Entertaining with ____ keyboard?

[Dave Nuttall]

I've been approached about playing a keyboard to entertain patients/residents of a hospice, but as might be expected, the hospice has no equipment/instruments, etc.

I have a Genos, but am not inclined to "gig" with it because of its size and to protect its potential life-span.

Seems reasonable that a Yamaha P-125 would answer the question with regard to "what keyboard to play"....but I'm curious to know if it would be easy to use MIDI "tracks" to play along with.   The last time I saw such a keyboard, it wasn't clear how to use MIDIs in "play along mode".   Anyone have knowledge/experience with such a rig?

Suggestions on something else would be welcome also.   Would like to stay UNDER $1K for the keyboard.

TIA.
Dave

[BogdanH]

hello Dave,
I personally wouldn't get P-125 as "Genos replacement" for live gigs. The thing is, Genos and P-125 are totally different keyboards. Genos (an arranger) is multi-purpose instrument, while P-125 is a piano in first place. Unless you have specialized in piano playing, I would rather buy PSR-SX600 arranger, which has more similarities with Genos than P-125. Or even better, PSR-SX700 if you can get it below $1K (or used one).

Bogdan

[travlin-easy]

Shop around the internet for a used PSR-S950, which I used for two decades on stage, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, often 2 to 3 jobs a day. It is a true workhorse and will more than adequately serve the daily use both on stage and off.

Good luck,

Gary

[Franck Simplement]

Why not a simple PSR E473 or its EW version.
Associated with a padded cover for transport.
I intend to take this solution for my church.

[BogdanH]

Why not a simple PSR E473 or its EW version...

-main reasons would be, Genos styles are not compatible with E series. PSR-S keyboards however, are fully compatible with Genos (usually only voices should be replaced where needed).
E473 seems to be nice keyboard... But I think, for someone who's used to Genos, there would be too many limitations on E473. As Gary suggested, used PSR-S (if in good condition) is probably the best (price/performance) choice. On the other hand, it really depends on planned gigs.

Bogdan

[Toril S]

I have a Genos, but usually gig with my S975. I would stay away from the E- series for the reasons Bogdan mentioned.

[J. Larry]

If you like the Genos styles, but prefer not to take the keyboard out, simply create your backing tracks with the Genos, save them to wav or mp3 files and, then, use them live with whatever keyboard you decide to gig on.  I've been doing that for the longest.  Works great playing the song files from a Walkman or tablet through the sound system.

[Dave Nuttall]

Thanks Gary & Bogdan.
The PSR-S950 seems reasonable IF I can find one!
d.

[mixermixer]

Even better, used SX900 if you can find a good deal on one. Basically a mini Genos to my ear! I was lucky to find a SX900 for the price of the SX700, of all places it was a pawn shop across the country on ebay.

[overover]

Thanks Gary & Bogdan.
The PSR-S950 seems reasonable IF I can find one!
d.

Hi Dave,

The S950 is still a good keyboard, but it's quite old (released in April 2012). In addition, the expansion technology of the S950 (.YEP Pack format) is now obsolete and is no longer supported by Yamaha. The older a keyboard is, the greater the risk that a defect that occurs is a "total economic loss". I recommend getting a newer model, at least an S970 or S975, preferably an SX900 or SX700.


Best regards,
Chris

[Amwilburn]

Agreed, Chris; I would also go with the s*70/*75, or sx at this point.
However, if you're trying to keep the cost down, and you don't mind something that's huge and weighs almost twice as much as the Genos, the DGX670 actually has the same sound chip as the sx600, so quite in line with other modern Yamaha arrangers, and the price is lower than any pro psr. The downside is 47 lbs (vs only 28 for the Genos). But if price is more important than portability...

On the other hand, the Roland FPE50 has almost nothing in common with any Yamaha arrangers, except that it's the Roland version of a DGX. Good piano, great bass (the speakers don't frap out at all), limited styles (only 80 or so, with only 2 variations each) but it's small and easy to transport.

Finally, the Casio PXS3100: a little hard to navigate, lots of sounds & styles, but the speakers don't really do them justice, but insanely light (23 lbs) and can even be battery powered.

Mark

[Dave Nuttall]

Thanks to all for the feedback/advice/ideas.
Since they want the services to be totally at my expense, I'm inclined to reconsider and fade away....from this deal anyway!

[travlin-easy]

Agreed, if it's worth doing, it's worth being paid to do it!

Good luck,

Gary