My fiance is looking for a good keyboard. We're trying to stay under $200. She knows a little, but would still be learning, and hasn't played in several years.

I've found one online that we both seem to like. It's a Yamaha, and seems to have some pretty good instructional stuff built in, plus USB cable for downloading songs...

What are some opinions of this and possible other suggestions...

thanks...

here's the Yamaha:
http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/...RODUCT,00.html

 

Wow under $200, it is listed here for $360. lol
http://www.feedback.nl/?id=55&b=SPSR295

The Grand Piano sound seems to be good for this price range.
A $2000 keyboard sounds better of course.

I guess you can't go wrong for under $200.
But don't expect to much of the 3W speakers and usually these keyboards don't have main outs if I am correct, so you cannot connect it to an amplifier.

 

You are a brave, brave man.
She obviously doesn't live with you...
Make sure she learns before you move her in....

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...se_pid/702210/

List price is $360, but musiciansfriend.com has them for $199.99. I haven't been able to find anything on output. I was hoping she'd be able to run it through my guitar amp, but maybe it will play through the computer sound system, which is hooked up to a very nice sounding Kenwood system...

My mother has a really old Yamaha, that's smaller than this one, but it has RCA outs, and we've used it through my guitar amp, but she wants something bigger with more options, but nothing too expensive, since she's just learning, and won't be doing anything too fancy...

 

Well, actually we've been living together close to 2 years. She puts up with my guitar, so I figure the keyboard won't be too bad. I can just go play the guitar, or go out to the garage, where I spend most of my time anyway...

Besides, if she gets the keyboard, that might open the door the Strat I've wanting forever...

 

Well, it doesn't sound too bad at all.
Here is a demo video on yamaha-europe.com

http://www.yamaha-europe.com/yamaha_..._v1_1_300k.wmv

 

Wow, it took me a while to find solace in the garage but only after I was married for a while. Got the fridge in the garage and low thinking of installing a urinal. But she refuses to clean it, so that 'garage mod' is still up in the air.

 

Yamaha ussually has a pretty good quality of sound. I've heard a few that were a little to sharp, but I can't tell you which ones they were. But it's been very few and the common listener can not tell the difference.

It has a headphone jack so you can get the adapters to hook up to an amp.
But even if there happens to be absolutley no audio out of any kind, headphone or other wise....(doubtful) but even then you can always Mic it. I wouldn't let lack of connections detour me.

 

Hadn't thought about the headphone jack. Yes, I have adapters for my amp, so I could use that to run it throught the amp, plus I've got my effects pedal which sounded pretty cool with Mom's older keyboard.

From what I see now it only has a headphone jack, and a USB port. But that looks to be all she'll need. If she gets off work in time we're going to see if they've got one here in town. I'll probably call over there first. They price match musiciansfriend with their guitars, so they'll probably do the same with keyboards...

 

You can do a lot with those little adapters!

When I was in ARK selling fireworks last summer I had an Ipod and a laptop ran into a 4 channel mixer, then a 500w head unit, to 2 Galaxy house speakers and a sub in my tent. It rocked!

 

Thanks for the link. I've been reading reviews, and this one sounds like a pretty good deal. I'm hoping she'll call soon. I'm kinda anxious about this now. I wanna go see one. Oops... Just remembered I haven't called to make sure they even sell Yamaha...

 

Welll...it's almost 6 O'clock... got it yet?

 

We went by the shop. They didn't have the 293, but will have 3 on Friday, so we're going to go back then. We looked at several other similar models with more and less, and they all sounded really good. I was really surprised at how real the grand piano sound was.

I think we're sold on the Yamaha 293 after reading all about it, and talking to the guy at the shop. She doesn't really want the 76 or 88 key models, and this appears to be towards the top of the line for 61 key models...

So, we may have one Friday or possibly next week. I'm kind of excited myself. I've always wanted to learn to play piano, and used to be pretty good at the one hand hunt and peck... and I'm sure she'll let me play around with it...

 

If you can play a guitar then you can learn piano fairly easily.
I think Yamaha does the best job at reproducing the piano sound for the dollar.

If you get a chance while at the store. Play a Baldwin digital baby grand. You really can barely tell it's electronic, if I listen to the music and not the sound I can easily forget that it's digital. That's unussual, stuff like that ussually jumps out at me and becomes very distracting from the content. But if you played a CD with a baby grand and then a baldwin digital baby grand... I'm not sure that I could distiguish which was the real piano.

 

I have an old piano and an Alesis QS-6.1. I wish I was a better player. I never have time to practice without the kids bothering me.