deskthority

Suppose n is the maximum amount of keyboards you can have before you have enough keyboards.

n = ∞

Correct answer

When you start having so many of a particular type that you can't keep track any longer.

When you need a shipping container to store them.

When you spend more time thinking about how to store the keyboards than actually using them.

When seeing a Model M on Craigslist no longer becomes exciting.

I think I have "enough". I'm thinking of selling some soon.

Do I have enough? Yes.
Do I always find something new to catch my eye, forcing me to resist my urges to grow the collection further and sometimes fail that resistance?
Of course.
Do I have a bunch of boards I need to clean and sell? Very much so.
Do I put in the time to clean and sell them? Sometimes, but often I have other priorities, and part of me doesn't want to give them up.
As for storing, I've got a desk, a secondary desk, an office filing shelf for smaller boards, a bigass display case for my alps boards, a record case for parts and some boards, a dresser top for my F122, a panel that used to be a wall display for hanging keyboards, where I now have my cleaning boards, and a couple of boxes full of for parts boards.
My my, how it has grown. I'm at the point where I feel happy with my collection, as far as what I've set out to acquire and then some.
But... sometimes opportunity arises for something old or new which I have not yet tasted.

For me, every keyboard in my collection should be exciting and worth using. If I'm not excited to bust it out, it doesn't belong in my collection. That really helped me narrow down my new purchases. Now I only buy something if it is top tier quality and something that is unique/something I have never tried before. If I type on it and it doesn't bring me joy, even after lots of mods, it's out baby.

XMIT wrote: ↑

12 Jun 2020, 15:42

When you start having so many of a particular type that you can't keep track any longer.

That's what spreadsheets are for

ddrfraser1 wrote: ↑

12 Jun 2020, 17:13

XMIT wrote: ↑

12 Jun 2020, 15:42

When you start having so many of a particular type that you can't keep track any longer.

That's what spreadsheets are for

I should add: when it becomes easier to acquire more boards than keeping the spreadsheet current. (I did a re-inventory on February and /still/ haven't updated my records.)

I've kept my collection relatively static for a while now and have grown content with what I have while selling off what I feel less of an attachment to.

Ultimately it's all relative, whether you can justify keeping an entire warehouse full of keyboards or just a closet or even less so.

It's all up to you if there's any limit to it, and it's valid, in my opinion, so long as it's not an unhealthy obsession in the literal sense.

I definitely have more than enough and I know things will turn up that I will find hard to resist but fortunately this doesn't happen as much as it used to as my tastes have evolved. For me it's not necessarily the number of boards that matters if you like them and can store or display them properly. Since I'm not really as active as far as collecting I am really seeing the importance of having a well curated collection. Also I just want my space back. I've been thinking more about what boards I would like to sell but for now it's been more about making time to start doing more of this. So far I've sold just 2 boards this year and this doesn't change much but it's a start to a long term journey of learning to let go.

The same number as your wife has pairs of shoes.

Until there is none left from a certain switch?

When you are (okay, used to be) a photography buff and you realize you now have more keyboards than camera lenses.

Even though this is a running joke, I am genuinely almost done with my list of things I'm trying to buy

Having said that, I do keep a running checklist of inventory and it has gotten quite out of hand. I plan to do a "spring cleaning sale" of sorts once I move, take stock of inventory again, and start working on my projects again

The vintage boards that I don't sell, I'll probably part out for spares

forter4 wrote: ↑

14 Jun 2020, 20:07

I am genuinely almost done with my list of things I'm trying to buy

Ha! I said that to myself 12 months ago.

Only as many as you want, that will be your true limit.

ddrfraser1 wrote: ↑

15 Jun 2020, 01:42

forter4 wrote: ↑

14 Jun 2020, 20:07

I am genuinely almost done with my list of things I'm trying to buy

Ha! I said that to myself 12 months ago.

lol I have since bought two additional boards that weren't on my "list" since posting that.....

There isn't a valid definition of "enough". Proof is that I don't have room for the ones I have, but I'm still looking for more.

Same. Well, I do have a bit more closet space. I'll see when I fill that completely.

fohat wrote: ↑

13 Jun 2020, 00:54

The same number as your wife has pairs of shoes.

Your wife may have a different opinion on this matter

The difference between a computer keyboard and a synthesizer is that it's possible to replicate ALL of the sounds of those synths on your computer, using various software. There's no software out there I can download and make my Focus 8000 feel like my Model M. That'd be cool, though.

The number of any things of which a man might want more than one is limited by the WAF (Woman Acceptance Factor).
Unfortunately this value can vary a lot and is not necessarily stable.

hellothere wrote: ↑

01 Sep 2020, 20:51

The difference between a computer keyboard and a synthesizer is that it's possible to replicate ALL of the sounds of those synths on your computer, using various software. There's no software out there I can download and make my Focus 8000 feel like my Model M. That'd be cool, though.

Saying that software can replicate the sounds of 1000's of synths is like saying rubber domes replicate the feel of any mechanical switch. It will get the job done but it's not the same. Many of those synths shown are analog and the sounds they make can't be recreated very well by software, which is why they go for ludicrous prices. The Jupiter 8 shown goes for the price of a new car.

Found the synth guy!

I was heavily into producing music with a variety of synths and samplers in the mid to late 1980s. A couple years ago, I dipped my toes back into the electronic music world and found out about the tons of stuff you could do with computers. Let's see. I occasionally used an Emu-2 sampler. Samples at 8-bit, 27khz, and 1mb of storage. 5.25" floppy drive. It sounded great. Now, throw a modern computer that's several levels of magnitude better at it. How close to an analog system can you get? I think it's pretty close.

If you haven't, you really should try out some virtual instruments.

Thinking about the computer keyboard side a bit more, I wonder if you could duplicate the feel of, say, a buckling spring switch, with a completely different design. I think it'd be expensive and unlikely, but it'd be interesting to try.

XMIT has it.. if you can't keep them cataloged in your head, you have too many.

For me 10 to 20 keyboards is about right the correct range.. I have had nightmares about misplacing vehicles and not being able to find them and I only had a few relatively worthless vehicles. I knew I had to cap it after that happened!

Answering the thread's question, I have two computers that I use daily, so there's the two. I'd like to have one more as a backup. So, three is enough for me to have. Mind you, I'm not a collector. I just repair keyboards for the fun of it.

I am looking for the "endgame" keyboard. I really like the IBM Model M and I have a 122 terminal that I have to restore, so I'm planning on keeping that. I have a keyboard with NovelKeys Thick Click Box Navy switches and another with NovelKeys Thick Click Box Jade switches. I haven't decided which of those I like better and both are really good. I also have at least three other keyboards competing for one of my three positions. I think that means I have 7 or 8 keyboards to sell.

I can say that, as far as "endgame" is concerned, I have eliminated linear switches from the running. Mostly. I have a beautiful keyboard that has a dark grey case, at least 122 keys (I haven't counted; could be more), yellow Alps, and two or three different kinds of double-shot caps. It'll take a while to restore it, though. Then build a converter.

I have 4 and I am getting a Logitech G413 Carbon for Xmas 2020

fohat wrote: ↑

13 Jun 2020, 00:54

The same number as your wife has pairs of shoes.

Er, I seem to be the one with all the shoes (I think I managed to get them down to double-digits... for a while at least. Some even fit) and all the keyboards, and bass guitars etc. Fortunately I'm the only devoted acquirer of stuff in our household.

I need as much as in this video, no less

Nice vid, actually. Anyone who collects keyboards and thinks software synths are all you need, is either taking the piss or off out on one. Come on: look at the build of some of those things, and the knob feel! It’s not just the sound, but they have that too!

Where’s the vintage keyboard version of that place?
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