Changing keyboard key colours

[charic]

I've got an audition for a new band but on keys for a bit of a change. I quite like the idea of changing the keyboard from the bog standard white. Anyone know of any way to do this?

[BigRedX]

IME the only permanent way of doing this is to find replacement keys that have been moulded in the appropriate colour. Maybe getting them 3D printed?

I experimented with spraying up keys in the 80s (I used a very customised Yamaha KX5 keytar) but the results were always disappointing since the paint tended to wear off very quickly - especially considering how much time and effort was expended dismantling the keyboard, spraying the keys and them re-assembling them once they were dry. Even spraying a couple of clear coats over the top of the colour only slightly delayed the inevitable wearing off of the colour.

[charic]

I thought that might be the answer. I've considered getting some decals made but I expect they would feel horrible under the fingers. 3D printing might be an option but I do wonder if it would be durable enough

[Beer of the Bass]

I wonder if you could cover just the flat tops of the white keys with some kind of adhesive material like car pinstripe tape or sign makers vinyl? That stuff seems surprisingly sturdy but would still be easier to undo than spray paint.

[BigRedX]

You could try it, but I suspect that you'd be right about the feel and don't under-estimate the amount of wear that any finish on the keys is going to have to withstand. I wore through 2 layers of clear-coat and 2 layers of colour sprayed onto the keys in a matter of weeks.

If you can get them 3D printed out of the right kind of material it would be a far better solution. Just remember that every white key in the octave is a slightly different shape plus the final high C. That's 9 different designs you are going to need creating and outputting.

[Happy Jack]

Have to say, this took me by surprise.

I was about to type "just Google it", then I thought, no, I'll Google it.

Hmmmmm. I was completely unable to find anyone supplying keys or key overlays in anything other than white and black. And it wasn't easy finding them, either.

That's not what I expected. Surely there HAS to be a market for such a product?

Why should you not be able to re-finish your keyboard in orange and blue if you want to?

If I was younger (and had more ambition) I think I'd look into this as a business venture.

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1441209959' post='2856978']

Why should you not be able to re-finish your keyboard in orange and blue if you want to?

If I was younger (and had more ambition) I think I'd look into this as a business venture.
[/quote]

Orange and blue? That would preclude you from gigging in about half of Glasgow!

[BigRedX]

Unfortunately customising keyboards is nowhere near as popular as customising guitars.

If you look hard enough you can find examples but they are nearly all keytar type instruments and based on my own experiences I wonder just how durable some of the results are. My Yamaha KX5 (with the keys restored back to their original black and white) is still languishing on eBay at a bargain price despite all the technical improvements that have been made to it that mean it now functions in a far more reliable manner to one in original condition simply because it is now sprayed gold rather than being black or silver with a big Yamaha logo on the back.

The band who were notable for having very customised keyboards - Freur - had achieve this by covering the casing is masking tape and drawing on this. Even they didn't go as far as colouring the keys.

[bartelby]

Might be a bit limiting, but you could try and find an EDP Wasp

[Dad3353]

Fit RGB LEDs somewhere on the façade above each key, and project the colour you wish..? Or suspend an oil-wheel projector above the whole keyboard and have a real blast..?
All good fun, of course; personally, I'd leave 'em alone and get on with more important stuff, but, whatever...

Edited September 2, 2015 by Dad3353

[charic]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1441209959' post='2856978']
Have to say, this took me by surprise.

I was about to type "just Google it", then I thought, no, I'll Google it.

Hmmmmm. I was completely unable to find anyone supplying keys or key overlays in anything other than white and black. And it wasn't easy finding them, either.

That's not what I expected. Surely there HAS to be a market for such a product?

Why should you not be able to re-finish your keyboard in orange and blue if you want to?

If I was younger (and had more ambition) I think I'd look into this as a business venture.
[/quote]

It's really taken me by surprise that this doesn't exist.. maybe I've been spoiled by being a bass player

Also googling it is bloody frustrating as you generally get results for qwerty keyboards!

Dammit, I wanted to change the white to black and the black to lime green

[crez5150]

My mate has just set this up for a tour -

[charic]

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1441266898' post='2857305']
My mate has just set this up for a tour -
[/quote]

Very nice! A few questions if you could pass them on...

How did he get the keys replaced? What stand is that?!

[crez5150]

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1441267162' post='2857308']
Very nice! A few questions if you could pass them on...

How did he get the keys replaced? What stand is that?!
[/quote]

I believe its a special edition from Korg.....

I think the stand is from Ultimatesupport.com

[charic]

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1441268813' post='2857324']
I believe its a special edition from Korg.....

I think the stand is from Ultimatesupport.com
[/quote]

Goddamn, Hmmm... Korg owe me a favour bloody glitchy keyboard!

I'll look at the stand, cheers!

[xgsjx]

Kong are the only company that I know that regularly do keys in colours other than standard white with black.
Back in the 80s when I was a kid, I did put red insulating tape on the white keys of one of my keyboards. Looked good from a short distance, but from a player's eye, it was keys covered in insulation tape.
You could take the keys off & spray them. You'd need to key them with some sandpaper to get paint to stick & you'd probably have to do a very thin coat so they don't jam off one another (so the paint may only last a short while before needing rubbed down & repainted), but it can be done.

These guys do some cool custom jobs, but nothing in the way of changing key colour.

http://www.customsynth.co.uk/index.html

Edited September 3, 2015 by xgsjx

[discreet]

If it's just for your own benefit, how about a pair of tinted sunglasses?

Edited September 11, 2015 by discreet

[gingerfish]

Not really my area of expertise but could you try and find a broken version of your keyboard on eBay or just a cheap one and play around with options? To get plastic to take a decent change of colour, thinking the back keys more than white you would likely have to put a decent base coat on them.

I imagine this isn't done on a major scale as there must be thousands of keyboards out there that all have keys that are different in some way or other, If you need 9 unique keys per keyboard then that's a lot of spares to hang onto if you have each one in 20 colours. Also as an electrical item no manufacturer is going to want the average Joe taking it apart and tinkering with it.

[charic]

[quote name='gingerfish' timestamp='1441973469' post='2863392']
Not really my area of expertise but could you try and find a broken version of your keyboard on eBay or just a cheap one and play around with options? To get plastic to take a decent change of colour, thinking the back keys more than white you would likely have to put a decent base coat on them.

I imagine this isn't done on a major scale as there must be thousands of keyboards out there that all have keys that are different in some way or other, If you need 9 unique keys per keyboard then that's a lot of spares to hang onto if you have each one in 20 colours. Also as an electrical item no manufacturer is going to want the average Joe taking it apart and tinkering with it.
[/quote]

Unfortunately even broken versions of the keyboards I have aren't exactly cheap I've just recently realised that as a bassist I had it relatively easy financially!

[discreet]

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1441974386' post='2863412']
I've just recently realised that as a bassist I had it relatively easy financially!
[/quote]

Quite. Particularly when you look at the cost of even mediocre orchestral instruments. Halfway decent ones are phenomenally expensive.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1441974386' post='2863412']
Unfortunately even broken versions of the keyboards I have aren't exactly cheap I've just recently realised that as a bassist I had it relatively easy financially!
[/quote]

Which why I find the "All The Gear And No-Eye-Deer" thread hilarious!

When I started playing synths in the early 80s, the most basic entry level instrument cost at least £250 and that was for a monophonic single oscillator and single envelope generator synth. If you prepared to forego a proper keyboard you could get The Wasp with 2 oscillators and 2 basic envelope generators but a proprietary digital interface so you couldn't hook it up to any of you CV and Gate analogue gear - that is if you could afford more than one synth!

If you wanted polyphony, patch memories and a decent sounding synth you were looking at something that cost the same as a small terraced house!

Edited September 11, 2015 by BigRedX

[charic]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1441979384' post='2863496']


Which why I find the "All The Gear And No-Eye-Deer" thread hilarious!

When I started playing synths in the early 80s, the most basic entry level instrument cost at least £250 and that was for a monophonic single oscillator and single envelope generator synth. If you prepared to forego a proper keyboard you could get The Wasp with 2 oscillators and 2 basic envelope generators but a proprietary digital interface so you couldn't hook it up to any of you CV and Gate analogue gear - that is if you could afford more than one synth!

If you wanted polyphony, patch memories and a decent sounding synth you were looking at something that cost the same as a small terraced house!
[/quote]

Yikes, well I'm glad I'm not looking at things quite that extreme. My ideal keyboard going forward is still clocking in at over 2k though!

[Left Foot]

Casio mt40, plus some pedals, done!

[darkandrew]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1441979384' post='2863496']

When I started playing synths in the early 80s, the most basic entry level instrument cost at least £250 and that was for a monophonic single oscillator and single envelope generator synth. If you prepared to forego a proper keyboard you could get The Wasp with 2 oscillators and 2 basic envelope generators but a proprietary digital interface so you couldn't hook it up to any of you CV and Gate analogue gear - that is if you could afford more than one synth!

If you wanted polyphony, patch memories and a decent sounding synth you were looking at something that cost the same as a small terraced house!
[/quote]

I know a lot of people talk badly of digital synths but at least they made synthesis available to the masses at reasonable prices. I remember my first "real" synth, it was a Yamaha DX100 and this and the similarly spec'd Casio CZ101 were absolute bargains at the time.