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[ZombiePlatypus]

When I say portable, not really thinking of size too much. (I don't mind of it stays around the 88 key range.) Just something that's self-contained in the sense that it doesn't need some external interface or speakers to start making music, and maybe could also take batteries instead of being plugged in when needed. (And won't be totally unfeasible to lug around due to weight, etc.)

Looking for a beginner's instrument so I don't need extra bells and whistles. Only feature I want is the ability to transpose keys up and down, half steps included, but it seems like this is a pretty standard offering now?

Any particular brands, or lines to look into?

 

[MayMay]

I had a Yamaha PSR-S550 for a while before I upgraded. But that was quite long ago.. not even sure if they're still selling them or what they cost nowadays. Great keyboard though.

In general, Yamaha is a good brand to look at in terms of keyboards. They've got quite a good selection of keyboards - from cheap to high end.

Edit: Maybe for beginners more something towards the PSR-E443 - a pretty good keyboard in the "lower" price segment.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

I had a Yamaha PSR-S550 for a while before I upgraded. But that was quite long ago.. not even sure if they're still selling them or what they cost nowadays. Great keyboard though.

In general, Yamaha is a good brand to look at in terms of keyboards. They've got quite a good selection of keyboards - from cheap to high end.

Edit: Maybe for beginners more something towards the PSR-E443 - a pretty good keyboard in the "lower" price segment.

Thanks. It seems like it has limited transposing abilities, but I'll keep this one in mind for sure as I look for more options.

Also should I care about weighted keys?

 

[MayMay]

No, not for a keyboard at least. If you were to buy a digital piano then weighted keys would be very important though - since they're there to imitate the hammers of a real piano so that you need some force to press the keys.

I don't even know if there's any keyboards that are fully weighted. And if there are they'd probably not be very portable.

Edit: I just checked and there's in fact a few bigger keyboards (that already kinda slide in the digital piano segment) that have fully weighted keys. They cost upwards of 1000$ though, so I'm not sure if they'd be good for beginners - unless you really care about the authentic feeling of pressing a piano key.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

No, not for a keyboard at least. If you were to buy a digital piano then weighted keys would be very important though - since they're there to imitate the hammers of a real piano so that you need some force to press the keys.

I don't even know if there's any keyboards that are fully weighted. And if there are they'd probably not be very portable.

Edit: I just checked and there's in fact a few bigger keyboards (that already kinda slide in the digital piano segment) that have fully weighted keys. They cost upwards of 1000$ though, so I'm not sure if they'd be good for beginners - unless you really care about the authentic feeling of pressing a piano key.

Oh man I...didn't even realize keyboards and digital pianos were not the same thing. Looks I've got more research and reading to do.

But thanks again for the input!

 

[MayMay]

Haha, no problem. Normal keyboards are usually more portable - they don't weigh alot and have a smaller range. Around 61 keys, or even smaller (there's some with 49 keys). They're also usually quite.. "cheap" in terms of build quality etc. Most keyboards also support a ton of different sounds/instruments and have several rythms, built-in demo songs and all that sort of stuff. So they're more of an allround thing to play around with for beginners.

Digital Pianos on the other hand tend to be alot heavier, and support up to the full range of 88 keys because alot of people use them as a replacement for a proper acoustic piano. They also have stuff like the weighted keys that make it feel more like a real piano and the build quality tends to be alot better as well. But they don't come with many extra features that keyboards come with, so they may only have very few different instruments etc.

The line is obviously a bit blurry, so there's some that are a bit inbetween - so there may be a few bigger keyboards and some smaller digital pianos.

 

[Syncytia]

I don't have the knowledge to make a recommendation but in my fairly recent experience buying a keyboard, I can say you should make sure to try out anything you are looking at. I have an Arturia Mircrobrute which I like the keys of, was thinking of picking up an Arturia Keylab and luckily I went to guitar center to check it out. Pressed one key and hated it, like, if I had bought it online it was bad enough I probably wouldn't even use it if I couldn't return it. Keybeds vary a lot in feel and in the end it does come down to personal preference so it can be make or break.

 

[Fou-Lu]

Hijacking the thread a bit, but I am looking for a good but relatively cheap 88-key digital piano to get started on.

 

[Bo Knows GAF]

Dude! You missed it I had the perfect keyboard for you on sale in the Buy/Sell/Trade thread. Anyway, I'd start with a Yamaha EZ-220

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

Haha, no problem. Normal keyboards are usually more portable - they don't weigh alot and have a smaller range. Around 61 keys, or even smaller (there's some with 49 keys). They're also usually quite.. "cheap" in terms of build quality etc. Most keyboards also support a ton of different sounds/instruments and have several rythms, built-in demo songs and all that sort of stuff. So they're more of an allround thing to play around with for beginners.



Digital Pianos on the other hand tend to be alot heaver, and support up to the full range of 88 keys because alot of people use them as a replacement for a proper acoustic piano. They also have stuff like the weighted keys that make it feel more like a real piano and the build quality tends to be alot better as well. But they don't come with many extra features that keyboards come with, so they may only have very few different instruments etc.



The line is obviously a bit blurry, so there's some that are a bit inbetween - so there may be a few bigger keyboards and some smaller digital pianos.

👍👍 That helps demystify things.

I don't have the knowledge to make a recommendation but in my fairly recent experience buying a keyboard, I can say you should make sure to try out anything you are looking at. I have an Arturia Mircrobrute which I like the keys of, was thinking of picking up an Arturia Keylab and luckily I went to guitar center to check it out. Pressed one key and hated it, like, if I had bought it online it was bad enough I probably wouldn't even use it if I couldn't return it. Keybeds vary a lot in feel and in the end it does come down to personal preference so it can be make or break.

Good call. Didn't even think of that really.

 

[jb1234]

What music are you looking to play? If you want to play music written for piano, you'll need weighted keys and 88-keys, at the very least.

 

[Alcoremortis]

I got the Yamaha DGX-650 digital piano and it's amazing. Has self contained speakers, 88 keys, weighted like a grand, and has about a thousand different sounds (including a pretty damn good ocarina if you want to try your hand at Zelda stuff). It's about a $1k , though (I found a deal on Kraft music for less), but that's nearing the cheaper end of the digital pianos that sound and feel like real pianos.

Totally satisfied customer and I'm really picky about my pianos.

 

[MayMay]

Just realized something.. there's so many OTs and community threads - but I don't think there's a Piano OT.. Would be kind of cool to have a thread for that.

 

[jb1234]

Just realized something.. there's so many OTs and community threads - but I don't think there's a Piano OT.. Would be kind of cool to have a thread for that.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=495749

The closest we have to one. It gets bumped semi-regularly.

 

[TrounceX]

Here's a pretty good deal on a nice Yamaha. $100 off with promo code: 1FEBSAVING

http://www.adorama.com/YAP115B.html?hotlink=t&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_source=rflaid62905

Fits the criteria as a decent, no frills, weighted action, full size digital piano that doesn't break the bank. I'm not sure of your budget though.

A better suggestion might be to go the ultra cheap route just to be sure you enjoy the instrument. If you're still with it in a year, upgrade to something with weighted keys and some different sounds like a DGX-650.

 

[Stinkles]

I've heard great things about the Williams Legato, and it's on sale right now at Amazon for $200


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P03P778/?tag=neogaf0e-20


I have a Casio Privia and love it.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

Thanks for all the recommendations guys. Have you guys found key transposing to be a fully featured standard offering on most? I was surprised to see after looking that it's more of an afterthought on some.

What music are you looking to play? If you want to play music written for piano, you'll need weighted keys and 88-keys, at the very least.

Mostly accompaniment for vocals. Simple, piano chords of popular songs as vocals are sung.

 

[jchap]

I think the Privia 130 is a good starter digital piano

 

[ss_lemonade]

Yamaha's P lineup seem to be good choices for digital pianos (p105, p115, etc) but they could be a bit pricey. I guess you could also go with something like the casio px-150 for a more affordable choice. I think that's what my sister uses and it looks nice and has weighted keys as well.