Hi everyone my first post so a brief intro is called for.

My name is Graham, I am 51 years young and about to embark on a musical journey.

I am going to attempt to learn to play keyboard. I have ordered a Kurzweil PC3x (can't wait for it to arrive) should be somtime this week or early next week. (maybe i'll up some pics when it does)

Now the reason for the post. Can i use any make of pedals on this keyboard, or does it have to be specifically Kurzweil?

I have been looking for Kurzweil pedals in the UK and have not had much success, other makes however do seem much more readily available.

Any help with this issue will be greatly appreciated...

Thanks in advance...Graham

The pedal is just a simple on/off switch that is plugged into a 1/4 inch phone jack. But there are two conventions, normally open or normally closed. Some after market pedals have a switch on the bottom to select which convention is used. These will work with any keyboard. Others don't have the switch. In addition some keyboards can be configured for either style of pedal. Look in your user manual.

If you have no experience playing keyboard instruments there is no hurry on this as you will not be using the pedal for some time yet.

M-Audio makes a pedal with a switch that is very good quality at a good price

Hi,

as far as I know the Kurzweil(s) are adjustable to open , or closed switched pedals in one of the global menu's so that's not an issue. Beware however that the KRZ doesn't support real 'half-pedalling' for the piano-sounds, so buying a sustain pedal that supports the half pedal feature is quite useless. However, it does have a 'catch' function that allows you to push the sustain pedal down again after release when the sound is still decaying and hold the sound at the level where it is at that moment. Nice for synth sounds too. Furthermore, I think there should be one sustain pedal included in the package, but I'm not 100% sure.

I hope you got your PC3X for the current discount price, since they seem to be dumping them everywhere since last week. Now is the time to buy a PC3x if anyone is interested. The 'new' PC3K is expensive, still not available and hasn't got much more to offer if you're not interested in (non-volatile) sample RAM and K-series compatibility. I think they will come up with a brand new Kurzweil concept in 2011 , but expect nothing in the shops until mid or end 2011 or later.

I have used Yamaha sustain pedals with both my K series instruments with success, but low and behold, I had to buy a Kurz pedal for my SP88X. Go figure. Your PC3X should be "auto sensing" meaning it will determine whether your pedal is "normally open" or "normally closed" on power up.

One thing I will say is this. If you can find one, the Kurzweil brand pedals are about the same price as the Yamaha, and they feel just as good (to me at least). They are also very sturdy and dependable, until a cat comes along and chews your cord in half. Yep.

Have you tried ebay?

Congratulations on your purchase! The PC3X is supposed to be an awesome instrument!

Hi

Thanks for the replies. I am gathering from the info that any make of pedal will work, that's great.

I just watched an unboxing video on youtube and it appears that the keyboard does indeed come with a pedal supplied....

Still waiting.. ..patience is a virtue...

THAT I DON'T POSSESS....

Cheers...Graham

I have a PC3X (and a PC3). It is auto-sensing - either type of pedal will work if plugged in before power is turned on - and not pushed while the keyboard is booting up.

A single pedal does come with the PC3X (at least in the US, I should imagine this is true in all markets.

There are three jacks for switch pedals. Most of the acoustic piano factory patches do not use all three pedals, but the "Reciatl Piano" in the second bank of sounds does implement all three.