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I'm looking for one of these. I want great acoustic piano sounding keyboard. Possibly with plenty of voices and sounds (possibly some synth, organ) also some effects...Something I can hook up to a computer and record with ableton. But at the same time, something that could help me learn.

I was looking at the Yamaha-YPG 535
http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail.html?CNTID=5015142

But im open to any suggestions, im also looking for it to be $400-500

I might be asking a lot, hopefully someone with a greater knowledge can help me out

thanks a lot!
Ryan

For a 400-500 DP I'd recommend the Casio PX-130. The question I ask myself though, do you want a piano or a keyboard/synth?
The YPG 535 has "Graded soft touch" with translate into keys weighing absolutely nothing.
Also note that anything that has a MIDI OUT can be used as a midi controller for your PC supported mixing & voice swapping needs.

The only concern major concern most people have with the PX-130 (other than the plastic finish on the keys) is it's piano voice. Be sure to test play it before you buy.

I have heard nothing but bad things about casio's sound.

as for as piano or synth? well, i want it to sound very close to an actual piano. But contain sounds, possible synth sounds. Does the yamaha contain a midi out?

Oh yeah, the PX-130 is pushing 600, over my budget. Any other suggestions?

Thanks for your time!

Save for a little while longer.

Seriously, you're not going to find a better instrument than the PX-130 for the price.

Cheers,
James
x

Casio could quite possibly have bad sound. When I compared it to the other keyboards in the range I listened to the dynamics of the sound (px-130 doesn't just have 4 flat levels), not the recording itself. It was enough for me and it's apparently enough for a handful of bar pianists on this board, but it probably has some flaws.

The YPG has a USB port that works just as good as a MIDI OUT.

The thing I wanted to know though, is do you want something that plays like a synth, or something that plays like a piano?
The reason I'm asking is 'cus the PX-130 is a low-priced emulation of a piano, whilst the YPG is a keyboard.

YPG535 doesn't even have hammer action. is that what you want? for your price range, you'd be better off with a Casio PX130 which does have weighted action.

Assuming you're in the USA, Google Products lists a bunch of online stores selling it for $500. If you don't mind "open box" (refurbished?) it seems to go as low as $400.


If you do consider buying it, make sure you try one out in real life first. A while back I was considering the PX-120, and even got an online store to price match it for $400, but when I tested one I wasn't convinced by the feel of the keys. The sound seemed fine to me though. Besides, if you have a computer nearby you can always run it through a software synthesizer (and there are tons of good ones, much cheaper than hardware synths; some are even free.)

If piano is your main concern you need a weighted hammer action so there are really only two DPs in your price range, the Casio PX130 and the Korg Sp170. Both are excellent instruments.

Oh if you're lucky you might find a Yamaha P85 discounted - that's a pretty good DP too.

Yes.I want the keyboard to sound like a piano, but also i wanted it to contain other voices as well, the PX130 doesnt seem to have much.


My friend who is a musician who plays piano and guitar. Advised me not too get a casio, so im really weary of them. He said they sound bad.

Is there any other DP that has a little more voices with the similar hammered action, and a midi out?

ALso, I saw the Korg SP170 for 499 on amazon...

Your friend is a sample of one. Some people like the Casio sounds, some don't, and some base their judgments on something they heard 10 years ago or something someone else told them. You have to check them out for yourself.

I'm sure a $2000 Yamaha sounds much better than a $500 Casio. I would not be so convinced that a $500 Yamaha necessarily sounds better than a $500 Casio. But they will sound different, and I imagine there are people who will prefer each over the other. (And there are no $2000 Casios.)

As an aside, that particular Yamaha appears to be very similar to the NP-V80, which typically sells for about $100 less, but only has 76 keys instead of 88 (they appear to be the same kind of keys, though).

EDIT: The NP-V80 doesn't include a stand though. (Neither does the Casio, for that matter.)

Someone on another thread said that Casio's like the Hyundai of cars. 10 years ago, they had a pretty poor reputation. But apparently they've made commitments to making quality cars, and now they are apparently pretty darned good.

I think that's a good comparison. I think Casio's got a reputation for making toy pianos (which they do), but they are making strides in producing competitive stage pianos as well. However, anyone that takes it out in public might still be embarrassed about having a big "Casio" glaring out into the audience...

Sprout

It has 16 voices afaik, which should be enough.
Like I said before, you could just plug it into your PC and have how many billion voices you want - you just can't play in a band with 'em.

Casio has a really, really, reaaaaaaally bad reputation.
Nonetheless, the PX-130 is far better than the SP-170 and P85 (same price from Yamaha and Korg [at least imho]) which says quite a lot.

Not unless you pay up.

Also, the korg sp170 has less bells and whistles than the px-130.

I wouldn't recommend NP-v80. It has "graded soft touch" which is absurdly light. It really translates into "scaled synth action" which feels very keyboard'ish.

The problem with the numbers of voices is also their quality - you just don't get digital pianos with a three-digit number of voices with all of them sounding good, regardless of what you're ready to pay. Most of the pianos below 1k$ might have okay-ish electric pianos, mediocre string patches and mostly crap organ sounds (both tonewheel and classic).

It's probably the best strategy to concentrate on the main voice (grand piano) and find an instrument that sounds good to you (which could be any of the brands: Casio, Korg, Yamaha, Kawai, Kurzweil, Roland). So trying these things out yourself is really crucial, because noone here can tell you what sounds and feels best, only what sounds and feels best to them.

500$ is the utter minimum investment for a hammer-action DP, you'll find no quality instrument below that line (unless it's second hand). And if you're buying new, the Casio Privia and Korg's SP-170 are pretty much all there is to choose from (additionally maybe a Yamaha P85 as a remainder of stock somewhere).

No all it says is that you prefer the Casio, I'd choose the Korg first, the Yamaha second and maybe the Casio third. But it's all personal opinion, different people have different requirements from their DPs. If what matters most to you is features then the Casio wins hands down but there are other aspects that may be more important to some.

For completeness' sake, there's also M-Audio and Nord.

But if someone wants something new with a current street price of under $500 and wants weighted keys, the only choices are Casio and Korg.

No, there's no DP with lots of voices and a weighted action for under $500. Or to put it differently, you want lots of voices? weighted action? under $500? Pick any two. But you can't get all three.

However, since you intend to hook it up to a computer anyway, you can get tons of other sounds that way. So if you don't need all the other sounds when you're not hooked up to a computer, that would be the easiest way to compromise. And then your choice is made, because the only thing that meets your requirements is the Casio-PX130. (The Korg SP-170 comes close, but while it has MIDI out, it has no MIDI in, so you would not be able to use any of its sounds with your computer. If that's acceptable, then that would be another alternative.)

If you do want the other sounds even when you're not hooked up to a computer, you'll either need to pay more or get a non-weighted action.

Well I actually wouldn't want to include M-Audio as a quality digital piano manufacturer.

As for Clavia (Nord), you are right. However, they are quite a specialist company, with their "most affordable" hammer-action model being the Nord Piano - which has a 2.000€ price tag (dunno in USD) attached to its nice and shiny red case.

Neither would I, some of their semi weighted actions are quite nice but their hammer action is truly terrible.

I would say that Casio has made some strides and has improved the quality of their products. They still have a ways to go on quality control which seems to be hit and miss. On the other hand, Casio does know a thing or two about delivering value for your dollar, and it's no accident that the PX-330 was given a key buy by Keyboard Magazine. However, few of us buy something based on a review, and if you like something built by some other manufacturer, you should definately buy it. But do your homework first, and don't just rely on what someone else says. Make your decision based on your research of what meets your needs and budget.

which has 16 voices the korg or the casio?