Best compromise between controller and digital piano?

[Rdub]

Hi again,

 

I posted a while back asking about opinions on digital piano's and got some very useful responses. I eventually decided that i would pick up a used P90 or a new casio px400r depending on which board i could find the best deal on.

 

My plan to finance my digital piano purchase included selling my old yamaha 61 key controller (which i did'nt really care for and wanted to get rid of anyway). Now i've started thinking recently that the while the main reason i wanted to pick up a digital piano was to learn to actually play piano, i might still want something that could function well as a controller to use with reason and softsynths and the like. I'm not going to have the cash to pick up a dedicated synth action controller/synth for some time now (saving as we speak to pick up an ION) so perhaps i should look more towards something that can do double duty.

 

The bottom line is i'm a neophyte player so i wonder if perhaps the quality of the main grand piano sounds on something like the p90 would be wasted on me. I'd still like something with decent action that would allow me to develop my "chops" (is that the right context to use the term in?). But i'd really like something that would also serve me well as a controller.

 

Keep in mind that i'm a starving student and so i'd realllllly like to keep things under the USD $750 range.

 

So what are my options?

 

do i forget about built in sounds and go for something like the kx-88?

 

do i take my chances with the mediocre action and get a new m-audio KSpro-88

 

PC1X?

SP88x?

A90?

Great deal on used s80?

Something else?

 

ARRRRGGGHHHHH! (in case you could'nt tell i'm very confused and frustrated at this point! i just want to find the right thing and start learning to play and make music again!)

 

Anyway, i'm sure everyone here is burned out with reccommend me a synth/digital piano type threads, but well.... one more time?

[niacin]

PC1X.

But try it out yourself. Always try stuff our yourself - you might hate the action or something. It's at least as much a matter of taste as what sounds/plays like a real piano.

good luck.