The Petra Zone

I'm looking to buy a decent piano keyboard for the first time ever in my life. I looked on Amazon and found a bunch of keyboards that match my criteria (88 weighted keys, realistic piano sound, easily portable, headphone jack) under the Casio PX Privia series.

I know nothing about Casio PX Privias because I've never used one. And there's a whole bunch of different numbers of them - such as PX100, PX110, PX120, PX310, and PX320. Does anyone know, what do these numbers mean and what is the difference between them? Are higher numbers more advanced than lower numbers? Do higher numbers have better sound quality?


Or.....does anyone suggest a different brand of keyboards?

Man, i have gone thru alot of keyboards..but im not an expert on advice. ive tried Yamahas.. Casios, mainly.. im back to a Yamaha. Its the DGX-500. I record all my piano instrumentals on it. It ran about $900. but i got it for $600. that was about 3-4 yrs ago. Id still like an upgrade. Ive nver played a Rhodes or anything more pro. Id like to tho. Yahmaha is good! Im not into Casios much. I do think tho that the higher the number,, the more advanced it is. Thats usually the case with any electronic thing. My keyboard has i thnk, 5 tracks to record on, plus another for a built in rhythm . If ya want to hear what my keyboard sounds like with songs i have written and recorded.. just go to........ www.myspace.com/pianomusicroxx and you will hear them on my player. Good Luck!

Do a lot of keyboard players prefer Yamaha over Casios?

I did a search for 88-key Yamahas and found two possibilities, P65 and P85. The descriptions for these sounded overall a little more promising than the Casios. I guess I might settle for a Yamaha.

Yamaha is a good choice , the results are in my songs on my space. its affordable anyways....

here is a link to what i have.

http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/Con ... ED,00.html

what do you want to use it for? What features are you looking for besides the weighted keys. I have an older Roland I picked up on ebay for $400. It was originally $1000. It doesn't have the weighted keys, but it's got lots of other features like a bunch of pianos, lots of other sounds and sound effects, drum kits, midi, and a nice looking stainless steel housing.
I also have a yamaha upright style digital piano. It is piano only, but is does have weighted keys and plays nice, and it does have the ability to function as a midi controller.
I don't see where the model that micro suggested has weighted keys, but it does appear to have a lot of nice features. I wouldn't label it as a professional model but, honestly, the quality gap between pro keyboards and cheap stuff is not what it once was.

GMan

Criteria:

- 88 key range (same as acoustic piano)
- weighted keys (feels like playing an acoustic piano)
- realistic piano sound (I'm not concerned about what other sounds it has)
- polyphony (well, duh)
- headphone jack, damper pedal, AC adapter and stand included
- easily portable (not too heavy to carry; does not have a non-detachable stand)
- costs less than $1,000

Uses:

- private practicing at home or in my dorm room (with headphones so I don't bother anyone)
- private songwriting work (with headphones because I am self-conscious about my songs and don't want anyone to hear me working on them until they are well finished)

I don't know if I will ever be using it for public performance though. If ever, probably not too often.

I looked for Yamaha keyboards on Amazon and found three that meet my criteria: P65, P65MSB, and P85. Has anyone here used any of these and would you suggest any of them?

Thanks for your help everyone!

I have a Casio keyboard it does NOT have weighted keys, but it runs on 6 AA batteries.

6 AA 's? wow! my first mini keyboard ran on that in 1984! i believe it was also casio. less than 60 keys tho. how big is that keyboard ?

It's not too big probably like 10 in by 24 in my grandad bought it for my grandma for Christmas back in the early 80's after he passed on my grandma gave it to me. The thing has barely been touched. Still has it's original box

ok cool

I remember growing up on Radio Shack Concertmates when I was a kid.

Well, I think I'm gonna go for the Yamaha P65. If anyone has any objections speak now or forever hold your peace...