He mentioned a budget of $1000 CDN. That rules out a Juno DS88 ($1450 CDN)
Ouch, yes, didn't realize it was so much more Canadian. I think that means the answer to the question of "within budget, what self-contained 88 weighted board can I get that I can play user samples from" is... none.
And a Studiologic Controller would run him most of what he'd spend on a module.
...but if he goes with a controller to trigger sounds in his computer (or perhaps iPhone/iPad if he has one), he doesn't have to spend on a module. Using a computer may not be his preference, but he is open to it, and at budget, compromises will have to be made.
Likewise the Casio MZ line are arrangers without hammer action and still not cheap. He COULD afford a Juno DS61 ($999 CDN) as a second board but it would be synth action with 61 keys and it would still basically be a ROMpler.
DS61 and Casio MZ would both work fine as second boards above a Casio 88, to provide a much wider range of sounds, pitch bend, the ability to play his own sampled sounds from the keyboard, plus the advantage of having hammer and non-hammer actions. I was suggesting these as adjunct to (rather than replacement for) the 88. Though if 88 weighted is not a must, yeah, he could play with just the 61. (He did say "preferably" 88 weighted keys, so it sounds like there is some flexibility there.) Juno DS is also available in a 76.
Based on budget, yes, DS61 is more viable than Casio, but in general, don't let the arranger moniker fool you, you don't have to use the MZ arranger features, it's still a very capable performance board.
An aftermarket MIDI pitchbend and mod wheel might be added on at a later date as budget permits without having to spring for an entirely different keyboard.
Do you know of anyone who currently makes such a thing?
For the time being however, I think the most useful, budget minded, single piece of kit he could add to start is a module.
I think you're assuming he wants "synth" sounds, whereas you can also read his post as simply wanting a wider range of rompler or "bread and butter" sounds. Summary: He wants...
...to "use the keyboard as if it were a regular piano just with more sounds"
..."pitch shifter" (I'm assuming he means pitch bend, and not transpose.)
..."take a sample of any sound and have it available at every pitch along the keys"
Assuming his Casio 88 does NOT have a pitch wheel, no module fits the bill. If he does have a pitch wheel, then Blofeld might work. But if he wants a wider range of typical rock/pop gigging sounds, I'm not sure Blofeld is the sound source of choice. Also, without a keyboard with real controller functions, real-time patch selection on the Blofeld might be an issue. Also, if he intends to still use the Casio 88 for some sounds, integrating the two could cause complications (i.e. changing a sound on the Casio may send an undesired patch change to the module).
Looking beyond those three items, there are also these, which seem not required but preferred...
..."88 weighted keys"
..."not need a computer with me"
This gets trickier because, in budget, I think you can get one or the other , but not both.
...You can get the 88 weighted keys with pitch bend, but to get a wide range of sounds
and the sample playing functions, you'll need a computer (or iPad/iPhone).
...You can avoid taking the computer with you if you choose the Roland DS, but now (within budget) you no longer have 88 weighted keys. Unless you use that AND the Casio 88.
