keyboard and amp help please

[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-

[Tim Armstrong]

Keyboard amps are a little more hi-fi than guitar amps, and often make good amps for acoustic guitars. Having said that, you certainly CAN run a keyboard through a guitar or bass amp, and a bass amp with an "active" imput would be good as keyboards usually put out a line-level signal (a bit hotter than a guitar signal).

Cheers, Tim

[Michael]

... the bass amp should be fine, as Tim said. Relative to the number of keys, if you're buying a keeper keyboard you probably should go for the full 88, just as a regular piano would have. If it's one for learning/deciding you probably don't need the full keyboard. There are many weighted action controllers on the market; I'm sure you'll be able to find the required features at an attractive price. Good luck!

[Mojohand40]

I used to be into keyboards way back when (late 80's)..
Anyway, Tim is right.
I would suggest using a bass amp. I used a big old Peavy bass amp head and cabinet back then and sometime just a bass combo.
As for how many keys...welll, I don't have any boards anymore, except for my digital piano (which of course has 88)...
but I would say go for 88 full size and weighted keys if you can. Especially if he decides to take piano lessons.

Sounds like fun!

[stevedenver]

this is helping a lot
keep em coming-
88 keys it is ($500 over the 61 key version!)

[beep.click]

This may sound like overkill, but the "crossover" amp for acoustic guitar and keyboards would probably be a small P.A. rig. For both of those instruments, you are typically looking for an amplifier that doesn't add color; something that JUST makes it loud.

I recently got a Mackie powered P.A. monitor; I'm looking forward to trying that with keyboards. It won't be high volume, but that's not what I'm after.

Yes, keyboards are tech-y, but quality counts, and as you might expect, a quality instrument is a joy to use. I have a Kurzweil controller with 88 weighted keys, that also has a nice array of built-in sounds; stupid expensive, but worth it. If I had to buy anything again, I'd look at Kurzweil first.

Oh yeah, that Kurzweil was also the instrument I bought to learn on. Because I know that my motivation goes up at least 3,000%, on a good instrument....

[stevedenver]

i was thinking about a kurzweil...ill think harder...and thanks about the cross over info-

[martyb1]

One big thing to consider is if he will want to take it places
The keyboard player in the trio I play in has tried just about every keyboard/controller there is.
Just remember that with midi,you are never stuck with the internal sounds.
Back to the keyboard player,with all the boards he has tried,he tells me to this day,there is nothing that has the action like a real piano like the "OLD" Roland RD series keyboards.The only reason he stopped using his was because of the weight.Keep in mind,if you want it to play like a piano,it will be heavy.All the new "weighted key" boards that are light play better than a non weighted board,but do not play like a real piano
Oh and by the way,he still uses his RD-300 at home where he doesn't have to move it

[CSS]

The Peavey KB300 is a fine keyboard amp. 15" Scorpion speaker with a wide horn. Great sound, 3 channels I think. A little heavy but makes up for it in sound.

[pengipete]

If he's only going to be playing at home - at least to begin with - then I'd put the money into the keyboard and the useful extras like a good stand and some decent music books or a few lessons.

It's easy to run the keyboard through a regular stereo and the sound will be everything you need without the huge volume. The Yamaha's have a EQ setting that you can use to match the output to various scenarios - headphones, external amp etc - and by adding a small mixer he'll have a perfect way to mix output from the keyboard with a PC, mp3 player or other instruments (like your guitars)

I'd wait on the amp until he's familiar with the keyboard and decides if he's ever going to play outside of the house. By then he'll most likely know what he wants cos he'll be on the forums like his old man.

[gibsonjunkie]

I'd second a Peavey keyboard amp. I have the KB 100 with three inputs - enough for the keyboard, an acoustic and a mic for vocals. Works great!

(But I'd also focus on the keyboard first and then worry about the amp later).

[stevedenver]

thanks im listening to all of you
and checking the thread here every so often

i know he'll play out as he is already doing so as a guitarist and he loves to write tunes

[stevedenver]

any issues with a Roland Juno G-seem to have very good reviews

[graphs]

My band in high school used a big Peavey KB300 and it was great. A bit heavy as was mentioned but it was great not to have to use up PA headroom for the drum machine and synths.

As for number of keys, if your son is in to actual piano playing then a good 88 key weighted keyboard would be wise but if he's into synthesizer or electric piano or organ playing then a 76 key model would be more than adequate.

[stevedenver]

did it-yamaha 88 portable grand-

[bluetele54]

...with a 15" has some nice EQ,and they sound fairly solid for keys...

[emu!]

All the keyboardists I hang around tell me that a good keyboard will have a real piano-like feel to the keys. Meaning, when you touch a key softly, it plays softly, when you slam your fingers down on the keys, you will get a louder output. The more expensive keyboards like Kurzweil and Korg are famous for this. Although your son might not care about this, it could be something to consider if he is going to get real serious.

[stevedenver]

Originally Posted by emu!

All the keyboardists I hang around tell me that a good keyboard will have a real piano-like feel to the keys. Meaning, when you touch a key softly, it plays softly, when you slam your fingers down on the keys, you will get a louder output. The more expensive keyboards like Kurzweil and Korg are famous for this. Although your son might not care about this, it could be something to consider if he is going to get real serious.

actually it is this very feature that makes this elec piano so great-it has variably weihgted keys and hammers like a grand