[stevedenver]

i dont play piano-

my 18 yr old son is starting-hes an avid and committed musician-he loves piano so far

i plan on buying a electirc keyboard (Yamaha Motif is high on the list so far-seems to have many good features and reviews) and possibly a keyboard amp this xmas for him

when i buy gear i buy the best i can afford -it seems to last a long time-but since keyboards are highly 'tech'-perhaps this isnt a good philosophy for this insturment


first question-if you play keyboard- how much weight should i place on 61, 76, or 88 keys-(is this like worrying about the 18th-22nd frets on a guitar?)- the cost difference is significant on any given model- i presume it is therefore important - since it will be a practice instrument and possibly performace as well-help!


second-can a keyboard run through a guitar amp-for practice purposes only? (we have many guitar amps-like to save some $$$ this season if I can-since ill need to buy a stand and seat as well)

third-how does a keyboard amp differ from a guitar amp? from a bass amp (which we have-has a 15" and a tweeter and is a SWR -would this work for a while?)

fourth is there a cross over area for an amp which whould work for BOTH accoustic guitar and keyboad applications (as he has lately been doing more accoustic guitar performance than electric-can i kill two birds with one stone -ie a fender accoustic solid state acoustic guitar amp? a behringer or Roland keyboard amp-