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I would likely buy a K 88 except it would be too heavy for me to load in/out of my SUV. I tried to pick it up off the shelf at the store and could not. I think it's 53lbs? Then add the weight of a case. I have to load/unload it myself in my SUV.

Or does someone have a method that makes it easy to load somehow?

I find the 73 to be about the limit of what I want to deal with for gigging. I use a soft case to keep the weight down. In a flight case the 73 is pretty darn heavy. I don’t feel the lack of an octave is much of a trade off for the pounds saved.

From Korg web site...24.1kg/53.13 lbs. You are correct Sir.

mm-pro wrote:I find the 73 to be about the limit of what I want to deal with for gigging. I use a soft case to keep the weight down. In a flight case the 73 is pretty darn heavy. I don’t feel the lack of an octave is much of a trade off for the pounds saved.

I agree with everything mm-pro says...I have an 88 that stays set up in the music room, while the 73 stays in the gig bag when at home, ready to load for the gig...two Ks may not an option for most starving, semi-employed musicians...

df

I’ve gigged with the K88 on and off since I bought it in 2011.

At first I used a Roadready flight for it, but that was almost impossible to move from my office in the basement and upstairs and out to the CAR with the K88 inside.
Long story short; Sold the flightcase and bought a Gator Pro-go gig-bag for the K88.

I don’t need the protection of the flight case, because I move all my boards personally - and the Pro-go fits my needs perfectly.
I went from having to haul 50+ kgs to about 30kgs with the gig-bag. Loading in and out of the car is now troublefree, and I can even carry the K88 on my back like (A giant) Nord Electro if I want.


On smaller gigs though, I only bring the Nord Stage... That’s perhaps 15kg with gig-bag, iPad, pedals and cables...

But I often bring both the K88 and the Stage to gigs.

It's definitely heavier than I was expecting. It might be more manageable if you use a case with casters, but stairs would possibly require 2 people lifting.

You definitely want wheels, even with a 73.

An option is to get a Kronos 61 and pair it with a lightweight 88 controller. Many use a Casio Privia PX-5s.

psionic311 wrote:An option is to get a Kronos 61 and pair it with a lightweight 88 controller. Many use a Casio Privia PX-5s.

as a codger, just noting how the tech and size/weight has tremendously improved a keyboardists ability to perform. And the cost of total instruments for a keyboardists sound has dropped dramatically

You know the same old story, back in the 70s, etc, etc. Hammond, leslie, rhodes, etc.

Of course some or many gigs, these days , have cramped space for the band or performers. Expectations have changed also

GregC wrote:

psionic311 wrote:An option is to get a Kronos 61 and pair it with a lightweight 88 controller. Many use a Casio Privia PX-5s.

as a codger, just noting how the tech and size/weight has tremendously improved a keyboardists ability to perform. And the cost of total instruments for a keyboardists sound has dropped dramatically

You know the same old story, back in the 70s, etc, etc. Hammond, leslie, rhodes, etc.

Of course some or many gigs, these days , have cramped space for the band or performers. Expectations have changed also

that's a good point. Imagine carrying around a B3, Rhodes and some elect piano to gigs (like we used to do!)

I have to have 88 at gigs, not just for piano songs but to layer/split sounds way down low or way up high as needed. Some songs I play bass on the keys and need that full range for a split

Mike777 wrote:I have to have 88 at gigs, not just for piano songs but to layer/split sounds way down low or way up high as needed. Some songs I play bass on the keys and need that full range for a split

I hear that, I use keyboard splits everywhere. In my cover bands the songs I play keys on mostly have multiple sounds. One keyboard isn't enough for me, so I always have my K61 on top and another 61 key controller on the lower tier.

As far as price, if you were originally willing to buy a brand new K88 for $3700, you could save $1000 by getting a used K61 at $2k and a used PX-5s for $700. The Privia is incredibly light at only 24 pounds, and the action is very playable.

Ha, looks like I'm trying more to justify it to myself than anyone else...

psionic311 wrote:

Mike777 wrote:I have to have 88 at gigs, not just for piano songs but to layer/split sounds way down low or way up high as needed. Some songs I play bass on the keys and need that full range for a split

I hear that, I use keyboard splits everywhere. In my cover bands the songs I play keys on mostly have multiple sounds. One keyboard isn't enough for me, so I always have my K61 on top and another 61 key controller on the lower tier.

As far as price, if you were originally willing to buy a brand new K88 for $3700, you could save $1000 by getting a used K61 at $2k and a used PX-5s for $700. The Privia is incredibly light at only 24 pounds, and the action is very playable.

Ha, looks like I'm trying more to justify it to myself than anyone else...

I don't gig. But if I did, likely a 1 man band, I would be in SEQ mode most of the time. On an 88 for sure

Whilst I would not be keen to take an 88 out and about I can recommend the official Korg case for the Kronos. Yes it makes the whole approach heavier, almost unliftable, but it has 2 small wheels at one end and can be dragged around like a pelicase.

A good-quality soft case with wheels (I uses a Kaces Keyboard Porter with my K73) gives you the best of both worlds, as long as you're always careful and, as Qtipcore says, move your own equipment personally...the K88 is too heavy for me (and too long to fit in my car) but I understand that if you need keyboard splits, you need more keys - I could never remember split points, so a second small unweighted controller works better for me...I tried using a K61 with some other 88-key controllers, but could never find one that had as good a response as the weighted keybeds in the K73/88 for the SGX pianos...

df

Get the 88LS.