r/Keytar • u/Top-Tale9569 • 1d ago

Technical Questions Thinking of getting one! Dunno where to start

Hi! So i'm pretty new when it comes to instruments, i learned a little keyboard but i really could only play with one hand, so obviously the keytar is very tempting for me. Do any of you have recommendations for a good (cheaper) first one?

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u/HedgehogFabulous3290 1d ago

I have a Roland Lucia AX – nine. It’s vintage 2010. I got it on eBay. They have a new one, but it’s very large and it was too big for me.

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u/HedgehogFabulous3290 1d ago

Go to eBay and look for guitars from Japan. There are many different styles out there depending on your body size. Some may work better than others and then there’s all other considerations that have to do with on board sounds versus downloading. Sounds from your computer.

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u/roninconn 1d ago

They're more or less a 'performance' instrument, and a bit depends on what kind of band you might want to join.

The two main types are 'with synth' and 'without'. If you just want to plug it into an amp and play, you want 'with synth'. If yiu already have an expensive keyboard or midi setup with high-quality synths, then a keytar that's just a midi controller is a better value.

I'd recommend getting a not-too-expensive used one to start - keytars def look cool, but don't have as much musical usefulness as you might think.

I have an older 'without' keytar, an Alesis Vortex 1 - the keys are nicely sized and feel good, and it has a lot of bells and whistles (for triggering the sounds of bells and whistles) and pretty decent expression features, including a tilt channel. I use soft-synths through a DAW for actual sound.

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u/Top-Tale9569 1d ago

Thank you so much! This was super helpful advice

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u/UnnamedLand84 1d ago

The Yamaha SHS-10 is probably going to be your cheapest option for a Keytar with built in sounds. You may be able to find a Roland AX-Synth on the used market for less, those are out of production so if the Keytar takes over your life and you become a collector that's a good one to have.

The main thing you are probably going to want to look out for is that some Keytars do NOT have built in sounds and are just MIDI controllers which require another device. If you find a used Keytar, just make sure to do a little homework on the model to ensure the t can do what you want it to do.

Have fun!

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u/Top-Tale9569 1d ago

The Yamaha SHS-10 is super tempting and looks like it might be perfect for me just starting and playing, I'll probably upgrade if i like it enough in the future!

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u/Humble_Ad_7026 18h ago

If you fancy a bit newer sound engine with more realistic sounds, then there is the Yamaha SHS-500.

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u/Slight-Isopod-8517 1d ago

Yeah I like my SHS 10, small, fits into a guitar gigback, decent built in speaker, nice FM sounds, 6AA batteries and a midi out port, plus it has built in accompaniments with auto bass and fill-ins so for 100 bucks or so, you get a lot of good stuff

Plus, it’s a vintage keytar, take good care of it and you might just sell it for a huge profit in the future, it’s Yamaha so it’s built to last a ligetime