Casio PX 560 or Roland FA 08

[Tommymidnight]

Hi folks,

Really appreciate some input.

Here in New Zealand I can currently buy a new Casio PX 560 with stand and tripple pedal or a secondhand Roland FA 08 for the same price. I cant source many of the other options you might suggest for the same price, or find them second hand, so those are my 2 options.
What would you pick and why?
After thoroughly checking every forum thread and review about these two, I've
found it really hard to choose.
I think if the tones of the Roland are truly superior (especially regarding Rhodes and Hammond) I'll go that way, but if that's more subjective I may go Casio...

Casio pros:
New with warranty
Speakers
Touch screen
Easy interface and intuitive system for new user
More piano like keybed (or is it?)
Comes with stand that makes it appear more piano like (along with internal speakers these things will encourage more use from wider family, which is a good thing)

Roland pros:
Better sequencer
Loop record function (huge bonus for me for writing)
More midi functionality
Some sampler ability
More physical controls for applying real time effects

 

[John Garside]

Difficult decision.
I chose the PX-560, love it.

 

[Biggles]

Apples and Pears.

If it was my cash then for not much more that the price of a PX you could buy a Roland Juno DS88 and a small Amp or a pair of Monitor Speakers. Your Rockshop currently has the PX at $1900 and the Juno DS 88 at $2000, if you do not need the 88 keys then the Juno DS 61 is $1500.

IMHO a Juno is a much better option for flexibility all round.

 

[happyrat1]

Between the two, if it's in mint condition, I'd choose the Roland, hands down...

Gary

 

[Biggles]

.
This is a double post !!!!!!
.

 

[happyrat1]

I start with the oldest and work my way up to the newest

Gary

 

[Biggles]

Gary

A new Casio in New Zealand is $1800 whereas a new Juno DS is either $1500 or $2000.

I certainly would not spend that sort of cash on a used FA.

 

[John Garside]

A new Casio PX560 is just 750 pounds now, here in the UK.
The keybed is very piano like in my opinion, but this is a very subjective thing.
I bought the stand and pedal board too and found it very easy to set up.
I'm very pleased with my purchase.
The hex layer editing is very clever, again IMO.
No regrets but, as always, it's what you want out of a keyboard, not what I want.

 

[happyrat1]

Here in Canada the Casio sells for $1500 CDN

Casio PX-560BE Privia Digital Piano - Home Digital & Hybrid Pianos - Pianos & Keyboards | Cosmo Music

<p>The PX-560 is the latest edition to Casio's Privia Pro line. Featuring many of the sound design elements of the award winning PX-5S, the PX-560 adds new tones, user-programmable rhythms, built-in speakers, all centered around an amazing, easy-to-use 5.

cosmomusic.ca

The FA08 sells for $2600 CDN

Roland FA-08 88-Key Music Workstation - Keyboards & Synths - Pianos & Keyboards | Cosmo Music

<p>Roland FA-08, 88-Key Music Workstation, Weighted-Action Ivory Feel, 2,000+ Sounds, SuperNATURAL Synth Engine, DAW Control, USB Connectivity.</p> <p>Includes: FA-08 Music Workstation, SD Card, SD Card Protector, AC Adaptor & Power Cord, Quick Start.</p>

cosmomusic.ca

Like I said, IF it's in mint condition, the Roland is a no brainer..

Gary

 

[Biggles]

Yep

Bonners here in the UK have: -

Casio PX 560 @ £750

Juno DS
61 @ £587
76 @ £719
88 @ £797

FA 08 new is £1328

 

[happyrat1]

Since the Op said he was unable to test drive other models, given the choice of FA or PX for the same money, the FA is vastly superior.

It all boils down to the condition of the used FA.

If it's clean and has no issues I definitely say go for it!!!

Gary

 

[Becky]

.
This is a double post !!!!!!
.

I've merged the two topics now

 

[Tommymidnight]

I've merged the two topics now

Thanks Biggles sorry about the double post, I'm not sure how I did that. Thanks for merging.

 

[Tommymidnight]

Gary

A new Casio in New Zealand is $1800 whereas a new Juno DS is either $1500 or $2000.

I certainly would not spend that sort of cash on a used FA.

Wouldnt a mint condition FA be superior to a new Juno DS? In these forums I thought there was somewhat consensus that the FA had better sounds and significantly better functionality than the Juno DS.

 

[happyrat1]

Like i said, if the FA is in mint condition then yes it's a better deal than a PX-560 or a DS88 for the same money.

It has a proper sequencer, more Supernatural voices and greater flexibility as a workstation.

If it's mint goferit...

Gary

 

[Tommymidnight]

Well here's the rub then:
He says its as new except... the top 3 keys stick sometimes
Thats not major and doesnt cost much to fix but obviously my worry is has that happened because of an injury or because its a buggy model etc.

If thats only issue im not fussed but its out of town so cant try before I buy

 

[happyrat1]

Here's my checklist for buying used gear.

1) Cosmetic imperfections. Stains, scratches, dents, signs of abuse.

2) Functionality. Every key, button, slider and knob as well as all input and output jacks MUST be functional.

3) What was the history of the board. Was it hauled from gig to gig or has it sat in a studio all of its life? How old is it?

Sounds to me like it was gigged and gigged hard. That's why he's selling so cheap.

IMHO I'd suggest giving it a pass, especially if there's no warranty and no way to try before you buy.

Your best bet might be to buy a new DS88 with an easy return warranty if you have to buy it on the web.

Personally I'd never spend $1500 on a pig in a poke.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

BTW if the top 3 keys are sticky then I'd suspect it's been dropped by a roadie a few times resulting in possible frame damage. Not a fixable problem without serious hardware hacking.

Gary

 

[Tommymidnight]

Thanks Gary,

You're giving good advice. The reservation I have about the DS88 is I dont think the sounds are as good and I'm not sure it has the same loop record functions as rhe FA 08. Between the PX 560 and the DS 88 id decided on the PX 560 and then this FA 08 came along and now I'm a little torn...

 

[happyrat1]

Personally I own a DS88. I can say while the Casio may have one or two better pianos, the DS88 has it beat with 1400 sounds built in, (much better synths and orchestrals and brass and woodwinds) plus it has a built in vocoder, allows sampling, and has a large library of downloadable patches free from Roland. It also allows superlayers of up to 16 simultaneous patches.

While it lacks a full sequencer, it does have a very good step sequencer and most people do a better job sequencing using a computer or tablet anyway.

By comparison the PX-560 has none of these features except for a cheezy built in song sequencer.

That's my $0.02