[sdiy] Buy (bare) keyboard?

[Edward King]

Fred,

Three possibilities:

1) Build your own from scratch (hardwood keys, replica ivory overlays, 
stainless steel or aluminium chassis and your choice of contacts / switches 
/ velocity, displacement and aftertouch sensing).

2) Fatar keyboard mechanism (usually they come with bubble style contacts 
and are available as synth type, semi-weighted and hammer action in 61, 76 
and 88 key versions). They start at a couple of hundred quid and go up to 7 
or 8 hundred (depending on options and shipping). Words to the wise though, 
they seem to be quite slow to respond. I completed my order form several 
weeks ago and Im still waiting :o/

3) Buy a cheapy midi controller keyboard, strip off the casing and remove 
any superfluous kit, even replacing the contacts if necessary.

Personally, Ive gone both routes 1 and 2. Option 1 took quite a significant 
time and man-hour investment to get the mechanism right (Ive gone for hammer 
action with velocity, displacement and aftertouch sensing) and Ive still 
only "finished" 2 octaves. If youve got time, I would recommend this option 
though because the opportunities for "tweaking" are greater than a ready 
made unit despite the fact that the fatar units are really, really good.

EK


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Weed" <fredw at lmi.net>
To: <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2007 3:23 AM
Subject: [sdiy] Buy (bare) keyboard?


> Is it still possible to buy a bare keyboard (ie Pratt-Reed) with simple 
> wire
> contacts for do-it-yourselfers?  Are any surplus ones around?
>
> Thanks.
>
>
>
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