Okay, people: I need your help! The time has finally come to buy a new portable keyboard. The hand-me-down Yamaha my mom gave me a couple years ago has served its purpose, and will continue to do so in my studio’s waiting room, but I’m in the market for an upgrade.
Yesterday I put out the following tweet, hoping to elicit more than a few replies:
I did receive three responses — thank you Kat, Allison and Caitlin! — but would love to throw a few more options into the pool of candidates.
So if you have a recommendation for a keyboard that is easy to tote (back and forth from gigs, rehearsals, etc.), won’t break the bank (preferably under $500), and sounds great, please let me know by leaving a comment.
Thank you in advance for your help!
My parents bought me a piano my sophomore year of high school. It has great sound and if pretty mobile. Its a Yamaha Portable Grand DGX-200. I don’t remember what they spent on it, but I know that with the wooded stand it was all under 500. Hope this helps.
Note: The keyboard that I have only has 7 keys, but the sound is amazing!
Hi Rachel!
If you’re looking for a big upgrade in sound, I would look for something that is full sized and has weighted keys. It does make it a little heaver when it comes to transport, but it makes such an unbelievable difference! I’m not sure if you use a lot of the advanced synth functions on the keyboard, but if you are willing to use just the basics, Yamaha makes some great models that are very portable and affordable.
Hope that’s helpful! :) As far as brands go, I know you’ve had a lot of Yamaha suggestions, but I couldn’t agree more! Every time I’ve gotten a new keyboard I’ve compared it against other brands and I’ve always stuck with Yamaha.
Thank you Megan! That is extremely helpful! Yamaha seems like the way to go based on the suggestion that I’ve received, and I definitely agree that full-sized and weighted keys are a must. I will keep you posted…