which keybaord is better??? Help!!!

[Sineth]

im trying to get keybaord i like so i have narrowed them down to 2. which one of these keybaords is the better one.

Casio Wk3500 or

Yamaha DGX305


thx for listening, and please post ur opinions. :)

[jeremyroberts]

I think Yamaha is better than Casio, but I don't know those particular keyboards.

Anyway, it looks better to have "Yamaha" than "Casio" written on the back of the keyboard. LOL

[LithoJazzoSphere]

The WK-3500 has been recently discontinued by Casio. They now have the WK-3700, which appears to be nearly identical, but I haven't tried it nor researched it in depth to see what the differences are. I will assume for purposes of recommendation that it's more or less the same.

I would say the main difference between the two is the WK's synthesizer function, which will allow you to manipulate the sound and learn a bit of basic synthesis. The DGX is essentially a preset only board, so if you hate tweaking you won't mind, but most prog fans are tweakers.

We have probably half a dozen users of it here, perhaps the most outspoken being Liquid Shadow and myself. LS in particular has recorded some Killer stuff with the WK-3500, and if you contact him I'm sure he can hook you up with some of his work. With a bit of knowledge, you can coax some sounds similar to the Jens Johansson lead, a Derek Sherinian monster wah lead, a Sonata Arctica lead, a couple of Rick Wakeman's leads, the Erotomania organ, a Jon Lord organ, and with some addition of internal effects, it has the best warm pad and sweep pad I've heard from a lower-end keyboard.

The WK series also has digital organ drawbars, and probably the best low end organ simularation you'll find. Liquid Shadow has gotten some really cool jazz and fusion organ tones out of it

I have much better gear than it now, but I still use it in small settings pretty much weekly.

You can also do a search on this board and do a bit of reading, as we've discussed the WK-3500 a bit over the past year or so. For a lower-end board, I definitely recommend it (assuming the 3500 and 3700 are fairly similar).

Edit:

I think Yamaha is better than Casio, but I don't know those particular keyboards.

Anyway, it looks better to have "Yamaha" than "Casio" written on the back of the keyboard. LOL

Certainly, most of Yamaha's material is better than Casio's, but I don't think that's necessarily the case with some of their entry level products. And sure, any music snob will turn their nose at seeing a Casio, but it's not like we're comparing the Casio vs. a Yamaha Motif. The DGX's are cheaply priced boards, and their quality reflects that.

[calmar]

The Motif ES is the best keyboard.
All the others keyboards are crap. CRAP.









... No... kidding :D haha

Seriously, I owned a DGX 500 for about 1 year (I think the 305 is the same thing, but only with some new features), and it's a pretty good keyboard for that price. But all depends on what you want to do. But you can't edit the sounds, you can only add some effects, split the keyboard in 2 differents layers, etc... You should try the 2 keyboards to make a good choice. And I don't know the Casio
Dave

[Omega Monkey]

Honestly, those are pretty much toys compared to a "pro" keyboard. You would probably be better off getting an older used workstation maybe from 10-15 years ago. Which would not only sound better, but hold their value better as well if you want to sell it later. There is some pretty good stuff you can get in the $200-500 range on ebay. Do a search for keyboards or synths in that price range (or maybe expand it a bit just to see whats out there) then research each model to try and find the best one for you.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Keep in mind though, the sound from Liquid Shadow's "toy" beat all the other pro boards in the best lead contest a few months ago. ;)

[Liquid Shadow]

Psssst, It was an Alesis QS6 at that point. Granted, the lead I used was a direct emulation of running a Casio organ tone through my DS-1. It was just actually monophonic at that point so I didn't have to be so painfully articulate about it so that everything wasn't bleeding together. ;)


The Casio is really good. I'm still using it for a lot of stuff, especially electric pianos lately. The inability to go monophonic is really the biggest weakness of it, but otherwise I think it's a real good starter synth. I haven't heard about the new ones, I'll have to check that out. I wonder what they've changed.

[Omega Monkey]

The problem with those kind of boards is that they still try to have all the features of the "big boys". But at that price level, they have to make sacrifices somewhere. And typically that somewhere is in the sound, as well as just the general feel of the thing. Thats why I would recommend something a bit older thats pro, but maybe doesnt have all the "bells and whistles".

At any rate, theres a lot more out ther ethan those 2 keyboards, and it pays to know what your options are.

[Sineth]

thx for the help guys, :) but the problem is i cant aford expensive keybaords, becouse im only 15, and my allawance isnt that great. and im in the middle east, so the shipping is also extremely costy. :mad:


but im considering the Casio WK3700, it seems pretty good

[Piranha]

I got a Yamaha DGX505 lately, and I like it. I just needed something that could play better sounds than my stupid old Casio CT-670. It's not like I needed to program or edit sounds. I can't understand a keyboard that has 2 billion buttons on it anyways.

I'll try pro keyboards later when I have money.

Anyways, this isn't really on topic. I was just talking about my life. I couldn't suggest keyboards cuz I dunno about the Casio.

[Michael Troy]

I thought Casio made calculaters and watches. Go for the yamaha.
JMO :)

[Liquid Shadow]

Me and a buddy were in Guitar Center once and he was looking for a guitar to try out. I grabbed a Yamaha model and used my other hand to point to it, saying in a cheesey salesman voice, "They also make boats!"


Nice try though.

[Michael Troy]

Yea...Yea...(LOL!) My one buddy growin up had bass guitar aspirations and had a Yamaha bass and we all used to tease him about his "Motorcycle Bass"
Good one dog!!

[Omega Monkey]

Tell me, please, what amazing keyboards Casio has EVER had that were on par with stuff like the GX1 (holy crap), CS-80, DX7, SY99, EX5, and Motif? I've heard the VL1 is supposed to be cool, but thats pretty much it as far as Casio's synth legacy. Not to mention Yamaha makes KILLER pianos (Chick Corea plays only Yamahas and he ALWAYS sounds excellent).

Whereas Casio basically sticks with the cheap crap (they havent really done a "pro" board in like 15 years or more afaik), Yamaha is equally comfortable in both spheres. Yes, Yamaha also makes a LOT of other stuff, but they ARE one of the biggest companies in the world, its not like they overtax themselves working on too many things without enough resources (at least that hasnt affected their keyboard division). And Casio does too anyway. So you cant really use that as an argument against Yamaha.

At any rate, if you are on a budget, that makes even more logical to get something older and used, because you will get that much more for your (limited amount of) money. The WK series is around 300-400 or so judging by ebay. For about the same or a little more, you have a huge range of options for used keyboards many of which would blow the pants off a WK. Especially if you want to play in a band, you will not really be taken seriously with something like the Casio. Obviously its your choice, but I would strongly advise against the Casio because you will just outgrow it that much faster and have to get something else.

[Michael Troy]

Man you guys sure do get fired up over this stuff. Im a Motifman now too. I dont know how I could do without it now that I have one and have learned my way around it a little. I have to agree with the guy who said it would be smarter to get a real workstation from a few years ago rather than the brand new TOY stuff but then again, he's only 15 so I can totaly understand that he doesnt have money for the best of the best. I will say this though and I mean this kindly...get a paper route or something and SAVE YOUR MONEY for what you want. You can do it.

[dladio]

YAMAHA! yamaha make keyboards, casio make toys..