Music Keyboards Guide

Sometimes people looking to purchase a music keyboard are wondering which brand is best.  Obviously the price range is a fairly rough but good estimate of quality, but within a certain price range, for a certain combination of functionality and sound, people contemplate the brand of music keyboard instruments.  Personally, I figure that whatever keyboard fits my needs and is in my price range is all the consideration I need to give, but there is something about the brand that is important.

Perhaps one area where brand is important is when considering beginner’s music keyboards.  Yamaha and Casio are two brands that come to mind and are pretty much the main companies that make beginner music keyboard instruments.  There are even forum discussions regarding music keyboards by these two brands.  Personally, I’ve owned and have had good experiences with both.  The following is probably a biased assessment, but in my mind Casio music keyboards seem to be of low to mid level product quality.  Perhaps I have the mini, kids music keyboards that Casio makes in mind, but also Casio has an association with Radio Shack, which also has a reputation (at least in my mind) of low to mid level quality products.  Again, perhaps a biased assessment, but many of the forums that discuss this topic concur that Yamaha is the “better” brand when it comes to beginner’s music keyboard instruments.  Indeed, Yamaha is a world-class manufacturer of instruments, including some of the most respected and revered concert grand pianos!  It makes sense that Yamaha is one of the better brands for music keyboards in any price range.

But Casio has a long history of electronics and electronic keyboard making, and does have some quality instruments in its catalog.  The Casio Privia and Cabinet models are quality digital pianos that have weighted action keys and high-quality piano sounds.  Now, if price is an indicator of quality, then Yamaha music keyboards would be several times higher in quality than Casio’s since Yamaha’s price for comparable keyboard instruments is two to three times Casio’s.  Also, Yamaha makes a wider variety of keyboards, with some of their more professional music keyboards (workstations, particularly) offering much more functionality than Casio’s.  There is something to be said, however,for Casio offering a good product at an affordable price.  You may not see a Casio on a stage as often as a Yamaha, but for the average consumer, Casio music keyboards are a good buy for home use.  The digital pianos and arranger/workstation keyboards made by both companies are fairly comparable to each other in terms of functionality and sounds, although many would argue that Yamaha makes a better sounding keyboard than Casio.

For something like a digital piano with a quality crafted wooden cabinet, perhaps it makes sense to look at the company that makes the most models.  In this category Yamaha and Casio (interestingly enough) make the most models.  M Audio is another contender offering several models, and even Korg, Roland, and Kawai have their own offerings.  They are all in the same price range ($1-2 K) and offer similar sound and functionality, but personally, I would look at a Yamaha first, since they have a history and reputation for making high-quality keyboard instruments.

When it comes to workstation and higher-end synth keyboards, those that are more “electronic” in nature, there are some brands other than Yamaha that stand out.  Korg is known for making high-quality workstation and arranger keyboards that are often used on stage.  Roland is another popular brand, and Kurzweil is known for their innovative chip technology and also offering unique sounds not found on other music keyboards.  When looking for some of the more sophisticated functionality and specialized sound creation, Nord is a brand to look for, a company that creates some of the most respected synthesizers in the world that do a great job of matching, as close as possible, analog sounds and real instruments such as hammond organs and mellotrons.

Ultimately, looking at brands when selecting music keyboards will make a difference depending on what type of instrument you’re looking for.  Some brands specialize in certain categories, such as Yamaha being a leader in digital pianos, where Korg is a leader in workstations.  But ultimately, the best thing to do when deciding on a keyboard is to go try them out at the music store, and go by what sounds best and has the features and functionality that you want- the brand may be one of the last things to consider when purchasing a music keyboard instrument.