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I'm looking for a cheap (<$200, preferably <$100) keyboard with a super light - featherweight - touch.

Pretty much nothing else (other than say at least 61 full-sized keys) matters.

It's for my dad who is undergoing chemotherapy and has neuropathy and joint pain as a side-effect. The combination makes playing a normal piano for more than a few minutes not possible. The side effect is hopefully temporary, so just something that lets him do anything musically within a limited budget would be great.

A Yamaha NP11 should be ideal.

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Piaggero-NP11-Lightweight-Portable/dp/B0053GHJDM

James
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Thanks - but I should have mentioned that he's been playing for decades, and looking at the reviews for that it looks like that instrument doesn't have full-sized keys, and people seem to think the the smaller keys mess with muscle memory, so that one probably wouldn't work out.

I'd be inclined to ignore the one person who had that complaint. I'm with James... for your purposes, I don't think you can find anything better for the price. I thought the NP-11 was full size, but if it's not, it's very close. The adjustment to non-weighted keys will be a much bigger difference for him than any difference it may have in size.

OP: If you go with this, just be aware
you need to buy a power adapter if
you don't want to run it off batteries
(6 aa's) - it doesn't come with!

The NP11 DOES have full-size keys -- they just aren't weighted. May be what you're looking for. It's basically a very stripped-down version of a digital piano -- it reminded me of one of the lower models of Yamaha's P series, but with unweighted keys and only 61 of them. (I think there's also a 76 key unweighted version for slightly more $.)

Well, width wise you can say the NP11 has full size keys. But, the lengthways distance to the pivot is very short, and immediately noticeable. In this budget range though unless you go second hand (used) the choice is limited.

Thanks everyone - I found out that Guitar Center near me has the NP11 on display, so we'll go check it out in real life.

Actually managed to find a friend with a Yamaha NP30 she didn't need for a few months - it works perfectly, he loves it! (It looks like it's an older model of the NP-11.)

Unlike his Henry F Miller grand piano and his Roland HP-101 electric piano / keyboard, both of which give him pain both very quickly and the next day, he can play the NP-30 for hours without a problem with his peripheral neuropathy and chemo - "enhanced" arthritis.

To paraphrase him: "Wow, this is the worst action I've ever experienced! I love it!"

Kawai James et al - Thanks so much for helping to save my dad's sanity :-)

Right... the 76-key NP-30 was replaced with the 76-key NP-31 and 61-key NP-11. Very similar.

Danny, no problem - glad to read your father is enjoying the Yamaha!

Kind regards,
James
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