Bassmaster Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 hey...I'm a bassist wanting to play synth keys for my band along with bass ans I was wondering which brand would be the best/cheapest to go with for a sythasizer board....thanks my band's site www.freewebs.com/prophet_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 What kind of music do you play? And how cheap is cheap? If you give more parameters, we can help you better. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmaster Posted January 8, 2004 Author Share Posted January 8, 2004 not real hard but kinda hard music. cheap is like $150-$200 (I know that's pitiful but I don't have much to spend) and I just want to know what brand would be the best...and I want one of those bigger ones...not really big but not one of those small one ya know what I mean? thanks my band's site www.freewebs.com/prophet_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 In that price range, look for used: Korg M1 Korg X5 Alesis QS6 Ensoniq SQ These will give you a decent range of instrument sounds. If you just want to augment your bass playing with synth bass: Sequential Circuits Prophet 600 Crumar Bit One Anyone else want to chime in for the under $250 range? "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmaster Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 thanks for the advice but what do you think about Yahmaha? I found a good Yamaha keyboard in a Musician's Friend catalog for $200. It sounded like it had alot of good stuff and it had a bass port in it too. If you for some reason need to know what all this good stuff is I'll tell you. NOTE: I don't but from Musician's Friend but the music stores I go to match prices my band's site www.freewebs.com/prophet_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Does it have speaker on it? I assume that's what you mean by a bass port. If so, it's a consumer board, which is not bad in of itself, but if you are doing hard rock, the sounds just aren't going to cut it, and the speakers will be useless in a band situation. also, all of the "great features" will again be useless. If you want it to mess around with and then maybe use it on a few tunes, go for it. but that wasn't your original question. Which one is it that you are looking at? By the way, even if your local store price matches, you'll still have to pay tax, which often justifies getting it from MF or Zzounds. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dementia13 Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I see you're a 3-piece, so I'm guessing you're not wanting something for industrial-type leads and basslines, you need something with a range of sounds so you can keep the sound filled out when you switch to keys. You also probably want to be able to split the keyboard and play bass parts with the left hand. I think 09's suggestions are good bets for you; Yamaha certainly makes some great products, but the PSR range really aren't meant for live playing. Your budget is below any new gear that you'd want to use in most 3-piece rock bands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Tim- Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Craig, IMO your challenge won't necessarily be the keys but the amplifier given your budget. The bass amp you have and the guitar amp Ryan uses won't adequately reproduce keyboard/synth sounds. You would need a seperate amp for this function alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmaster Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 Tim, do I know you? this is really creaping me out. my band's site www.freewebs.com/prophet_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmaster Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 anyway....I'll only need amplification when we actually start doing gigs. I wouldn't need an amp for my room and right now we practice at our church so if I need to I can plug into the sound system. my band's site www.freewebs.com/prophet_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Tim- Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I went to the website you listed and it showed the names of the members of your bands! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Craig, is Fort Branch on the Southwestern tip of Indiana? Anyway, I didn't realize that you guys were just starting out. And that you were so young. Good going! I wish you guys the best of luck, and be sure to keep at it! I REALLY think you should look for a Korg X5D for about $250.00. It will blow away any PSR out there. Anything new will be toylike in that price range. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobT Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I'll chime in as a bass player who took up the keys a couple of years ago. It would help to know what type of music you play and how you want to incorporate keys into the style that you play. For the budget you proposed your best bet would be www.ebay.com, www.musicgoround.com, www.synthsite.com or www.vintagesynth.com Some of the keyboards mentions would serve you well if you are looking to play synth bass lines instead of electric bass on some of your songs. If you are doing something industrial, experimental or dance/electronica there are other keyboards that would serve you better. Using the search function for past threads would reveal a wealth of information. I think your biggest challenge would be amplification. Much success with your endeavor, RobT Famous Musical Quotes: "I would rather play Chiquita Banana and have my swimming pool than play Bach and starve" - Xavier Cugat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmaster Posted January 10, 2004 Author Share Posted January 10, 2004 1)Tim, I thought you knew me cause you went to my bands site..actually I'm glad you did! 2)zeronyne, yes Fort Branch is in southwestern Indiana...why do you ask? I'm gonna have to go to some of these sites you guys are givin' me. thanks for all of the help my band's site www.freewebs.com/prophet_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Rhythm Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 If I could chime in here: Stay away from home keyboars for what your doing. Any of the Korgs from M1 on would do the job. Also the older Roland, Yamaha, or even Peavy keyboards would probably work. You want to look for a rom based pro keyboard that can split the keyboard. If you find something that your not sure of, just post here and we'll be glad to give our opinions. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmaster Posted January 10, 2004 Author Share Posted January 10, 2004 hey thanks. the one Yamaha I found I think said something about a ROM drive. it's actually the only one I've actually seen a picture of and it's in my price range and like I said before it has alot of cool features with it. So all of you have said something about a Korg so I guess I'll most likely go with one of those, but does anyone have any feedback on something like a Casio or Yamaha and other brands? my band's site www.freewebs.com/prophet_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Rhythm Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 Craeful with the casio. What is the model number on the Yamaha? David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmaster Posted January 11, 2004 Author Share Posted January 11, 2004 PSR292. And it does have a built in Flash ROM and also Wave ROM. I f you need to know anything else just tell me. my band's site www.freewebs.com/prophet_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 11, 2004 Share Posted January 11, 2004 Craig, I checked it out on MF. I'm going to Guitar Center tomorrow...I'll check it out and let you know. It looks like a great learning tool, but it may not be the best sounding option for the money. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 11, 2004 Share Posted January 11, 2004 OK, I went to listen to the PSR (not just for that, but I made a point to check it out). Good points: --General MIDI...this won't make sense to you now, but if you get into it, it will.--Healthy Polyphony--The lesson feature is neato, but I think it isn't the best way to learn a keyboard.--It's small and light for a 61 note keyboard. Bad points:--Sounds...actually, they aren't bad for a $200 dollar board, but you aren't going to get a lot of "synth" sounds.--The speakers are terrible. I tried listening to it through headphoes, and it was OK, but the noise floor is very high. If you put it through your sound system at church, it's going to sound like its raining on the roof if you raise the volume enough to compete with drums. That said, do not take my word for it. MF has a return policy, as do many online vendors. Try it, and if it works for you, wonderful! But I think the otehr suggestions in this thread will make you happier in the long run, even if it's just in terms of resale value. Good luck! "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmaster Posted January 12, 2004 Author Share Posted January 12, 2004 so are you saying that the PSR isn't a very good idea? is the price the same at Guitar Center as it is at MF? cause I thought they were affiliated aren't they? anyway...I'm gonna check prices around here and when I get however much it's gonna cost I'll test it out my band's site www.freewebs.com/prophet_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Tim- Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 I got my Dad a PSR292 for Christmas. He's 74, has hearing aids in both ears, is tone deaf and has never played a musical instrument. He has worked hard on his first song, "Love Me Tenderly" (that's what he calls it) and he really likes this unit. IMO it's definitely NOT a pro unit. You would be much better off getting a used pro synth. As far as amplification goes, you could practice through headphones but trying to play through the PA at (at church in your case) doesn't usually work out. You would need some kind of amplifier or monitor so you can hear yourself independent of the FOH mix. I've tried it and it didn't work for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Rhythm Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 Bassmaster, Do you have a music store near you that carries used keyboards? If you do, that would be a good place to start. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmaster Posted January 14, 2004 Author Share Posted January 14, 2004 1) the sound system at church does have monitors with it would that do good? 2) the music store that does carry keyboards (not the one I go to) but I don't know if they have used ones..I'll have to check sometime my band's site www.freewebs.com/prophet_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.