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Hi,

I’m going to buy a keyboard soon. I’m planning to move it quite a bit (to rehearse and play gigs). I’m moving to London, and though the city has good public transport, I will have to use the underground, walk a lot… (I don’t have a car).
Could you give some advice so that moving around with the keyboard isn’t too tiring? Do you know what people usually do in this situation (if they buy keyboards that aren’t heavy even if the keyboards aren’t that good, or what do they do)?

Cheers!

There's a lot of factors. Budget? Your overall strength and agility? What kind of weight are comfortable lifting? Will there be speakers at the venues? Are you going to be busking? Do you need 88 keys or is 61 keys enough?

The lighter units with 88 weighted keys include the Casio PX5S stage piano and Casio PX150 family. There are about 25 pounds in weight (12 kg). Some might use a rolling case, but that adds to the weight when it does have to be lifted.

A separate question is if you have to bring speakers or will they be provided? Speakers loud enough for a noisy venue such as a pub, will add considerably to your load. Do you need to bring a keyboard stand, and a chair? Or will they be provided? Again, more weight, more bulk if you need to carry them.

Are you concerned about security at the venues (especially busking) and to and from the venues? A person with an expensive keyboard traveling alone is a relatively easy and high value target for three thieves working as a team.

If security is an issue, you might want something much cheaper and lighter such as a Yamaha NP11. It only has 61-keys. If there is a chance that you will get mugged, it doesn't cost much, and won't paint a target on your back during your travels.

If the budget is near unlimited, and security not an issue, Nords are popular for gigging, and come in various sizes, but will cost you.

If budget is less of a constraint, you might have a look at the Nord Electros or the Nord Piano 2 HP. Very portable, but not exactly cheap. You can get a very convenient and practical soft bag from Clavia for carrying them.

If portability is your main concern, you have several options available to you. You just need to decide on the price/features. Sand tiger has already made some excellent suggestions about the things you should consider.

At the high end of the spectrum would be the 73 (semi-weighted) key Nord Stage 2. It weighs 21 lbs. It's about as fully featured a keyboard as you can get. It also costs about $3600 USD.

The Nord Electro is significantly cheaper, but still very expensive. It gives you access to the sounds of the Nord Piano Library, and Nord Sample library, and nord's best in class organ emulations. It lacks the nord stage's synth engine, and lacks that ability to do splits and layers (for many that would be a deal breaker). (The nord stage has a very robust system for setting up splits and layers, you can have up to 6 sounds going at once and split across various zones.)

If you just want something portable but are looking for something much more reasonably priced, the aforementioned casio's would be a great option.

At 27 lbs the korg kross 88 might be a contender if you need the full 88 keys. And at less than 10 lbs, the Semi weighted 61 key korg kross is probably the most portable fully featured keyboard you'll find.

The Numa stage might also be a contender for an 88 key keyboard. It's not as feature rich as some of the other choices, but it's under 30 lbs, and if you just need a good piano sound you might like it.

You'll probably get some other suggestions, as I said there are lots of options.

Bottom line: If money were no object, I'd get the nord stage. If money were a concern, I'd look at the casio px5s and the korg kross) If you're o.k. with the electro's limitations, it might be a good choice too.

I, too, would be concerned with getting mugged with something like that. Especially with a Nord - that would really suck to lose one of those! Might be better if you have a regular gig to see if you can just leave it there (in a locked closet) along with your stand and/or speakers.

Thank you so much! I've never played a gig, so I'm lost here. That was really informative and helpful.

I hadn't thought about a lot of those factors. Do you really have to take your own stand and speakers? That's crazy, isn't it?

I'm basicaly short and weak. I'll be living in one of the most dangerous neighborhood in London (so might get mugged) and I don't have much money (when I put it like that it sounds pretty sad...). I won't be busking, but playing in pubs, etc.
The Yamaha np11 and the Korg kross sound like very good options (specially if I could use the np11 as master keyboard).

Can I ask what you guys usually do to move your keyboard, if that's no too personal?

It will depend on the venue. You'll probably need a stand at least.

Are you going to be playing solo or as part of a band?


Very different boards. Assuming you're looking at the 61-key version of the Kross, I would say that the Yamaha will sound better for piano, and also the action is better for piano (not good mind you, but better than Kross) -- but the Yamaha really doesn't do anything except piano. The Kross is a worse piano, but it has a lot of other capabilities. If you like the Yamaha but wish it had more sounds and features, you could look at the MX61. Another light, well-priced, versatile board would be the Roland VR-09.

(and if you were considering the 88 key version of the Kross, the Casio PX5S is smaller and lighter.)


For what purpose? Are you looking to drive sounds that might be in a laptop or iPad or iPhone? Would you be doing this at the gigs, or only at home (relying only on internal sounds for gigs)?

At any rate, the Kross has more MIDI controller functionality than the NP11, which basically has none beyond the fact that it has keys.

Another board that might interest you is the Numa Compact. It's probably the lightest board with 88 keys, and while it's not a weighted action, and certainly not as good for playing piano as the PX-5S, I find it among the most playable of the non/semi-weighted actions for piano. It has decent MIDI controller functionality, too.

Might I recommend that you try to figure out a few things before you start playing gigs? It's hard to determine what you'd absolutely need before you even have a keyboard and have a set to play.

Korg and Yamaha are both great names. Get something you can afford with lots of voices and accompaniment options, and then learn how to use it. Then practice playing for friends and friends of friends at parties or something. Then find gigs where people will pay you. It's a process, but you can have fun with it along the way, too. The more work you put into your practicing, the more you will get out of it in the long run. Keep in mind, it may take years depending partially on your talent but mostly depending upon how hard you work and how smartly you do it. There are no short-cuts for even the most talented, but you can get up and running in a few years' time if you are smart about it.

This forum is a great resource of people who can give you great advice on how to get started.

Thanks again for the anwsers. It's good to see there are so many otions to choose from. And I really like that Numa Compact, anotherscott. I love that it has 88 keys (I'm used to playing the acustic piano), and only 6 kg!
At first I'll be playing in a band (not on my own). I've never used a master keyboard, so I don't really know how it goes, but I was thinking about using it for timbres that the keyboard doesn't have, like some organ sounds, clavi... (because the Yamaha np11 is very limited), so I guess just a board with keys should be enough for that, and I wouldnt't need a lot of buttons (I'd also like to get a guitar/bass distorsion pedal for the keyboard, but that's another story for another day). I would like to use it at the gigs.

Thank you too Morodiene, that's some very good advice!

Nicely, the Numa does have a clav sound and a couple of organ sounds... but the selection is still pretty minimal. Yes, on just about any board, you can trigger timbres the keyboard doesn't have, but they have to come from somewhere. So again the question would be, what are you controlling? i.e. what device will provide these extra sounds? (iphone, ipad, laptop, some other sound module...) The Numa has some features over the NP11 as a controller... like an expression pedal input, pitch and mod wheels, and front panel buttons that allow you to turn the internal and external sounds on and off separately, along with separate volume controls for the internal and external sounds. It also allows to you store and recall your own MIDI presets for calling up sounds on the external device.

Excellent advice from other posters here! May I add another word? I recommend, as other posters have mentioned, that before making a final decision about a keyboard, you create a specific inventory of stuff you'll have to schlep around *besides* the keyboard.

At minimum, you'll carry a gig bag, right? So, maybe as much as 10 lbs or so of cables, adapters, stand, accessories, perhaps a tablet or laptop, and personal items. And possibly a combo amp as well, if PA is not provided at your rehearsal rooms or gigs? That would be another 15 lbs at least?

My point is that even the lightest 88s are rather bulky (over 4 feet long) and, in combination with the other stuff you'll be carrying around in public, might still become unwieldy to manage, and therefore attract unwelcome attention.

Depending what else is in your kit, perhaps the better part of valor would be first to get an inexpensive 61-key combo keyboard (Kross or VR-09, perhaps) with good built-in sounds and MIDI functionality, and defer the purchase of a weighted 88 if need be, or at least plan to leave your 88 at home.

Maybe a very light 88 like the PX-5s or the Numa Compact would work out fine. But making your total traveling package as small as possible, and of course using nondescript (preferably beat-up) bags and cases, could give you more mobility and reduce your paranoia, at least until you get established in your new environs.

Also, I'm told that floor space can be an important limitation at small venues like pubs. Your bandmates might give you the evil eye if you show up with a full-size rig!

Kind regards,

Ben

Another possibility:

. . . A 61-key lightweight "workstation" like the Yamaha MOX6:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan12/articles/yamaha-mox6.htm

You might find one used at a low price.

Another possibility:

. . . A lower-end, lightweight keyboard -- something in the Yamaha "PSR" series,
. . . or a Casio WK-xxx (many different models)

Those would be less attractive to thieves (if they knew much about the used-keyboard market). They would be OK in a bar -- their sounds are probably on the level of the NP11. Not so good in a quiet place, where people would be actively listening to the sound.

As your playing improved (and you got more money), you'd probably want to replace the PSR / WK keyboard. The MOX6 would be useful for much longer.

. Charles

PS -- remember, it's _your_ money, not mine. You should play some of these alternatives, and lift them, before making any decisions.

I am enjoying my MOX6, and it is extremely lightweight and easy to carry, but I would not want to use it for a DP. The action it nothing like a piano. Of course, if you're doing other stuff too then it'll work. Might be overkill for the OP, though, depending on what style they're playing.

I recommend not investing too much since they don't really have a clear direction and just need something to get started. Then things will define themselves over time and then they can save up for a better suited instrument.

If the band you're playing with has a PA and monitor system that you can plug your keyboard into, you may not need to bring an amp. If you need an amp of your own, the lightest I've found that sounds nice for piano is the Electrovoice ZXa1. If you need to find something smaller/lighter/cheaper, the Behringer B208D is not too bad, but it not as natural sounding as the EV, nor does it play as loud or go as deep, and it has only one input instead of two.

For a stand, the aluminum ones are lightest, like the K*M 18880.

Thank you very much for all your help!

As slowtraveler wrote, that is excelent advice form you guys. And since I have never gigged, I have learned a lot reading your posts, and I'm sure it will all be very helpful when I get to London and start doing music there.
Thanks again and good luck with your music!

Did anyone mention this?

http://www.roland.com/products/en/RD-64/