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Keyboards (Instrument not Computer)
Xaquin
Right behind you!Registered User regular
Right behind you!Registered User regular
So, I want to get a nice keyboard for my wife for christmas. When she moved in with me she had to leave her piano behind. The problem is that I really don't know the first thing about keyboards. I've seen some in retails places like Target or Best Buy etc. that look nice to me .... and I have no doubts that a salesman would sing their benefits, but I don't think I should buy based on that.
Does anyone have one or have any advise on them?
Thanks!
Does anyone have one or have any advise on them?
Thanks!
Xaquin on
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That being said I've got a nice Yamaha keyboard with touch sensitive keys and all the rest and I'll vouch for Yamaha. You should be able to get a nice one for 1k. Don't get sucked in by gimiks, you want the full #keys, touch sensitive keys, and a pedal. My keyboard can do about a million things that I never ever use.
If you're going cheap go used, don't buy some small shitty new keyboard that doesn't have those 3 things.
1k whew
I have like $300 =(
I called a Piano mover (well more like 5) and the lowest I could get was just under $600
maybe I should be thinking of a different christmas gift =/
Playing with synth action, where the keys are unweighted like an organ, feels VERY different from playing a piano, and your wife will NOT like it if it's supposed to replace a piano. What you want is hammer action, which means that the keys are weighted like a real piano. You can pretty much only find hammer action in full-sized (88-key) keyboards, so look at those. Ideally you also want graded hammer action, which means that the lower keys are heavier than the higher ones, just like on a real piano.
That being said, not all keyboard keys are created equally. Different brands have very different feels and actions. If at all possible, take your wife to a music store (preferably something like Sam Ash or Guitar Trader, but a piano store if there's nothing else) and let her try out different brands of keyboards. I'm partial to Yamaha's weighted keys myself, but it does really come down to personal preference.
Once she figures out what brand she likes, work within your budget from there. As I said, I like Yamaha keyboards: I've played a $600 Yamaha keyboard and a $6,000 Yamaha keyboard, and the action feels more or less the same on both. The $6,000 had all sorts of bells and whistles, but my $600 guy has served me well in countless gigs. You can't really get a decent graded hammer action keyboard for less than that (in my experience), but spending upwards of $600-700 generally gets you better built-in synth sounds (you can usually download your own onto the keyboard, or just hook it up to your computer for better sounds anyway), more bells and whistles, and a better user interface.
[edit] Yeah, it is going to be VERY difficult to find a decent keyboard for $300, unless you can get a phenomenal deal on something used.
I don't know that much about your circumstances but if she has a nice piano its probably better to move that then to buy a keyboard. If she loves playing the piano then this would be the mother of all gifts. Maybe you do this now and all she gets for valentines day and/or her birthday is a box of chocolates. I decided early on that my gift giving would not be consistent, if its something big like a vacation or a piano as much as it spoils the surprise sometimes its just practical to have her chip in a little. Sometimes its better to pay that little bit extra for what you really want (or want to give) even if you have to ask her for that little bit extra.
thanks all
I'd love to get her a good keyboard, but for the price I suppose I could move her actual piano to our new house.
looks like it's back to the drawing board for me
that's a good idea
Thanks
Also, remember to put the piano against an interior wall, temperature fluctuations will make it go out of tune more quickly.8-)
No! You know that not only are the sounds that the person prefers unique, but the feel, even the aesthetics of the instrument are a personal taste issue.
This probably isn't what you want to hear, but my wife and I don't get each other gifts -- at least not serious gifts -- for each other for birthdays or xmas. Why? Most any serious expenditure for one of us should involve a discussion. Following that, if someone really wants something, they should be the one to pick it out -- with full blessing and support by their spouse/partner.
Think of it this way -- if she really wants a piano, isn't it far better for her to pick out just the exact one she needs, with you supporting the purchase? Versus a very nice sentiment (you buying her a keyboard she's never played nor heard), and then discovering that it's not very good -- or that it's OK but she'd rather have an actual piano or upright anyway.