Yamaha Sonogenic Keytar with Power Supply, Strap, and MIDI Cable, Black

If you're like me and use keyboards but don't play piano, this keytar is pretty good. You no longer have to find a place to set up. You just put it on and go. You won't be playing live shows...well, you could but the sounds are pretty limited. This is better for just jamming with friends or practicing songs. If you want something for live shows get the Roland Ax Edge.The built in speaker is...you can hear it. It's loud enough to play with maybe one acoustic guitar. Don't expect anything out of it. It's a 0.7 Watt, 3.6 cm speaker. It lets you hear stuff...that's it. However, you can run an aux cord from the phones jack to whatever you got for MUCH better audio quality. Haven't tried it in an amp yet. I'm sure it will do just fine.The mini keys are not an issue. I wouldn't even call them mini, they're slightly smaller. Totally playable.It has 30 sounds or voices. Some are good...some are less so, mostly cuz I don't see me using them anytime soon.All in all, I was expecting to be disappointed based on some of the reviews I read, however, I am beyond satisfied with this purchase. I don't even touch my CTK-7200 anymore and will probably sell it but not until I get the Roland Ax Edge.

Pros:Can't beat the priceWell madeIt's a synthBluetoothCons:The synths are just okaySome of the synths sound muddy when playing cordsFor some reason, they did not design the sustain button to work in midi mode.Over all happy but the cons really bug me sometimes. I don't care too much about the quality of the synths because my plan is to run this though pedals and amps if using synths. Otherwise this is just my preferred way to record in midi stuff now.Jam mode is probably awesome but I have not tried it yet. It was a selling point.No complaints about the seller themselves.

I am really enjoying my new Yamaha Keytar and my first instrument. I’ve always wanted to learn an instrument and this is the answer. I am going to try and learn the notes, movements, and music since I am a beginner, however, I couldn’t help myself when taking it out of the box and just trying it. The sound was great and the keys were very responsive. It has a jam session that is out of sight. It has 3 demos that you can play along with and you can play from 30 different vocals. It has transpose buttons, octave and sustain buttons, pitch, modulation, etc. It even has a midi and headphone output. Filter, reverb, dynamics, chorus slider is at the base of the unit. Works on battery or adapter. Comes also with a neck strap like you’re playing a guitar. I am really enjoying this instrument and I plan to download the app that goes along with it where you can do even more. This Yamaha is worth the investment for me and if you want something different, then the Keytar is the answer. So glad I found it. Even purchased the case from Amazon for protection. Thanks, Yamaha, for making this 70 year old feel like a rockstar again!!

I wanted a portable keyboard that had a built-in synthesizer, and this fits the bill.* Operates on 6xAA batteries* MIDI out* 1/4 Line Out* PortableA very nice combination. We really don't have much issue with RAM and storage nowadays especially. The next better keytar with a built-in synth is the Roland Ax Synth, but costs over twice as much.Also, this device looks like it has a full General MIDI sound synthesizer built in if you use MIDI in. The crazy thing is that if you get a keytar that's a MIDI Controller only, you might be able to wear the SHS 500 on your back to provide it sounds. With General MIDIThe samples sound kind-of "eh" at first, but turning up the reverb made them sound much better.

The keybed is the same as the Reface series- small keys, but very playable action. The filter and dynamic controls can be fun. The ergonomics are great, and it feels well built. The onboard sound quality and selection are OK, once you adjust the dynamics and effects. Some of the sounds really peak through in a mix- the guitar, with distortion in particular. On the bigger downsides, you'll have to do some menu diving to work some of the effects. The pitch bend direction can't be customized. The sustain button doesn't transmit over MIDI CC. In fact, I don't think any of the controls other than pitch bend and modulation transmit across MIDI. If you don't need the ergonomics of the handle and vertical pitch bend/mod controls, I think you're better off buying a Reface DX (which has the same keys, FAR better sounds, a great sequencer, and robust MIDI support), and the optional keytar attachment for it- all for about the same as you'll pay for this. However, this isn't bad. Added a start to my review after having a chance to program it more deeply.

My piano playing daughter has wanted a keytar for a while. Now that the price has gone down on these and we couldn't do anything else for her birthday, we got her this. She was thrilled. The on board speaker is quiet, but its there so thats a plus compared to others. There is a lot to learn, but we are working through this. Should be a great thing for her once she learns everything it can do. Another win from Yamaha as you would expect.

Great little keyboard to take out in back yard and practice riffs or work on melodies. Keys are small but usable. Voices are ok for such an inexpensive unit. Piano voice not so great, but electric piano and synths better than expected. Flute and harmonica are good. Fun little unit. Glad I got it.

This is my first keytar and its fantastic. Easy to use, and while the default voices are a bit generic, it isn't hard to tweak them to produce a more unique sound. Keys are a bit small, but thats hardly a big problem.