61 or 73/76/88???

[JoshuaLT]

Hi Everyone,

I've recently moved to the other side of the world (Sydney, Australia to London, England), settling in nicely. Since it was and still is almost impossible for me to bring one of my keyboards from home to me - it's actually cheaper for me to buy one over here - I have started looking and would like to purchase one as soon as possible.

I'm used to using a Roland RD700GX and a Yamaha Motif XF7 (which are back in Australia) and would like a keyboard of similar quality in terms of sounds and key-bed. My issue is the weight of said keyboards as I don't have a car and don't intend to get a car while in London which means I'll be using the public transport system. Since weight is an issue, there are a limited number of full size-ish (73/76/88) keyboards I could get that are possible for a single person to transport regularly, Nord keyboards appear to be the only ones around the quality I'm familiar with.

I should also mention that I have gigged with a 61 key midi controller back in Sydney but I was only using synth sounds through MainStage and didn't need to carry around my full rig - just a laptop and small keyboard.

So my question is ...
a) Should I compromise and go with a 61 key keyboard (e.g. Nord Electro 4d w/ drawbars and semi-weighted keys) or stick with keyboards closer to full size?
b) Any other keyboards that you could recommend (with links to the product)? Keep in mind that it's got to be manageable for a single person to take on public transport.
c) If you have experience with gigging with a 61 key keyboard, could you enlighten me as to how it's different from a full-size keyboard from a gigging musicians perspective (pros and cons)?

I'm mainly interested in the responses to c) but would also like opinions to a) and b)

I know someone will ask about a budget on this eventually, so I'm going to say £1000-£1500.

Thanks in advance,
Joshua

 

[happyrat1]

Casio Privia PX-5S weighs under 25 lb.

Or Korg Kross 88 just under 28 lbs.

Plus both of them can run on batteries should you want to do a little tubeway busking

Here's a side by side comparison.

The last guy seems a bit biased toward the Korg but his review is pretty spotty. One thing I can say is that the Casio has far better user support than the Korg with oodles of downloadable free patches over on http://casiomusicforums.com

Gary

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I think a major consideration as to how many keys to get would be the type of music you intend to play on the keyboard.

For instance, if you're mainly a pianist and intend to play pieces that were composed for a piano, then you'll likely want 88 keys-- although 76 keys might be enough to handle the specific pieces that you want to play.

On the other hand, if you're more of an organist or synth player, then 61 keys may be all you need.

Note that most non-keyboard instruments-- guitars, basses, violins, flutes, saxophones, trumpets, etc.-- are limited to specific ranges of notes they can play, so if you want to use the keyboard to play specific types of instrument sounds, then you might want to look at the number of octaves those instruments can play, and make sure the keyboard has enough octaves to handle those ranges.

On the other hand, if you intend to split the keyboard into two or more zones so you can play two or more instrument sounds at once, then you might want to get a keyboard that has more keys so each zone can potentially be larger.

 

[CowboyNQ]

c) If you have experience with gigging with a 61 key keyboard, could you enlighten me as to how it's different from a full-size keyboard from a gigging musicians perspective (pros and cons)?

Hey Josh,

I use 61-key instruments in both my bands.

Pros:
- Modern ones are light as a feather - very good for transporting, and you need a less robust stand
- Smaller size means they fit in more places. Real estate can be at a premium at some venues. A bit easier to manipulate when transporting too.
- The ones I use sound fantastic - smaller/lighter does not need to mean inferior sound quality
- Cheaper than the equivalent 73/76/88 key models (where such a thing exists). With your budget you can get some absolute beauties.

Cons:
- 61 key instruments generally will NOT have a weighted action. Makes them a bit crap for playing piano.
- Smaller keyboard means you might have to make some "decisions" about re-arranging some songs you might attempt.
- Some keyboard snobs don't think they're the real deal. "Feels like a toy, man". Whateva, bro!
- Things get a little cramped if you want to play splits. Doable, though - again a bit of clever decision making may be called for.

Hope that helps mate,

Paul

 

[JoshuaLT]

Thanks for the links happyrat1 I'll be checking those keyboards out this weekend.

I think a major consideration as to how many keys to get would be the type of music you intend to play on the keyboard.

This is why I'm unsure about 61 key keyboards as I have played (in Australia) and intend to play in the UK with a variety of bands -- so anything really ... jazz, fusion, pop, rnb, etc. So I'm really wondering if I'd be happy with a 61 key keyboard for gigging and rehearsals simply because they're easier to transport.

Some keyboard snobs don't think they're the real deal. "Feels like a toy, man". Whateva, bro!

I totally get what you mean, I've met my fair share of keyboard snobs!! Ideally I'd like to have a full size/weighted 88 key keyboard but that just seems impractical for me considering I'm using public transport and have to carry it everywhere. With the boards I have back home in Australia the weight isn't much of an issue because I drove everywhere but now having no car is really making a difference. I also agree with your comment about the real-estate in some venues, I've played at some places where my keyboards are as wide as the stage.

Thanks

 

[JoshuaLT]

Just updating everyone on the outcome ...

I've ordered a Nord Electro 4D (61 keys) because even though it's at the top end of my budget it's light, has great sounds ... and drawbars!!! It should arrive by the end of the week.

Thanks

 

[CowboyNQ]

Great 'board! I'm jealous - enjoy.