Electronic Keyboards?

[Stefano]

Any suggestions for <$200? And what features in an electronic keyboard have you found indispensible? Just good to have?

I’ll be looking at used as well as new . . .

[OneTon]

I don’t know current model numbers. I purchased a Yamaha slightly less than 88 keys keyboard new a few years ago for big band. Maybe slightly more expensive . A lot of churches and some schools use them. Keyboard player spent 20 years in the road and retired from teaching high school vocals. She likes it. Even prefers it. I pair it with a Peavey KB2 amplifier and get completely satisfactory results. It also delivers a pretty good Hammand B3 sound using an input code of B17.

[harrisonreed]

It depends on what you want to use it for. For less than $200? I'd go for one of those full length boards that folds into 4 pieces and fits in a laptop case.

[keybone]

https://aimm.edu/blog/top-5-electronic-keyboard-brands

Check out this article. It is old by electronic keyboard standards, 2018, but the 5 brands remain as a good place to start your search.

[Stefano]

You’ll see how unambitious I am . . . I’d use it to sound out some new music, work out some musical ideas, use the metronome, accompany myself on scales and triads (do keyboards come preprogrammed like that?), get a pitch, record an accompanying track (ambitious for me). Maybe there are things I haven’t thought of. I don’t know what they are capable of!

I’m not interested in performing with it. It would be a tool to help me become a better trombone player (and musician).

[Finetales]

You’ll see how unambitious I am . . . I’d use it to sound out some new music, work out some musical ideas, use the metronome, accompany myself on scales and triads (do keyboards come preprogrammed like that?), get a pitch, record an accompanying track (ambitious for me). Maybe there are things I haven’t thought of. I don’t know what they are capable of!

I’m not interested in performing with it. It would be a tool to help me become a better trombone player (and musician).

A standard home keyboard like a Yamaha PSR can do all those things and more. You can get them at all sorts of prices, it is a big model range. I had a PSR-E313 many years ago that did all that, I'm sure the new ones are even better. The PSR-EW310 looks like a solid option at the top of your budget, but there are a bunch. Casio also makes a ton.

Have you bought through Sweetwater before? I think your best bet would be to link up with one of their sales reps and they can point you in a good direction.

[BrassSection]

Although I don’t play keys, have heard enough different ones to prefer the sound quality of the Yamaha brand. That’s what our band settled on years ago. Who knows, may be something better now, but current one still meets the needs.

[Stefano]

You’ll see how unambitious I am . . . I’d use it to sound out some new music, work out some musical ideas, use the metronome, accompany myself on scales and triads (do keyboards come preprogrammed like that?), get a pitch, record an accompanying track (ambitious for me). Maybe there are things I haven’t thought of. I don’t know what they are capable of!

I’m not interested in performing with it. It would be a tool to help me become a better trombone player (and musician).

Have you bought through Sweetwater before? I think your best bet would be to link up with one of their sales reps and they can point you in a good direction.

I haven’t bought through Sweetwater. I see their name a lot, so I’ll look into it.