Looking for a cheap keyboard to do bass synth sounds

[bwardmusic]

I'm a bass player in an 80's pop band, and I find that on many of the songs, my traditional electric bass guitar just doesn't cut it. For example, Madonna Material Girl, Depeche Mode -- I Just Can't Get Enough, Kiss Me (Tin Tin Stephen Duffy) just don't sound as good on my four string bass as our keyboard player's bass sounds.

I would like to play these bass lines on a keyboard (I also play piano) but I don't want to invest in something state of the art -- this is for creating a bass synth sounds and not much more. They made these bass synth sounds back in the 80's, so a minimal portable keyboard would do the trick. Can anyone point me to an older portable keyboad with authentic sounding bass synth sounds suitable for an 80's pop band? One that I could probably get cheap? And that I can use as a standalone instrument on a stand (not the kind you strap over your shoulder and play like a guitar) without having to hook it up to a laptop computer?

I already checked out the Alesis Micron and its competitors, and I don't want to spend that much money....that's why I want something older and even out of date. I also have a Yamaha PSR 170 but the bass sounds are awful.

Suggestions welcome!

 

[goz211]

Welcome to the forum.

What's the budget?

 

[bwardmusic]

The budget is as little as possible but I can't compromise on the sound. A new Alesis Micron is about $300, I would like to spend less than that if I can.

 

[goz211]

Can you confirm 2nd hand is ok? Have you checked EBay or Gumtree (or whatever your local ads is called) to see what you can get a second hand Micron for?

Check your ads and post back with prices - I'm sure you'll get some help on here.

 

[bwardmusic]

Can you confirm 2nd hand is ok? Have you checked EBay or Gumtree (or whatever your local ads is called) to see what you can get a second hand Micron for?

Check your ads and post back with prices - I'm sure you'll get some help on here.

Of course I have -- eBay has a Micron for $300 new. The same deal roughly on Amazon. There aren't any used ones out there, but I've seen a few in the low 200's with knobs and adapters missing, which brings the cost up to mid-200's if you're lucky, but they go fast. Craigslist is the de facto used instrument marketplace in my town, and there is nothing of interest in the current models of lower priced synths.

But just so we aren't absorbing each other's time unecessarily, I'm looking for someone to recommend some MODELS of keyboards that are old but sound good, that I might look up as used instruments. I have done my homework on what's available -- the Akai Miniak, the Korg Micro and now the Alesis Micron -- these are the current, state of the art short, lower priced synthesizers that I think could do the job well. But none of them are cheap enough; I'd like to play less than $200. I found some vintage synth models, but it appears that the vintage ones tend to rise in price after they become obselete for a few decades.

Comments weclome from somone who knows and can answer my question.

So, if anyone has some value-added information to add to answer the question, that would be great.

 

[bwardmusic]

Can you confirm 2nd hand is ok? Have you checked EBay or Gumtree (or whatever your local ads is called) to see what you can get a second hand Micron for?

Check your ads and post back with prices - I'm sure you'll get some help on here.

Of course I have -- eBay has a Micron for $300 new. The same deal roughly on Amazon. There aren't any used ones out there, but I've seen a few in the low 200's with knobs and adapters missing, which brings the cost up to mid-200's if you're lucky, but they go fast. Craigslist is the de facto used instrument marketplace in my town, and there is nothing of interest in the current models of lower priced synths.

But just so we aren't absorbing each other's time unecessarily, I'm looking for someone to recommend some MODELS of keyboards that are old but sound good, that I might look up as used instruments. I have done my homework on what's available -- the Akai Miniak, the Korg Micro and now the Alesis Micron -- these are the current, state of the art short, lower priced synthesizers that I think could do the job well. But none of them are cheap enough; I'd like to play less than $200. I found some vintage synth models, but it appears that the vintage ones tend to rise in price after they become obselete for a few decades.

So, any model recommendations that are older, but not so old they command a high price and are less than $200? (Hopefully far less than $200).

 

[goz211]

Got it - you're looking for something older that isn't currently collectable but will do the job.

Keyboard: Kawai K1

Midi module: Yamaha FB01

Both cheap and will do the job (bass synth noises).

 

[49erkid]

I have a Yamaha DX21 in excellent shape, it's a keyboard that came out in 1985, it has some great bass sounds, and you can tweak and modify the sounds on it also. I was lucky to find one in really good shape for under $200. I have seen them on EBAY for under $200. These keyboards used FM sound synthesis to produce their sounds, I think it will produce the bass sounds you are looking for. Good luck!