. The wheels have no other support, so they wobble when you put anything heavier than a fart on it. The telescoping handle, which is what theoretically locks the wheels open, does not always stay extended, making the wheels even less stable. You how they say if you study a bumble bee it should not be able to fly? This is the bumble bee of equipment carts. 
 

And yet…

 

It just keeps going and going. I’ve probably owned five roller carts of various kinds, and I always end up just using this. I keep waiting for the whole thing to collapse and cost me my entire rig, and it just keeps Wall-e-ing along with no signs of retirement. 
 

In one of the bands I play in the most, at our first gig together, the bass player rolled in with the same cart. Same year, same story—a temporary solution that just refuses to stop working. 

I have one like that, I put my small amp and bag full of tricks on it. It sucks. But, it works. 

I had a really nice one and stupidly forgot it at a public gig. By the time I went back for it, long since gone. Hopefully, it broke. 😇

[Tusker]

Expressive E Touche SE - You can wiggle it with your hand and it does that very well. It's not necessarily better than wheels or ribbons or waving your hands in the air or blowing into a tube. It's just another way to control things.

 

However, long after the warranty period, my unit developed problems. The manufacturer traced it to a bad batch of chips, and replaced it for free. They didn't have to do that. Now I have to hope these guys stay in business so I can buy things from them forever. Please buy something from them? 🙏 

[Docbop]

Best bang for the buck in my shed...

My Metrognome metronome that I bought sometime in the 1970's.   One of the early battery metronomes and I really like the sound of the click not annoying like so many.     One time I went to the bank and my Metrognome was in my briefcase when I got in line.   I set my briefcase down and everything inside shifted and turned on my Metrognome.   People around me started getting spooked I didn't know why, then saw the bank guard walking towards me.   Then I hear my ticking briefcase.    So I open my briefcase and hold it say just my metronome and start grinning.   

 

 

[Outkaster]

None of them.  I mean musicians that play even the simplest of licks can be amazing to me.  The keyboard is just the tool.