If you were to get one keyboard..................

[Bonhomme Richard]

reasonably priced, what would you recommend?
Keep in mind I'm a guitar player who dabbles with the keyboard. I currently have a couple of cheap casios in my music room (MT-520, CT638) stacked that I use to fill in. I have the Hammond A-100 but my nephew (an A&R guy from sony) is going to take home with him because it's too big for the music room, I need the space amd since it was my mothers I would rather see it stay in the family.
What I want is a single keyboard (to replace the casios) that will give me a good piano or rock organ sound when I want it. Does such a thing exist?
I really don't care if it's an old model. I just want something that will give me a decent sound.

[XNASA]

1. Weighted keys?

If you want weighted keys, you'll pay more.

But if you're on a budget, and don't need weighted keys, I'd recommend a Yamaha keyboard. Yamahas are bulletproof on stage and have a better feel than other non-weighted keyboards.

Try this one ... a Yamaha SO3

http://www.americanmusical.com/item--i-YAM-S03--brand-288.html

[Bonhomme Richard]

2. Thanks for the info. Do weighted keys .................

respond faster than non-weighted? On the casios I have now there seems to be a slight lag when hiiting the key which makes me crazy. Is that why?

[XNASA]

3. Weighted keys are like piano keys.

Non-weighted keys are like organ keys.

But, nowadays even most non-weighted keys are at least velocity sensitive so that the harder you hit them, the louder they sound.

[Bonhomme Richard]

4. thanks again. n/t

[ProfessorGAC]

5. The Keys Aren't The Problem

Some lower priced keyboards have fairly slow scan rates. So, it depends upon where it is at on the scane when you hit the key. That will cause a noticeable lag.

Almost ALL proline stuff has a keyboard scan rate of at least 600kHz. (Based upon a 61 key manual.) So, even with 88 keys, the longest time lag one should get is about a 7th of a millisecond. MIDI lags are longer since they don't transmit note commands at the internal scan rate.

The type of key, weighted, touch synth, or non-touch, isn't what creates the issue. It's one of electronics.

The one thing to look for in some weighted actions is the actual response after escapement time. There are some that are a little mushy and the rebound of the key is a little slow. So, when you play fast, around the same few notes (a repeating arpeggio, trill, or mordent), the key is still coming back at you while you're trying to play it again. (Like the older Rhodes Stage models or the really old Wurlitzer electric pianos.)

The best keyboards with weighted action i've played are Kurzweil, then Roland, then Alesis, then Yamaha. I went with Alesis because it was a full synth, not just an e-piano, and the features for the money were great. I've used Alesis and Ensoniq for a long time and they are as bulletproof on stage as Yamaha. (As XNASA mentioned.)

Final part of this long winded answer: One of the best, most responsive and fast synth action keyboards ever was the Yamaha DX-7. That wasn't weighted, and up to that point, NOBODY had even played a board that quick and easy to play. So, there's no difference to the circuitry for the type of keys. It's all in how much they spend on the CPU and RAM that runs the whole thing.
The Professor

[XNASA]

6. How can anybody weigh that much data.....

And still have enough memory left to remember a few songs?

Ouch. My head jurts, I mean 'hurts'.

[ProfessorGAC]

7. I Just Can't Help Myself!

The playing is the Iang and the tech is the Iin. I gotta have both sides of the brain goin' full tilt!
The Professor

[Bonhomme Richard]

8. Thanks for the Info (as my eyes glaze over) n/t

[MazeRat7]

9. Define reasonable priced ?

In order of my preference I would look at manufacturers like:
Korg
Yamaha
Alesis
Roland

Each one has boards in the $800-1300 range. These however are generally 61-key un-weighted in that range. The ideal for playing both Piano and Organ on the same keyboard would be semi-weighed (76 key preferably).

However, the "most" important part is the sound. If you plan to keep it at home and have a computer, then I would seriously consider just a Midi keyboard controller and using something like VSampler or one of the other software programs that play samples. I would not recommend using a "soft-synth" unless you have a really beefy computer. With the software sample player option you could be up and running with quality sound for under $500. The Roland A-37 is a good 76 key, semi-weighted controller and there are several software packages out there to choose from.

MZr7

[emulatorloo]

10. read tweakheadz's guide to buying a keyboard

Good info there. . .

http://tweakheadz.com/tips_on_buying_a_keyboard.html

Still don't know your price range.

However what comes to mind when I read your original post re an older keyboard is something from the Roland JV line - they show up on ebay, sound good, lots of support on the net. . .

JV-80 User Reviews

http://www.harmony-central.com/Synth/Data/Roland/JV_80-01.html

JV-90

http://www.harmony-central.com/Synth/Data/Roland/JV_90-01.html

Look also at Roland XP series (they replaced the JVs, same sound, more polyphony, but also more $$$$ on used market)

[Bonhomme Richard]

11. Thanks, for the site and info.............

I was looking in the $400.00 used range (don't laugh). I have nine guitars around the house and if I start spending real money on a keyboard my wife would go balistic.
Turn out my nephew just offered me an Ensoniq EPS sampler for nothing. Is it worth it and will it do what I want, which is to have some decent sounding keyboards?