News:

Shipping now! "Classic Keys" book, a celebration of vintage keyboards  More...

Main Menu

If you could have 1 keyboard to do it all, what would it be?

Started by Nevets306, March 15, 2007, 03:26:17 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Nevets306

We've all been on the look for a good gigging keyboard yet with the classic sounds and  the right feel. If you could choose 1 keyboard (Nord electro/stage, motif, triton, ect...) to be the perfect gigging keyboard, what would it be or would do you already have that you would call the perfect gigging keyboard if there is one?
Rhodes Mark II Suitcase, Hammond A100 w/t Leslie 122, MXR Distortion +, Danelectro BLT Slap Echo
www.myspace.com/funkanima
www.stevebrickman.com

kitchen

The perfect gigging keyboard has yet to be made, I think. But probably never will be. With every keyboard you have to compromise. On one there are very good organs, the other has better EP's, that one plays like a dream, but sounds horrible, another one sounds and plays excellent but is way too heavy and so on.
Then again, if I was able to spend a shitload of money on just one keyboard I'd probably get the Nord Stage although I'm not happy with the feel and touch of the keyboard, but the sounds are very nice........and it's red....there you go.... a compromise :D

Kitchen
'76 Mk I Stage 73 -> 70's Small Stone

Quatschmacher

Quote from: "kitchen"
Then again, if I was able to spend a shitload of money on just one keyboard I'd probably get the Nord Stage although I'm not happy with the feel and touch of the keyboard, but the sounds are very nice........and it's red....there you go.... a compromise :D

Kitchen

I too was disappointed with the feel of these. I have an Electro Rack and had considered getting a Stage to have the larger and better samples etc (though the suitcase sample still isn't available on the Stage). Recently I had a play on a Stage at a gig just after another band's soundcheck and didn't really think they keybed was that much better than what I'm currently using. But I suppose it is a compromise. FWIW the best feeling keybed I've tried so far is a Yamaha P140. Incidentally I noticed that Bösendorfer have made a stage piano with a REAL Bösendorfer grand piano action - it has hammers and everything! I spotted it on the info pages of the Frankfurt Musikmesse (just after the Rhodes bit). Sorry that's all a bit off-topic.

Peter

Rhodesman

ya I heard its also going to cost about 30,000 if its ever produced.
76 Rhodes Mark 1 Stage 73=> Vox wah=>Morley Volume Pedal=> Arion Stereo Phaser => Vox AD100VT

Nevets306

I tried the nord stage and electro. The feel for the electro is god awfull if you want to try playing piano its a joke. But the stage is pretty good. But if your only wanting keyboard sounds and you have a small synth then whats the point of spending the extra 2k. I think either the MO8 which is still kinda heavy or the Nord electro rack with a good midi controller would be the best in my mind.
Rhodes Mark II Suitcase, Hammond A100 w/t Leslie 122, MXR Distortion +, Danelectro BLT Slap Echo
www.myspace.com/funkanima
www.stevebrickman.com

Spookyman

It depends so much of the music style you're playing.

But in my case, with funk music, that requires a lot of vintage keyboards (Rhodes, Clavinet, Organ, analog synths, etc...), the only "all in one" solutions is the Nord Stage from Clavia. It's red, powerful, compact and light. But also expensive.

But as long as i have friends who helps me to carry the original, i prefer to play on the original instruments.  :wink:
Fender Rhodes Stage 1971
Fender Rhodes Suitcase 1973

Pale

Quote from: Quatschmacher
Quote from: "kitchen"
FWIW the best feeling keybed I've tried so far is a Yamaha P140.

Peter

I have a P120 and I totally agree! It's has the best keys I ever tried. For piano playing of course, forget about organs.
Having a "one-for-all" keyboard is pretty tricky to have, if you have a good set of piano keys you can't play the organ, and vice versa. If I had to choose my rig from the scratch I would go for a MIDI-fied Rhodes, a sound module ( so I can get original Rhodes sound, and good piano sounds on the same keyboard ), and a small Nord Electro for organs and synths. But that's just me, cos I play 95% piano/Rhodes, and 5% organ/synth (possibly because I don't have the right equipmnet for organs/synth ).

IMHO, you can't have 1 keyboard for everything, you need at least 2. You can have only one keyboard if you direct your playing towards just one playing style: heavy keys for piano playing, or light keys for organ/synths. Ok, you can always have a balanced keyboard to play both styles, but IMHO with that approach both styles will suck ( I tried, I know :) )


Here's an idea: why not make a double manual keyboard, and have upper keyboard light, and bottom one hammer-graded. Add vintage keyboard samples, a few good piano samples, a good synth part and you would get a killer board. Something like the crossbreed between p120, Nord Stage and C3. :)
'80. Stage 73 Mk II

hammers

Rhodes will be the perfect gigging keyboard when antigravity is invented.
1975 Rhodes 88 Mark 1

HammondToby

To me, there are two possible solutions, beside the vintage rig:

1. Nord Stage 88 for my funk- and soulband and for my rockband, where I play vintagesounds exclusively. I got the Stage and I'm quite happy with the sound and the 18kg.

2. K2600XS for the gigs, where I have to play a lot of sounds and stuff... Hm, I've got the K2661 but I would like to have the heavy one, but I can't afford it :-(

But, I'm most happy with the great vintage rig: Rhodes, Hammond C3, Minimoog and K2661 (for Piano and the Rest).

Best regards
HammondToby
1981 MK II Stage 73 > MXR Phase 100 > Boss CE-1 >  Twin Reverb (livesetup)
1980 MK II Stage 73 > Reussenzehn Max Röhrig > Dunlop TS-1 > Boss DD6 > Roland Jazz Chorus 160 (homeuse)
http://www.myspace.com/hammondtobymusic
http://www.soulyla.de/

keysandslots

I gigged with a Rhodes and an Oberheim back in the disco days, not exactly convenient but it was fun.  A few years ago I decided to get something new.  It had to have a weighted 88 key action, good pianos, organs and the like, a sequencer or player would be nice and it needed to be an actual synthesizer.

I went with the Yamaha S90.  The acoustic piano is great (with some tweaking), electric organs are good, pipe organs are also good, clavinets are fun, even acoustic guitar, bass and that sort of thing are all good.

I don't recommend anyone else buy one of these unfortunately for two reasons.  One is the orchestral sounds have sampled vibrato, very inconvenient.  The other is the synthesizer user interface is really archaic, my old Korg Wavestation was easier to use.

Randy
Some of my stuff can be checked out at tune and tune and CD and even tune

BJT3

I agree, no one keyboard out is perfect for everything. If I had to gig with just one, I'd probably get a Yamaha Motif ES for lack of better options. I like the sound of the Korg Oasys, but it doesn't seem like it's built for gigging. Right now I've got the Kurzweil PC1x for my Piano, the Rhodes (obviously), the Hohner D6 clav, and a Hammond A100 (no leslie yet). I haven't been gigging lately so I've been using a Korg Oasys PCI card to fill in the "synth" gap (great sounding card btw). I'd like to eventually get a Hammond XK-3 to run into a leslie for a more portable "B3" sound, a Moog synth, and a couple of synth modules.
1978 Mark I Stage Piano 88
1970 Wurlitzer 200
Hohner D6 Clavinet
1961 Hammond A100 Organ
1977 Fender Twin Reverb (Blackfaced)

dom phenom

i would probably have to say a keytar of some sort.  the best way to gig is to play exclusively "lead" keyboard, and to do a lot of dancing.   :D

Nevets306

Rhodes Mark II Suitcase, Hammond A100 w/t Leslie 122, MXR Distortion +, Danelectro BLT Slap Echo
www.myspace.com/funkanima
www.stevebrickman.com

dantone

Hi.

I use a GEM promega 3 for everyday gigging, it is quite heavy, but still half of weight than say rhodes stage 73.

and it looks really nice, cause its kind of vintage/retro looking with wood and metal and so on.. no plastic. (exept buttons)

and the sounds are best one I´ve heard for now.  Acoustic piano is WONDERFULL!! and rhodes sounds are good also, if you record it, it sounds great. almost like real one. If you play it, it feels like your playing entirely diffrent instrument than rhodes. which is quite understandable.

exactly same thing whit wurly! sounds great, but feels really weard to play :lol:


but i think, it one of the best stage piano there is, for my opinion its the best one. :wink:
FenderRhodes 88´ suitcase mark I  -73
Rhodes 73´ stage mark I  -75
Rhodes 73´ stage mark I "another one" -78
Wurlitzer 200. -73
Wurlitzer 200A
Wurlitzer 200B
Wurlitzer 206A
Clavinet D6
Clavinet D6 "another one"
Clavinet D6 "third one"
Clavinet I
Weltmeister Claviset
Yamaha CP-60M

martin

I have a nord stage compact, and although the action is very light compared to my Rhodes it is worth getting used to. it is a comprimise, and i think digital keyboards will always be. i can get on the bus with my nord and the kc60, but with the Rhodes? forget about it!!!!!!!!!!!
'77 stage rhodes mark 1>'73 traynor ygl3a mark III>'60's selmer pa100sv>Wurly200a>Nord Stage Compact>hh ma100>1x12 fane twin cone speaker>smartlight pa>2xhz speakers>selmer pa100>Samson Auro D210 active pa cab

Rob A

Watch this and tell me the perfect gigging keyboard is not the Yamaha KX5 (plus stand).

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-jpr3oe96JU

MrDuke

I've had the Electro for quite a while now, and when played through a nice vintage amp, at first it (the Rhodes sounds, I mean) sounded pretty convincing. However, recently my "ears have opened up more" and I've come to the conclusion that the sound is actually pretty darn weak. The same thing with the Stage, which is also ridiculously expensive. The Clavinet and the Hammond are still the best in the Nord, I think tho.

In my opinion, from workstations/keyboards/synths, the new Yamaha MOTIF XS has the best Rhodes sound out there!