Fmcpike

Okay, that did it for me! I went down and ordered the MZ-X500. Should be getting it in about a week. Thanks everyone for all your help! You all will be invited to my first after-Grammies party. Now all I gotta do is learn to play the thing. Any ideas on online piano lessons?

@Jokeyman123 @CharlieWorton When I started researching, I heard many times how important it is to have 88 weighted keys so that kind of stuck in my head. But if the primary reason for having them is it would be easier to transition from a weighted keyboard to a non-weighted keyboard, I don't foresee a time when I would be in that situation. Then again, I keep hearing some really good things about the AIR sound engine, which the PX560 has and the MZ-X500 doesn't. I watched some videos on the PX-S3000, but the other two made a bigger impression on me. Thanks you guys for taking the time to respond. Every response I got on this forum taught me something or gave me a point of view that I had not considered. I'm very appreciative for your input.

@Mike71, at your suggestion I looked at the PX-560 and now it is down to that or the MX-Z500. I like the idea of 88 weighted keys of the PX-560. But the sequencer and all-encompassing aspect of the MX-Z500 is also appealing. I'll probably decide which one to choose once the music stores reopen and I get to lay my hands on each of these keyboards. I'm grateful for your help.

@Chandler Holloway, your last post is a much needed and much appreciated lesson on keyboards. I've seen many videos that were supposedly aimed at helping rookies like myself but I think some of these Youtubers forget that a lot of the terms they toss around are alien to me. I learned a lot of stuff I didn't know that I didn't know. And now I definitely want to become familiar with sequencers. Thank you so much for taking the time to teach me.

Thank you everybody for all your replies. Brad, you nailed it! When I say I don't want the synth sounds, I'm referring to the electronic sounds. All that spaceship sounds. What I really want I guess is to find something that costs about the same as the MZ-X500, but without the Martian music and instead uses the money to provide a higher quality of the remaining stuff. I'd try to be more specific about the features I want but to be honest, I have no idea what many of the words mean. Like what the hell is a sequencer and do I need it? And what do pads do? Are 16 enough? Guess I'll have to learn as I go along. Anyway, that's probably part of the fun of learning. But again, thanks you guys. I know you're all busy and I appreciate that you took the time to respond. Mahalo!

Thanks for your reply. Just my personal taste, but I find synth sounds to be a little annoying. Except for maybe one or two. I'm looking for something with all the features of the MZ-X500 but without any synth voices.

Although I have no musical background at all, I've decided to learn to play a keyboard. I'm considering the MZ-X500. However, it seems like a big part of its features are synth related. That part would be wasted on me. Are there any other models that have the same features as the MZ-X500 but without the synthesizer part?