daveyboy909 Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 Hi, I'm new to the forum and I really dont know alot of technical jargon about electric pianos. Im 17 and I've been playing the piano for about 5 or 6 years and I have only ever had a regular acoustic piano but now i've started a band and i'm looking for my first electric stage piano. The Roland RD700 sx was recommended to me but I think it's a bit too pricy (also, the guy who recommended it has a deal with roland!). The yamaha S90es also seemed a bit expensive. Really, I'm looking for something under £1000 ($1755), but I still want really good quality piano sounds and a realistic piano feel along with decent organ sounds and hopefully some good other synth kind of sounds for a couple of dance songs my band do on top of the usual beatles and travis stuff lol. What about models like the yamaha p90 or the roland rd700 or the roland rd300 sx - would you recommend any of these or are there any others that you would recommend? I don't want an inferior model because I dont want to wish I had waited and saved for something better once i buy something. Would I be as well to just save and fork out on the RD700 sx or the 90ES? Id really appreciate some help with this. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daBowsa Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 Hi, and welcome to the Corner! Personally, I didn't like the action on RD300SX and the P90 won't give you "decent organ sounds" nor "other synth kind of sounds." Check out prices on an S90. Since the S90ES came out, stores are getting rid of their S90 stock at some great prices. The S90 has superb action and great sounds - plus its completely expandable so as your tastes change, you can download new sounds or add new hardward expansion boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveyboy909 Posted March 20, 2006 Author Share Posted March 20, 2006 thanks alot for your help, taking your advice i've just contacted a few music shops but none seem to have the S90 in stock, saying that they have replaced it with the S90es. Do you know how much I would expect to pay for the S90 if i do find it? Any more suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daBowsa Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 In USD, between $1300 and $1400 new. Used via eBay, between $900 and $1100 depending on condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveyboy909 Posted March 21, 2006 Author Share Posted March 21, 2006 Thanks for that, are there any other models that you suggest I try out, or can anyone else suggest any models that I should take a look at? Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Horne Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 How 'bout a second hand Yamaha P120 or a P200? The piano sounds would be very good, there would be a handful of B3 sounds and .... are there any usable 'synth' sounds in the GM bank? I don't own either and what I do own, the P250, is a bit too expensive for the limit you gave. I would think a good second hand keyboard would be the way to go. If you don't have jobs lined up to pay for the keyboard, it makes sense to start good but slowly in your purchase. I would think a P120 would be an excellent starting keyboard. I've never been to Scotland but if it's as beautiful as England and Ireland, it has to be a great place to live. Welcome to the forum! No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message. In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMcS Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 This thread: http://www.musicplayer.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/ubb/get_topic/f/18/t/016457.html has info about a Casio Piano that seems to be getting favorable reviews. You might be able to find rebranded ones like these where you are as well: http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/ubb/get_topic/f/18/t/017440.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daBowsa Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 No digital piano (Casio, P120, etc.) is going to give you organs or synths that you'd ever want to use in public. In your price range, you could pick up a used P90, or one of the Casios, and throw a used Alesis QS6.1 or Roland XP30 on top. These ROMplers would give you the organs and synths you're looking for, and the digitial piano would give you the 88-key hammer action keybed. I guess the QS8.1 would be worth looking at also, as a standalone solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Force Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 DaBowsa, Not to contradict but my Yamaha P-200 has some very nice organ sounds.. Steve Force, Durham, North Carolina -------- My Professional Websites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Force Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 dbl. Steve Force, Durham, North Carolina -------- My Professional Websites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Horne Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 To the original poster, in addition to what everyone here recommends, be sure to spend some time in a music store with a lot of keyboards .... and be sure to know what their return policy is. You might spend a few weeks with a keyboard that sounded great in the store but then doesn't quite cut it in a rehearsal ... or on a job. (Do you have jobs lined up?) I've returned modules after a weekend and had to pay a 10% restocking fee. It was worth it because I never would have been 100% happy. Whatever you buy, you'll probably want something newer in a few years anyway. Don't be seduced by the ads ... or a fast talking salesman. If you don't live near a really big music store, take a trip to one. We've all been burned by bad equipment decisions. (My first priority is an excellent acoustic piano sound, followed by a Rhodes and then a few B3 sounds - everything else for me is icing.) I assume you will be needing an amp as well? No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message. In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon Zero Two Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 There has also been a lot of positive posts about the Kawai MP4 - running abut $1095 at Sam Ash and Musicians Fiend. Honestly you can't go wrong with the s90ES - it will cover all of the bases for many different styles. Also consider the MO8 - it doesn't have as good of a piano sound but does have all of the other motif/S90ES sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zukskywalker Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Ditto on the used P120 recommendation. It's IMHO a solidly built stage piano, has a variety of usable sounds, most notably acoustic piano, and a nice rhodes, weighs only 37 lbs., and can be had for under a grand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon Zero Two Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 P120 is 41 pounds. We strive for accurracy around here.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zukskywalker Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Ooops,sorry. You're right,40.8 lbs. Dunno where I got 37 lbs. from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveyboy909 Posted March 21, 2006 Author Share Posted March 21, 2006 Honestly, you guys on here are unbelievably helpful! I was thinking i'd be lucky to get 4 or 5 responses but this is brilliant! Thanks for all the suggestions and I'm going to a big music store at the weekend to hopefully try out all the ones you guys have mentioned so cheers for all the suggestions!!! Any more?!?! Greatful Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon Zero Two Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Probably thinking of the Roland RD300sx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Horne Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 ..... cheers for all the suggestions!!! Any more?!?! Listen to all the keyboards through a good set of headphones, try to keep the playing ground level so to speak. Also, it's quite possible that the default sounds you hear on a keyboard have been altered by a previous customer. If it possible to restore the factory settings, do that and then alter the sounds to your liking. (I've been guilty of tweaking a sound on a keyboard in a store and leaving it in the altered state.) Don't forget to ask what the return policy is (in writing) in case you discover you didn't like the purchase after all. No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message. In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOPBEEPER Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Seriously check out the Kawai MP4 or ES4.(They share the most important sounds and keybed though the MP4 has more oprgan sounds and is also a comprehensive controller) You dont want to miss out on one of the most responsive weighted actions and playable piano samples available right now at an affordable price. I are an *******(CENSORED) too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon from oz Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 A friend of mine plays many gigs overseas and he likes to use a weighted midi controller (M.Audio e.t.c.) with sound modules. Second hand modules go cheap on Ebay and a controller is lightweight and less expensive than a new stage piano/workstation. In saying that I just played a casio piano on the weekend and it was really cheap . The piano sound was alright but the organ sounded like a toy. JDP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobsk8 Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 If the action on the Roland 300SX suits you ( and I found it pretty good for he price of the keyboard)it is a good bargain with a very good piano sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daBowsa Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Originally posted by daveyboy909: ...cheers for all the suggestions!!! Any more?!?!Pay attention to what type of stand the keyboard is perched upon when evaluating the action/feel. A keyboard sitting on a cheesy single-x might feel loose and squishy, but put that keyboard on a big amp or countertop and it might feel firm and responsive. Recently, when I auditioned the RD-4073, I asked if I could bring it to the main counter to try it out. The wall brackets they had it mounted on were worthless for evaluating the keybed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveyboy909 Posted March 25, 2006 Author Share Posted March 25, 2006 Hi, Cheers for all the suggestions. I was in a big music shop tosay and I got a good chance to try out alot of different models. I spent alot of time on the Roland RD300sx and the RD700sx and I thought they sounded nice and had good action. I then spent alot of time playing the Korg SP200, SP300 and a bit of time on the SP500. I really liked the action on the Korgs and preferred this action to that of the Rolands and I thought they sounded good and seemed much better value than the Rolands. Why is it that there are so many negative comments about these Korg models on this forum? Does the piano sound not sound good when played through an amp or something? Or are the piano sounds just not good altogether on them and I just have a bad ear? The only problem I found with them is that the cheaper SP200 and SP300 don't seem to be packed with all the features that the Rolands have, but is the SP500 the answer to this problem? Cheers again, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackson Maberry Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 Im also 17 and was in exactly the same position. I wanted a Yamaha p-120, and was set on it, and totally looked past the Kawai MP4 because i was sure that the only good things Kawai made were grands like the one at my aunts house. But just out of curiosity, since it was about the same price, i looked at the MP4 and was impressed with the features and specs. So i went to http://www.purgatorycreek.com/mp3/ and listened to the MP4 compared to the p120 and various other big name stage pianos. You should try it, because it will at least let you get an idea of how their Grand piano sounds comepare to one another. I ended up buying the MP4 and it is very solidly built and sounds like a dream! "Stimulate the phagocytes." -George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackson Maberry Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 Sorry for the double post, but if you want to hear the best MP4 concert grand sound, click on the MP8 Concert Grand 1, because theyre exatcly the same. "Stimulate the phagocytes." -George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUSSIEKEYS Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 hi if you like the korgs after all your research and actually trying them then you are probably heading in that direction.nothing wrong with that after much experimenting. i have not seen the negative comments on Korg but if its not one of reliability then you may have found your "dream" it always ends up coming down to you playing it and liking what you play everything else is just talk. you have obviously now done your homework let your hands and ears do the buying. Go with what YOU feel is the best YOU'VE tried. Comments by others are here to help not to force you to buy one over another. your quest is nearing resolution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffLearman Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 Well, I just played a Korg Triton in a shop today. I REALLY hope that the grand sound had been ruined by someone, because it was tinny and unnatural and useless to me musically. If you see a used Ensoniq ZR76, give that a try. It's a 76-key weighted keyboard, has great piano sounds, as well as a wide range of other sounds. Including organ, though not one any real hammond player would be satisfied with, but fine for an occasional cover tune that needs it. Very good Leslie sim and other effects built-in. No longer made, and the company doesn't exist, but a great synth designed & built around 1998. Cost should be in the US$600-800 range. If played with a very heavy hand, the keys break in a way that causes them to clack unpleasantly but that doesn't otherwise affect the action or sound. Price should be lower if that's happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niacin Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 Korg's piano sounds are fine for rock or pop, they're just below par for jazz or solo work, imo. There's no "best" though, digital pianos from different companies sound different in the same way that acoustic pianos from different manufacturers sound different. Check out Kurzweil's PC1x if you can. Sounds are the same quality across the board as the S90/es and the electric pianos and organs are way better than the RD series or Kawai. Having said that you can add an expansion board to the RDs and Roland have just released one chock full of EPs and clavs, and the old 60s&70s JV exmpansion board has some good organs. I'd take the MP4 for jazz or solo piano work, but if you like the sound of the Korg, well they're a good reliable company and their stuff will last. Most important thing in the long term is how you feel about playing the keys - you can always add a better sound module down the track. Good luck. Gig keys: Hammond SKpro, Korg Vox Continental, Crumar Mojo 61, Crumar Mojo Pedals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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