Entrance into the NAMM show is tightly controlled. This year, I scrambled until nearly the last few days before the 2020 show to get myself a ticket. Luckily, it all worked out, even if it was at almost the last minute. I had a ticket in hand for browsing new gear at NAMM 2020 with an eye on keyboards.
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My Introduction to Modern Keyboards
How things have changed for keyboard players in the Los Angeles area. As a teen in Hollywood, I recall stepping into Guitar Center on Sunset Boulevard to drool over the keyboards showcased at the store. In the late 70s to early 80s, the storefront bounced around a few locations near the corner of Gardner Street and Sunset Boulevard. When the store was across the street from its present-day location, that was the ultimate keyboard shopping experience ever available (in my lifetime).
I vividly remember walking into the keyboard department and seeing (and even playing on a few) the legendary keyboards. ARP 2600, Odyssey and Omni were in one area. The Roland semi-modular System 100 was on display, and I took the brochure home on this one to read over and over again. Off to the side was the Oberheim massive 8-voice synthesizer. And in the front window, the mighty Yamaha CS-80. During one visit to the store, the keyboardists from a local theater show, Zen Boogie, took the CS-80 through its paces as I stood by and watched.
I ultimately purchased my first synth, a Yamaha CS-60, from this store, and thus began my keyboard story.
Current Retail Environment For Keyboardists
Fast forward to 2020, so much has changed in the world of keyboards. We are no longer trapped to a single patch at a time. No, today’s keyboards for the most part offer so much memory of patches, making the change of a sound just a flip of a button versus the time consuming reconfiguration of knobs, sliders, and patch cords. Keyboards that used to weigh hundreds of pounds are now replaced with controllers we can easily hold with one hand.
But shopping for keyboards? Unfortunately, the days are gone when we could walk into a store and try on the latest state-of-the-art keyboards.
It is so disappointing to travel to store after store in the greater Southern California area, only to find keyboard selections that I would expect to find if Walmart or Target were selling keyboards. We’re talking the most entry-level, basic offerings. You can lay your hands on the toys. But the real instruments – Hammond XK5 organ, top flight Nord offerings, vintage recreations (Mellotron, ARP, Moog), are nowhere to be found. Dexibell? Nope, not in any store near me.
That makes getting an entry into NAMM all the more valuable. It seems to be the only place anymore where a keyboard player can lay his or her hands on the latest and greatest keyboards on the market.
NAMM 2020 Keyboards
This year, I had my eyes on two main spaces to fill in my rig. First, I needed to move from my ancient Oberheim OB-3 squared organ module cabled up to a Yamaha DX7II with an easier and better configuration. Secondly, it would be nice to upgrade from my piano sounds which have been coming from an expansion card upgraded Roland XV-2020. Yes, these parts of the rig are perhaps long past overdue for an overhaul.
On the organ front, I’ve spent a lot of time reviewing options, reading blog posts, watching YouTube videos, and assessing manufacturer websites. But again, there are no hands-on opportunities within hundreds of miles. The Hammond XK5, Hammond SK series, Nord C2D, and Viscount’s Legend were on my radar.
Organs
First stop for organs would be the Hammond display.
Hammond’s XK5 was astounding. The multi-contact keyboard is an immense joy to play, and the modeling of the Hammond sound is also unlike any other emulation I’ve played. I returned to play the XK-5 no less than three separate times during my NAMM visit. That is telling, eh?
I really wanted to play the XK5 (A3) model they had set up with pedalboard. I have an AGO 32 note pedalboard at home, which has been essential for practicing classical organ music. Would the different spacing of Hammond’s shorter pedalboard allow me to easily adapt, or would it be more of a struggle? Would I miss the extra keys that the AGO 32 model offers? Well, the big boy model was reserved for the showcase artists, so I was unable to feel the pedalboard at NAMM. And again, there are no stores that I’ve been able to identify where I can sit behind an organ with a Hammond pedalboard to experience the difference. My one disappointment here.
Hammond’s SKX was also intriguing. Thinking about my rock band rig, this would be a nice option to cover most of my bases. The organ was acceptable – definitely a step up over my old Oberheim module. Plus having built in options for pianos (while not superb, but serviceable) and strings and synths, would make this a very easy and useful rehearsal board. (I’ve had rehearsals where my current rig can take 30 to 40 minutes to set up, hence another large driver for making a change). Also offering a pipe organ division, I could practice for my Sunday morning church gig with this board.
Next up on the Organ review was a stop at the Viscount display. On hand was a setup with the Legend organ. It’s a nice organ, but having played the multi-touch keybed of the Hammond, this one felt just a tad unable to compete.
Among my organ model indecisions was the inclusion of the Viscount Duo Cantorum on my list. Why? Well, I have my hands in two distinct areas within the organ realm. Rock keyboards with my band, but then a standing Sunday church organ gig, makes this decision a bit more complicated. While I had a chance to play the Duo Cantorum at last year’s NAMM show, Viscount did not bring this model to the 2020 show. Interesting. I wonder if they had, how this would have changed my thinking. But without it, my experience at NAMM would be limited to Hammond-type recreations. And there were plenty of great choices available.
Digital Pianos
As I continued keyboard browsing at NAMM 2020, I turned to digital pianos. I remember being wowed last year by the Dexibell pianos. The acoustic piano was incredible, and the electric pianos were to my liking. This was the first stop for me this year—to get reacquainted with Dexibell and perhaps land on a model. Taking the S9 through its paces, I was still impressed, but somehow less so than last year.
New this year was an offering by Viscount in their Legend ’70s Compact Piano. The version on the floor was still a bit of a prototype. The Viscount rep who was responsible for the instrument was on hand and went out of his way to offer a few apologies for the fact that the instrument was still undergoing some fine-tuning. I really like the aesthetic of the instrument. We need more flat topped pianos.
Soundwise, I tested the instrument on its various models, but I still wanted to hear what other manufacturers had to offer.
My last stop for pianos was the Nord display. Here, I had a chance to lay my hands on the Grand 88-key Stage Keyboard. I had some intrigue approaching this board, but not the highest of expectations. Offering even a bit of a flat top is a big bonus for me. But when I sat down to play this keyboard, I was wowed! It felt so good, and sounded terrific.
While I walked into NAMM thinking my next piano upgrade would come from Dexibell (and yes, they do make a truly wonderful piano), I left with The Nord on the top of my list.
Yamaha Keyboards
Before leaving, I stopped by the Yamaha display, housed in another building from most of the other keyboard manufacturers. I had read about the new YC61, which, on paper, sounded like another possible organ/piano rig alternative. Putting my hands on this would be a brief encounter. I was really disappointed. It was a clear no-go for me.
I did enjoy seeing this blast from the past, which is on display from Yamaha. I believe this was the Yamaha YC 45D model. The aesthetic reminded me of my old Yamaha CS-60 which made the rounds with me for over 500 gigs in 5 years during the 1980s. If I had unlimited funds and space, having one of these in the collection would be a blast.
Conclusion
I’m glad I was able to attend this year’s NAMM show. I wish there would be a series of public days in the future. I hear they tried this in the past, and apparently, it didn’t work out so well—but given the state of the music retail experience continuing to decline, the value would be even higher today.
With the cost of the keyboards on my list, organ and piano, where they are, this year, the budget would allow for one. It was immensely helpful to go keyboard browsing at NAMM 2020.
On the next blog post, I will unveil the selection I made.
Thanks for reading.
Arthur Dobrucki