Roland vs Yamaha question

[kevs]

Never heard of Kurzweil, ever, but I'm not Pro. Heard of Roland since they came out and Yahama forever. That said it looks great. but more than the Juno 88! I was hoping a recommedation saying I prefer this, would be.... less $.. but probably does not exitst, which shows that 1k for the Roland 88 is probably a decent deal..

 

[happyrat1]

If you want to start pricing the top of the line take a look at the Kurzweil Forte, the Korg Kronos, The Yamaha Montage and the Roland FA-08.

Those are the current flagship Workstations out there these days.

While you're at it take a look at some top of the line analog and virtual analog synths as well. Check out prices on the Moog One, The Waldorf Quantum and the DSI Prophet 12.

The Juno DS88 represents a good tradeoff between professional features and budget pricing and despite its age, is one of the best deals still on the market today.

Gary

 

[kevs]

Thanks Gary, yeah, still leaning then with the Juno 88 for what you mentioned. If I was a pro - I'd spend, 2-3k. But I have another career....visual arts.. I was initially just thinking of getting on of those $180 Yamahas, as those cheapies have gotton much better over the years, but have been sucked into going up a bit higher up... 88 keys, real piano, better sounds.... If your going to have something 5-10 years...

 

[happyrat1]

If you take good care of it, it will last 20 years or more.

Then it becomes a vintage instrument and even more valuable.

You'd honestly be surprised at how quickly the decades go by as you get older.

I've owned my Kurzweil almost 7 years now and I'm still learning new things about it every day.

Gary

 

[kevs]

I recommend the Onstage Two Tier Z-Stand that I use. It doesn't shiver or wobble a bit even when playing my hardest.

Amazon.com

For speakers I recommend M-Audio BX5 or V32 monitors as budget allows.

Amazon.com: M-Audio BX5 D3 | Powered Studio Monitor with 5" Woofer for Music Production, Recording and Audio Streaming: Musical Instruments

Buy M-Audio BX5 D3 | Powered Studio Monitor with 5" Woofer for Music Production, Recording and Audio Streaming: Musical Instruments - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

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https://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-10-Watt-Compact-Monitor-Speakers/dp/B00X741TKG/

And I STRONGLY recommend getting a custom keyboard cover from either of these guys.

LeCover | AMP Covers | Studio Covers | Official Site

Selection of amp covers, custom amp covers and stuido covers

lecover.com

ROLAND JUNO DS88

ROLAND JUNO DS88 Dust Cover by DigitalDeckCovers

www.digitaldeckcovers.com

DO NOT buy one of those stretchy, spandex, one-size-fits-all dustcovers. You may as well dump a bucket of sand on your keyboard if you use one of those.

Gary

HAPPY/ OTHERS, ANY reason to spend 80% more for the ONstage than these guys? :

Robot Check

Amazon.com: Plixio Piano Keyboard Stand - Z Style Adjustable and Portable Heavy Duty Music Stand for Kids and Adults (Fits 54 - 88 Key Electric Pianos): Musical Instruments

Buy Plixio Piano Keyboard Stand - Z Style Adjustable and Portable Heavy Duty Music Stand for Kids and Adults (Fits 54 - 88 Key Electric Pianos): Stands - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: Knox Gear Z-Style Adjustable Keyboard Stand: Gateway

Buy Knox Gear Z-Style Adjustable Keyboard Stand: Stands - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: Stellar Labs Heavy Duty Keyboard Stand (555-13830): Musical Instruments

Buy Stellar Labs Heavy Duty Keyboard Stand (555-13830): Stands - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[kevs]

Thanks Gary, appreicate tips. Are you pro or amateur like me? You have a point. I 'm sure "real" keyboard feel will get a tad better, but not so much. To appreciate value, are you sure that keyboards will follow the vintage Guitar model, do they? And even with Fenders and Gibson, they need 40 - 50 years to be considered better.. ie. "pre CBS statocaster...)

 

[happyrat1]

As far as stands go, besides being a name brand, the Onstage is rated up to 350 lbs. I don't see any wight ratings on those other stands. But if you want to attach accessories like sheet music holders and mic stands, Onstage sells a complete range of accessories for their gear.

Those other stands look a bit kludgy to set up as well. The Onstage knobs and screws have a good feel to them.

As far as vintage keyboards go, I'm not pro but a very dedicated amateur and if you take a look at craigslist or ebay these days you'll see a lot of 30 year old boards, especially analog stuff, selling for close to what they cost new.

A good quality workstation doesn't really depreciate as fast as a car or a stereo or other electronic equipment these days.

3 to 5 years from now you could still recoup anywhere from 60% to 80% of your purchase price on the Juno as long as it's in good condition.

Sometimes the price even goes up in the meantime.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

BTW,, I had to collect on a warranty once on one of my Onstage stands. One of the retaining nuts for the second tier had a defective weld and worked its way loose. Onstage shipped me an entire new two tier z stand to replace it without having to ship anything back. Onstage ships with like a two or three year warranty. I made my claim 6 months after I bought it.

I ended up selling the defective stand at a slight discount and pocketed the difference.

So sometimes it pays to pay for quality. Check the warranties on the no name stands you listed.

Also check if you have to ship it back to China to collect on the warranty

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

BTW, the single tier Onstage is $40 cheaper than the two tier you listed.

Since those other stands are single tier it is more fair to compare with the single tier Onstage.

Amazon.com: On-Stage KS7350 Pro Heavy-Duty Folding-Z Keyboard Stand: Musical Instruments

Buy On-Stage KS7350 Pro Heavy-Duty Folding-Z Keyboard Stand: Stands - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Also, the single tier Onstage breaks down to a more compact form for transport.

I also prefer that the Onstage is double braced crossways instead of single braced like the cheaper stands.

Gary

 

[Biggles]

It does not make much sense buying a $1k keyboard then putting it on a $20 X stand.

A quality make will have good welds, a cheap X stand will more than likely have tack or spot welds, additionally you may wish to look at keyboard stands collapsing on Youtube, watch a couple then you will disregard X stands.

So do buy quality and do buy a two tiered stand, you will need one at some point, one keyboard is just not enough.

I am an ardent fan of Hercules Z stands, music stands, mike stands, guitar stands, all mine are Hercules and all are far more robust than anything else that I have seen.

You get what you pay for.

 

[kevs]

BTW,, I had to collect on a warranty once on one of my Onstage stands. One of the retaining nuts for the second tier had a defective weld and worked its way loose. Onstage shipped me an entire new two tier z stand to replace it without having to ship anything back. Onstage ships with like a two or three year warranty. I made my claim 6 months after I bought it.

I ended up selling the defective stand at a slight discount and pocketed the difference.

So sometimes it pays to pay for quality. Check the warranties on the no name stands you listed.

Also check if you have to ship it back to China to collect on the warranty

Gary

Oh assembly. I bought a Fender Guitar barstool recently and returned it, the assembly would have taken 3 hours or more-- super complicated, tons of nuts/ screws, endless- who would know?. So later Guitar Center did it later for free for me- and I drove it home. There are complaints on ON Stage about this (I'm sure other brands have some complaints) Only thing with this, is even if GC assembled one for me, my car cannot fit it to take home! So I would get the ONStage one based on your blessing. How many minutes did it take you to assemble? Anything over 10 min, is too annoying.. but can't fit this in car.. if someone does it for me..? Rent an Uber Van? Maybe get friend with truck

BTW,, I had to collect on a warranty once on one of my Onstage stands. One of the retaining nuts for the second tier had a defective weld and worked its way loose. Onstage shipped me an entire new two tier z stand to replace it without having to ship anything back. Onstage ships with like a two or three year warranty. I made my claim 6 months after I bought it.

I ended up selling the defective stand at a slight discount and pocketed the difference.

So sometimes it pays to pay for quality. Check the warranties on the no name stands you listed.

Also check if you have to ship it back to China to collect on the warranty

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

Once you've done it a couple of times or watched the video I posted earlier in this thread, assembling the entire two tiers takes less than 10 minutes. Assembling the single tier version involves unscrewing and tightening two knobs. That's it. Less than two minutes.

But what I was talking about was manufacturer's quality control and stuff that comes under warranty coverage.

Get a no name stand and you get a no name warranty and like Biggles said, welding is substandard and fit and finish don't match up to a quality product. And god help you if you have to ship it back to China to collect your refund or get a warranty replacement.

Onstage has major distributors who handle warranty claims in every country.

If it's really worth it to you to save $40 and watch your thousand dollar Juno crash to the floor then make your decision wisely.

There are no do-overs.

Gary

 

[Biggles]

 

[kevs]

Once you've done it a couple of times or watched the video I posted earlier in this thread, assembling the entire two tiers takes less than 10 minutes. Assembling the single tier version involves unscrewing and tightening two knobs. That's it. Less than two minutes.

But what I was talking about was manufacturer's quality control and stuff that comes under warranty coverage.

Get a no name stand and you get a no name warranty and like Biggles said, welding is substandard and fit and finish don't match up to a quality product. And god help you if you have to ship it back to China to collect your refund or get a warranty replacement.

Onstage has major distributors who handle warranty claims in every country.

If it's really worth it to you to save $40 and watch your thousand dollar Juno crash to the floor then make your decision wisely.

There are no do-overs.

Gary

thanks Gary, good point, will do.

 

[kevs]

Final quesiton Gary/ others. BEnch, is not as complex as stand, but, any favorite benches? All they all about same height? And also, buying used? I've bought some mint Statocaster and Martin guitars recently and it turned out well. There are a couple of Roland 88 at $800 online (20%) savings. Would you go mint/ near mint used with Keyboards?

 

[happyrat1]

I wouldn't buy a Juno DS88 for a 20% discount used. The warranty is worth more than that. If you can get it for 30% off or less then I'd say go for it.

As for a bench? Use a kitchen chair, a stool or any bench you want. It's just a place to plant your ass. Not a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea.

Gary

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I went with an On Stage bench with a padded seat that lifts up so you can store music books or other stuff inside. I keep my extra cables, adapters, and interfaces in it so they're handy.

 

[Biggles]

There is an irony that we keep going on about buying a top quality stand to put our keyboards on and yet put out own respective ass on anything handy!

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I think it's this one:

On-Stage - Flip-Top Keyboard/Piano Bench - KB8902B - Storage

An attractive complement to any piano or keyboard, our KB8902B Flip-Top Keyboard/Piano Bench features a hinged seat that lifts to reveal a compartment perfect for storing sheet music, metronomes, and other accessories. The seat cushion is soft yet firm and has a ventilated cover to provide cool...

on-stage.com

 

[happyrat1]

Michael >>> That's the same seat I linked a few pages back when this topic first came up. Honestly I'm not crazy about having to repeat myself over and over in this thread. The OP should go back to the beginning and READ CAREFULLY!!!

Amazon.com: On-Stage KB8902 Flip Top Keyboard Bench, Black: Musical Instruments

Buy On-Stage KB8902 Flip Top Keyboard Bench, Black: Musical Instruments - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Gary