What would you buy for a second keyboard?

[rogerc]

Wondering what everyone would buy if they were looking for a second keyboard with the following requirements.
88 keys
Graded hammer action
Good piano sounds
Can hook up to a PSR S 975 with Midi in and out
Budget of under $1500 preferably $1000
Thanks for all your input in advance

[Normanfernandez]

You can go for any Good condition Piano

And it meets your requirements.
$1000 can get you a brand new Piano. 

Ultimately the entire sound will come from the PSR.

Hope this helps you.

[rogerc]

 Most of the time it would not be hooked up to the PSR. It would be it's own separate keyboard to play like a true piano. My wife would use it much more this way then I would.
Also, it does not have to be a Yamaha.

[Roland]

Hello Roger,

If you need a keyboard with speakers, my personal preference would be the Yamaha P515. If you need just the keys and nothing else, I would give Arturia a good look - their 88 version has a fantastic key bed - and it can later serve as a great MIDI controller too. Whatever you pick, make sure you can play it at your local music dealer first so you can get a good feel for it !!

Cheers, Roland

[SciNote]

Casio has a new stage piano called the PX-S3000 that seems to have a lot of what you're looking for, and I believe it is about $1000 US.  Among other things, it has 192 note polyphony and string resonance simulation.  But it does not appear to have the standard round MIDI connections.  Here are the specs...

https://www.casio.com/products/electronic-musical-instruments/stage-pianos/px-s3000/techspec

[Yinon]

Casio has a new stage piano called the PX-S3000 that seems to have a lot of what you're looking for, and I believe it is about $1000 US.  Among other things, it has 192 note polyphony and string resonance simulation.  But it does not appear to have the standard round MIDI connections.  Here are the specs...

https://www.casio.com/products/electronic-musical-instruments/stage-pianos/px-s3000/techspec

Awesome option.
Great Key-bed and action ...
Super thin and light.

$799 US(!)

Of course it has standard MIDI ...

Thumbs Up!

[rogerc]

Both the px s3000 and the p-515 have been on my radar. However,  have never seen the new Casio model at any of the guitar centers around Northern California. Going to go this weekend to the local Yamaha dealer and check out the P-515. If the Casio model has good midi hook up  and good sounds it may be the answer for a very good price.

[Bachus]

Currently own a modx 8, with 88 keys, and probablywill upgrade once the Montage 2 arives...

This keyboard offers almost everything i miss in the Genos...
- more then 4 voices split over the keyboard
- incredible deep onboard edit and creation of sounds
- 88 piano weighted keys
- USB audio interface
- advanced masterkeyboard features.
- an FM engine(wish there where more engines)
- arps.. editable, creatable, controllable, savable, .. 8 of them in a performance
- motion sequencer, super knob, envelope follower
And much much more...

And the modx is cheep... compared to theGenos..

[mikf]

There is a bunch of suitable candidates out there and between $1000 and $1500 will buy you a nice one. They are all pretty similar and it comes down to personal choice. Go to a piano store rather than a typical music store where you might find arrangers, guitars etc, and there will be a choice and good advice. Yamaha have several alternatives of varying price and quality and are hard to beat, but Kawai, Roland, Casio, and others are worthy of consideration. I think you may have already looked at my article on this but if not click top rh PSR Tutorial above the index, then select Music and down to articles. Scan to CP33 review. I am a lifetime piano player and have played at many levels, and I thought the CP33 was pretty good if that is any help, and I think the more recent models are probably better.
Pricey, but if you are only playing at home, consider trading to a CVP instead! Both you and your wife will love it.
Mike 

[mikf]

Just should mention that Norman is wrong. Properly hooked up the piano sound will come from the piano, not the PSR. But you will have full accesss to the full range of PSR sounds and styles as well.
Mike

[rogerc]

As usual, GREAT and knowledgeable advice from everyone.
This site adds so much value to my PSR S975. Going to send Joe Waters a donation because I sure get my moneys worth from this site.
Thanks
Roger C

[Yinon]

All -
You need to watch out for the new Casio option.
It's TRUE it has MIDI but it is not the 5 pin traditional cable but a USB to host connection.
So if you want to connect it as a controller to any other keyboard, you would need to either use a computer or find a converter of host to MIDI device.
Such converter will cost about $70 to $150.
It will also complicate your setup if using in a Gig.
(Instead of using one cable midi out to in you will need to run a USB host cable to the converter, power to the converter and regulator MIDI cable from the convertor to the keyboard)

By no means a graceful solution...

Not sure why Casio decide to reduce the traditional MIDI port. Too bad and it's a great solution from a portability stand point...

[travlin-easy]

For more than 30 years, I always purchased a pair of identical keyboards. The reason behind this was I was a full-time performer and needed an immediate, identical backup if my primary keyboard were to unexpectedly die. Fortunately, this never happened. I have never had an arranger keyboard failure - ever. Even when I was performing 450 times a year, that backup keyboard just stayed home in the box, all programmed and ready to go.

[beykock]

Hi Roger :

Not an easy question to be answered by other people, IMHO.

You and your wife are looking for an electronic 88k piano, right ? Nothing else but an 88k el. piano, right ?

No additional arranger kb, no synth, no organ, no midi keyboard, sure ?

I think Mike is absolutely right.

Go and visit a piano shop and look for an instrument that you both like and want : sound, specs, looks, budget etc.

The internet and Youtube are very usable tools before and after your piano shop visit(s).

If you have gathered all required information and finally know what your exact needs are, it also might be useful to look for a second hand instrument.

Sometimes people are selling instruments that are in mint condition at a very attractive price.😉

Wish you good luck !🌟
Babette

[voodoo]

Wondering what everyone would buy if they were looking for a second keyboard with the following requirements.
88 keys
Graded hammer action
Good piano sounds
Can hook up to a PSR S 975 with Midi in and out
Budget of under $1500 preferably $1000
Thanks for all your input in advance

There are several digital pianos in this price range ($500 - $1000).

* Yamaha P-125
* Roland FP-30
* Casio PX-S3000
* Kawai ES 110

But the only one with Midi in/out is the Kawai ES 110. Perhaps you want to have a look on it.

Uli

[willem7397]

I can recommend the Kawai ES8, it's considered one of the best Kawai slab pianos for about $1500 on the pianoworld forum.
It's internal speakers are more than enough for a decent room. I prefer them over my monitor speakers and Genos speaker system.
I has midi in/out and midi over USB. It has a great piano action and it's sound engine is top quality.
It was actually this youtube channel that convinced me to buy it. I have it for almost two years now and still love it.
Although the piano samples on my Genos are not bad it's no comparison to the ES8.

If possible you should compare the ES8 to the Yamaha P515 recommended above. Some people love the more bright Yamaha CFX sound but to my opinion the Kawai engine has a richer more complex sound.


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN0gTau3sUqHOtdxlPMI2ug

Check out his video's played on the ES8 to get a good feeling for the sound quality and listen with decent headphones.

[Kevin Sanders]

I bought an old Yamaha P-60 with one speaker not working. It was really cheap😊
Hooked up to my Tyros 3 it gives me a dedicated sustain pedal, freeing up the Tyros pedals from having to be sustain so I get Art1, Art2 and Pitch bend. It gives me 88 properly weighted keys which are a pleasure to use.

That's what I would do if I were you - and tell my wife to buy her own!😀