Best for beginner+

[Willem]

Hi.

I sort of taught myself and ask friends to show me a few songs - at that time - on piano. I was idle for a good few years and recently got bitten by the bug when playing on my wife's gran's piano.

I want to get a good keyboard to start with, but that is good enought to even use in a church worship band.

I looked at the following CASIO keyboards:

Standard Keyboard CTK-2100 (R 2000)
Standard Keyboard CTK-3000 (R 2800)

The first one's reveiwes seems to point to it being popular for kids...and I'm nearly 30.

What can you recommend.

Bear in mind I am in South Africa and I don't have alot of cash to spend.

Thanks,

Willem

 

[Skipp]

Well, all Casio keyboards are low-entry models suited for kids, and you really won't get much out of it especially if you're looking to replace the real piano.

Read this: https://www.keyboardforums.com/keyboard-sizes-t21984.html and tell us how important keyboard action is to you

 

[Willem]

Don't want to replace, I just want one that is not too expesnive and that when I practiced enough, will still sound good when playing in a worship band.

I am very new too keyboards, so your article sort of made sense to me...

Can you perhaps give me some make and models that I can have a look at on the net.

 

[Skipp]

Well... for a low price you can buy either something old(er) or something from the
entry level but new

Here's a list of some keyboards. You could take a look at the Yamaha PSR line.

I think there's the new PSR e423 in your price range

 

[Burn4Him]

look at a yamaha mm6

 

[Willem]

Thanks Burn4Him, but it is above my price range. I think the keyboard used in our church worship band belongs to the church, so when I do become good enough to play, I'll use theirs.

I want an inexpensive one, but not a cheap one. (I hope that makes sense).

What do you guys think of the YAMAHA PSR E323 or the CASIO WK-210 (Special offer). This is bascally the price range I can spend (around R 4000 (ZAR) - South African Rand).

 

[Skipp]

If those 2 are your only options - go with Casio.

More polyphony and more keys. But both are very cheap keyboards so don't expect much

 

[alt_2ooning]

Your currency of R4000 translates to $566 US dollars ….with that in mind regarding a Casio brand then check out a Casio WK 500 .
http://global.ebay.com/search?Query=casio+wk+&Region=0&PageNumber=1&SortBy=1

The WK 500 amp output is 6 Watts per speaker as compared to 2.5 Watts for a WK 210.and the PSR E323
The WK 500 has a memory card slot…the WK 210 does not
The WK 500 has a 4 speaker system the WK 210 has 2
The WK 500 and CTK 5000 accept a 2GB SD memory card whereas the PSR 323 has 373MB internal memory....the Casios memory is 6 times greater using the SD card ....a good feature if you create your own sounds for storing them.
　
The following youtube video by Paul Noble will illustrate the capabilities of the latest Casio technology within your price range…… the series of the CasioAustralia01 videos dispel the myth that Casios are mere toys.

　
Download the Manual and Appendix (Voice tones) to get an overview of the capabilities of the WK 500
http://support.casio.com/manualfile.php?rgn=5&cid=008011011

Download the Manual and Appendix to get an overview of the capabilities of the WK 210
http://support.casio.com/manualfile.php?rgn=5&cid=008011136

The Casio CTK 5000 is very similar to the WK 500 except it is 61 keys as opposed to the 72 of the WK 210 and WK 500
http://global.ebay.com/search?Query=casio+ctk+5000&Region=0

Hope this helps and have fun with your new keyboard whatever model you choose…….regards Mike

 

[Willem]

Thanks, but the WK500 retails for R 7500 in South Africa (and if I buy from Amazon there is import tax to considder which will be a good few thousand rands. Looks good though.

I have a colleague at work that has the Yamaha PSR323 and he seems to think is a good one for entry level player.

I want the best one R 4000 can buy that has touch sensitive keys and a good sound quality. I'm not too worried about having 4 speakers as oposed to 2. If I hook it up to a sound system, I'm sure it will output the same. I would would prefer 76 keys, but 61 keys is a sacrifice worth making if the 76 key sounds worse than the new Hannah Montanna keyboard at Toys R Us!!!

I have about 2 months to do my research and make an informed choice. Keep the comments and suggestions coming.

 

[alt_2ooning]

Willem the one distinct advantage that the Yamaha has over the Casio is the Midi function IN and OUT which can also hookup to a computer via a USB-MIDI Interface ......whereas the Casio has a USB port for computer hookup only.

The Yamaha regarding the 328 KB internal memory can be lost through battery removal....... the Casios need battery power also to retain the 320 KB internal memory if the trickle charge from the the 12 volt adapter is denied.....however the Casio has a memory card slot for a 2GB SD card therefore any setup you have created regarding voice and rythm can be stored in the registration memory and dumped into the memory card whereas the yamaha requires the data to be saved on a computer..

To clear unwanted memory in the Yamaha to create additional memory space is somewhat more involved and requires a computer entry...check out the manual at
http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/Documents/KeyboardsDMI/ypt320_en_om_a0.pdf

To clear the registration internal memory in the Casio then simply unplug the unit and remove the 6 D size batteries.

The registration memory in the Yamaha is 16 as opposed to 32 for the Casios.....this function enables that many user settings to be stored internally.

The polyphony of the Yamaha is 32 compared to 48 for Casio...that's a 50% increase which could make a difference in preventing notes to drop off when layering/ chorus/ reverb/ sustain functions are used.

Regarding the number of keys i.e 61 as opposed to 76 .....the 61 key lowest note is a C two octaves below middle C .....pick up any sheet music that you use and check to see if any of it goes below that two octaves below middle C.... rarely is music written outside of the 5 ocatve range of the 61 key keyboard ......albeit classical music enters into those territories ....it therefore becomes a compromise dependent on your musical preference. The 72, 76, and 88 keys are far more costly and if you never use the highest and lowest octaves of the keyboard then spending the additional money might be better put to use in a higher quality lesser key keyboard.

Keep in mind the 61 key keyboards can transpose up or down 12 semitones (1 octave) if the need is to go outside of the default range of 2 ocatves below middle C and 3 octaves above middle C.

 

[Willem]

Thanks. This really helped a lot. I'm going to a music shop on Saturday and "play" around.

61 Keys seems better then. I'm not anticipating ever playing classical music. I really want this for more modern pop/rock and more importantly praise and worship songs.

Based on the information I got so far, I am leaning towards the Yamaha PSR E323. There is a chance that the E423 might be on special at a certain shop here in my hometown, so I might just go for that.

I there are more comments too be made, please do so.

This forum is really helpful!!