Take it or leave it?

[vonnor]

If by some miracle you were offered each and every keyboard or module you've ever owned, would you keep it or pass?

 

• Univox EP ... pass
• Wurli 200-a ... keep
• Minimoog-D ... keep
• Crumar T1 Organ ... pass
• Memorymoog ... pass
• Memorymoog Plus+ ... do you have to ask?
• DX7 ... pass
• Matrix6 ... keep
• TX-802 ... keep
• Octave Cat ... keep
• KX-76 ... keep
• Roland RD-250s ... keep
• ESQ-1 ... keep
• SQ2 ... keep
• EPS-M ... pass
• CP-70b ... keep
• ZR-76 ... keep
• KS-32 ... keep
• Alesis QS7 ... keep
• Novation Nova II ... keep
• Virus kb ... keep
• SK1-73 ... pass (not much of an organist)
• Fantom X6 ... keep
• Fantom XR ... keep
• Motif Rack ES ... keep
• NS2-76 HA ... keep
• Kurz PC-361 ... keep
• Kurz PC1-se ... keep

 

Apologies to any instruments I have forgotten about.

 

~ vonnor

[Stokely]

Obviously this assumes we wouldn't just say "keep" to everything in order to flip it all for extra cash    And also putting aside nostalgia as a reason to keep.

I'll probably forget some stuff too.

Unnamed casio first keyboard in early 80s with built-in mono speaker ...  hard pass
Moog Rogue ... probably keep

Roland JX-10 ... keep (though it had bad problems with the keybed with keys going out, that would need fixing)
Korg Poly 800 ... pass (thing would periodically go out of tune, and I never really liked the sounds that much)
Kawai K-something ... pass (nice leads but that was about it)
Emu Proteus ... pass (only because it's dated now; that was one of best units of gear for its time I can think of.)
Emu Morpheus ... pass

.....years of no purchases pass, not in a band and not doing much at home then we get to my latest gigging days...
Yamaha Motif ... pass (my current Modx has it beat in every way except for keybed and build quality)
Access virus kb ... keep (regret selling this)
Roland VR700 ... pass (nice keys, decent organ, but too big and heavy for what it was)
Kurzweil pc361 ... pass (this is only a pass because I had to retire it due to technical failures...otherwise it's a gigging stalwart and it did hundreds)
Nord Electro 6 ... keep (I only sold because I was going to get a Stage 3, but covid hit and I stopped gigging and making $ from music...then Nord jacked prices)
Novation Summit ... pass (I still have it; I just haven't used it in my live rig like I intended.  I actually really like the keyboard.)
Kurzweil Forte 7 ...keep (still have it)
Yamaha Modx7 ... keep (still have it)

There's part of me that wants to sell the Summit and Modx and get a NS3 compact despite the prices Nord is charging.  It has the A1 synth, a good organ and the ability to do gigs on its own, and over the Forte 7 that would be a fantastic rig.  I just hate the process of selling gear, it's either the local song and dance meeting people with cash, or shipping via reverb, ugh.        

 

[ProfD]

The Korg SV-1 is the only one I'd *keep*.

 

Otherwise, I would pass on everything I've ever owned because whatever I'm currently using covers those bases. 😎

[Stokely]

My list is also influenced by the fact that I only keep hardware keyboards for gigging.  At home I'm 100% "in the box" with softsynths, which IMO have been getting better by leaps and bounds, and of course are way more convenient.  The only real "downside" is that it makes my home studio look like a home office (which it also is!).  There's definitely something inspiring about ye olde room full 'o synths.

[Morrissey]

2 hours ago, vonnor said:

ZR-76 ... keep

 

So good but so heavy.  

[johnchop]

Assuming I could have the same with none of the issues I experienced?

 

Kurz PC3, Matrix 6, Fantom XR (with expansions), Korg M3+Radias are all keeps.

 

Nord Electro 3 is a waffle. Loved everything but the action, which I grew to hate with a mighty passion (and tendonitis to boot).

 

Korg DW6000, Alesis Micron, Yamaha MO8, Roland JV1080, Yamaha P121 are pass.

[JohnH]

I own every keyboard I've ever owned and every module too. So I have kept them. Except for my MO6 which I sold to a roommate when I bought a Motif XF6. No comparison on keybed and polyphony and it was the entry motif es. Naw, wouldn't want it back.

[wineandkeyz]

If I posted the complete list of everything I've owned over the years, it would show how old (and fickle) I am. But here are the ones I wish I had back:

• My Grandma's turn of the 20th century Kohler & Campbell upright
• Fender Contempo organ
• Rhodes Stage 88
• Minimoog Model D
• Roland D-50 with all the trimmings
• Roland JD-800
• Ensoniq ZR-76
• Yamaha S90ES
• Dave Smith Prophet Rev 2-16

Like ProfD, there were some others along the way that were cool, but I've got those bases covered with my current rig. To be honest, I can cover most of the bases listed above, too, but then there's the nostalgia factor.

[vonnor]

1 hour ago, Morrissey said:

 

So good but so heavy.  

Action is dreamy...

[vonnor]

I'm being nostalgic with this thread, mainly because of limited living space and the fact that I typically only keep and program boards to be used for live shows. All but what's in my sig I have sold or traded over the years and now regret some. (If only I had more space) /sigh

 

~ vonnor

[Morrissey]

1 hour ago, vonnor said:

I'm being nostalgic with this thread, mainly because of limited living space and the fact that I typically only keep and program boards to be used for live shows. All but what's in my sig I have sold or traded over the years and now regret some. (If only I had more space) /sigh

 

~ vonnor

 

It is a fun thought experiment.  For me, I've enjoyed owning many keyboards over the years but find it burdensome to store and maintain more than a few keyboards at a time, so tend not to look backwards.  I did have a fun Wurlitzer 206 I wouldn't mind getting back, though. 

[ABECK]

Original DX-7 - keep.  Geat action, solid construction, nostalgic connection

Sequential SixTrak (dump it)

Korg DSS-1 - Not a bad analog (DCO) section, but low sample memory and editing options.  

Micro-B - Dump.  Way too many better options now a days

Fender Rhodes Suitcase Mark I - Dump.  Having just played a real Rhodes recently, I was reminded how sluggish they can feel.  Not worth the weight and hassle for gigging.  Plenty of good digital options available.

Roland JV1080 - Dump.  Was dated sounding very quickly.

Kurzweil MicroPiano - Dump.  

Akai S-2000 - Keep.  I had so much fun with that sampler.  Limited, but the filter sounds amazing.

Emulator III - Keep.  Why oh why did I ever sell thee!  

GEM PrP-800 Dump.  I prefer samples over modeled when it comes to Acoustic piano.  The lighted music stand was fun though.

Plugiator - Dump.  Good sounds, but buggy as all hell.

Alesis Ion - Dump.  Just meh sounding.  awesome interface, but just too weak.

Novation Xiosynth - Dump.  The only synth I've ever returned.

Yamaha FS1R - Dump.  Cool sounds.  Impossible interface.

Roland VR-09.  Keep.  Small, lightweight, good bread and butter sounds.  Good controls.

Crumar Mojo - Dump.  Only because I prefer the DMC122 Gemini combo.

Akai S2800 - Keep.  Love those filters

Nord Electro III.  Keep.  Organ was great at the time.  Immediacy of the controllers was great.

Korg M50 - Dump.  Too much navigation for even simple programing.  Pianos were awful.

Roland Jupiter 80 - Keep.  (ironic as I just sold it, but sometimes you got to make way for new things)  Built like a tank, great keyboard, easy to navigate

Roland FA-80 - Keep.  Good, simple workhorse.  Capable of GREAT sounds (just not the default ones from the factory)

Kurzweil K2700 - Keep (because I JUST bought it)

Hammond M3 - keep, because I spent 6 months refurbishing it and I don't think I can get it out of my basement.

Casio SK-1.  Keep, because the demo song with burp samples is too fun

[stoken6]

I remember posting on a similar subject years ago. My first synth was a Roland Juno-2 - which has a lovely action but limited tonal palette.

 

I then went through a phase of buying cheap boards: Kawai K1 and Roland JX-1, both of which were something of a mistake. I then got an Ensoniq KS32, very nice but heavy - and a SQ1+, no aftertouch sadly - followed by an Alesis QS6.2 which I already have.

 

I then decided to buy once, buy properly and treated myself to a Nord Stage 2/73. It's over 10 years old and still doing me proud. Since then, I've bought boards as controllers to go under it: Oberheim MC1000/76 (horrible action) and /88 (nice, but heavy). Yamaha NP30 for those low-shlep gigs. And most recently a Nord Stage Classic 76, which gives me some insurance in case the 2 fails.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Lindaru]

1985 - Farfisa double key board combo organ (pass and ended up trading it a couple of years later due to limitation of sounds)

1986 - Arp Axxe (would keep and loved it but key-bed went to crap, so bought a second one and slaved them together but ended up trading later)

1987 - Arp Omni (pass and loved it but again had its limitations and got traded later on)

1988 - Korg MS-20 (pass and it also got traded due to the patch cord learning curve which drove me nuts)

1993 - Roland E-16 (still have it and still love it as it can do just about anything)

2015 - Micro-Korg (still have it and love it due to being light weight and easy to transport but keep it near my computer to play with other music)

2019 - Moog Little Phatty (still have it and need to explore it more since it has some interesting sounds the others do not have)

 

The three I still have are keepers for me.

 

 

[jazzpiano88]

11 hours ago, vonnor said:

If by some miracle you were offered each and every keyboard or module you've ever owned, would you keep it or pass?

 

• Univox EP ... pass
• Wurli 200-a ... keep
• Minimoog-D ... keep
• Crumar T1 Organ ... pass
• Memorymoog ... pass
• Memorymoog Plus+ ... do you have to ask?
• DX7 ... pass
• Matrix6 ... keep
• TX-802 ... keep
• Octave Cat ... keep
• KX-76 ... keep
• Roland RD-250s ... keep
• ESQ-1 ... keep
• SQ2 ... keep
• EPS-M ... pass
• CP-70b ... keep
• ZR-76 ... keep
• KS-32 ... keep
• Alesis QS7 ... keep
• Novation Nova II ... keep
• Virus kb ... keep
• SK1-73 ... pass (not much of an organist)
• Fantom X6 ... keep
• Fantom XR ... keep
• Motif Rack ES ... keep
• NS2-76 HA ... keep
• Kurz PC-361 ... keep
• Kurz PC1-se ... keep

 

Apologies to any instruments I have forgotten about.

 

~ vonnor

 

I'll have to forgive you for missing out on the Rhodes piano and the Important Roland synths.

 

We've forgiven far worse in the Church, so you can rest peacefully without guilt.    

[Tom Williams]

Great thread.  I didn't realize how blessed I am to have had so many keyboards.

 

In chronological order:

 

Restored 1897 Story and Clark upright piano, player mechanism removed -- Pass.

Farfisa Combo Compact -- Keep

Farfisa VIP 345 -- Keep

(Leslie 860 -- Keep)

Fender Rhodes Key Bass -- Pass.

1950s Wurlitzer Electric piano, model 102 if I remember right -- Pass! 

Ensoniq Mirage DSK -- Pass.

Casio CZ-1 -- NO regrets, but now I'd pass.

Ensoniq EPS -- Keep

Ensoniq SQ2 -- Great axe at the time, but now I would Pass.

Casio VZ-1 -- Pass.

Voce Micro-B II -- Pass.

Hammond Spinet (M102 I think) -- Pass.

Kurzweil K2500 RS (Rack / Sampler) -- Pass.

Roland AX-Synth -- Keep.

Kurzweil K2600S -- Keep. 

Kurzweil PC3 -- Keep, though it's a bit fragile.

Roland AX-Edge -- Pass.  The editor is worse than Kurzweil Soundtower.

Casio PX-5S -- Pass, with regrets.  Possibly the best sounding keyboard I've ever owned, but the action is too heavy for my wimpy arms.

Kurzweil PC4 -- Jury is still out. 

 

Honorable mention: the Baldwin 9' Grand from college -- Keep.  Maybe even steal.

 

 

[The Real MC]

No studio mancave included to house all that stuff?  Pass.

[KuruPrionz]

I'll probably not remember everything. Doesn't matter, I'm not good on keys. 

Casio SK-1 pass. It was fun for about 10 minutes, the Sharper Image Saxxy Kazoo was way funnier, still have that and it still works. 

Kurzweil K2000 - pass. V.A.S.T. made very little sense to me, even after glancing at the substantial V.A.S.T. manual I still just glazed over. Presets were not to my liking mostly, which does not explain why I also owned later...

Kurzweil K2000 R - pass - all the things I didn't like about the K2000 in a rack mount package with no keyboard. 

2 different Ensoniq keyboards, one them had weighted keys and both of them weighed a ton - pass.

CME XKey 25 - keep. A college kid sold it to me for $10, I guess he wanted beer. Small, light, works fine, I barely use it. That said, I'd like the 37 key. 

Akai MPK25 - undecided - it has all the knobs, bells and whistles you'd ever need for a MIDI board. Doesn't fit on my desktop, I don't use it. Traded one of the Ensoniq kb for it, not as bad as it sounds - by the time I sold the amp and music stand that came with the Ensonic, I had about $15 in it. 

M-Audio 49 Key MIDI controller. Pass. Looks and feels like a piece of crap, never plugged it in. Should probably test it and see if I can get my $7.50 back - Goodwill purchase mistake. It's ugly, I'll give it that much. 😇

[jazzpiano88]

Roland AX-Synth -- Keep.

 

It was a gift.   I still play it sitting down.

[Docbop]

Yamaha P-???     pass    My first keyboard cheap 88 key with builtin speakers, not great but got me started

Roland RD-2000  pass  Great keybed, okay sounds,  great controller board if I was gigging

Korg Kronos  pass   Amazing keyboard, but big plans for composing Media music, never happened.  Very steep learning curve and always having to diving into the menu system to do anything.  Great board, but not for me and what I do. 

 

StudioLogic SL88 Grand.   KEEP   I love this controller great keybed.

Keyscape  KEEP  One of my best purchases so many great sounds and combined with the StudioLogic it's perfect.

Nord NS3 HP76 KEEP  I had an opportunity to play with friends practice band, so I needed something smaller and lighter to transport so I got the Nord.   I really love the NS3 and since the practice band decide to stay I guitar band makes me wish I had got the 88 key.   Actually if could to do it again I think I would get the Nord Piano 5 that's all I need.