You are assuming that ALL instruments bought after hearing great demos are going to disappoint. Fact is, most stuff that sounds great in a pro demo sounds great when you get it home... IF you are capable of playing as well as the demonstrator. A lot of those Ebay bargains come from buyers who think that the product alone will overcome their musical shortcomings. And we all know (or most of us!) that this isn't the case.

Yamaha never claimed that the T3 demos were made direct from the audio outputs. In fact, anyone that assumed that got what they deserve. Roland, Korg, many of the big players produce demos to show what is capable of being made with the arranger, not what is the raw, unedited audio, in the hands of a barely competent player. We have NAMM for that!

But I think you overestimate what decent quality, decent playing demos for a product that WILL be demonstrated as 'OOTB' would cost. I'm not talking about an over-produced, edited and tweaked, studio masterpiece like the factory demos from Yamaha or Roland. But a player of the caliber of Yamaha's Bartmann or other skilled players, playing John's setups, should EASILY show the worth of it or not. After all, that's the whole IDEA of the product. They are supposed to sound better than the factory Performances.

Quando quando quando (or anything!) played first with the factory setup, then with John's should settle the issue with minimum fuss. I don't see how that would cost a fortune. Stick a Zoom on the audio outputs, record the factory setup, then his. Job done, let's go get a beer!

You are over-complicating this, Bill. Whether a small dealer or a mega-store, if they COMPLETELY ignore their customers needs, both are doomed. I don't have the TIME to order everything I would like to try but have never heard. It isn't even entirely a question of money (but time is money, I guess). Sure, I hear a demo I like, I am going to think seriously about ordering it and seeing how it goes. But if I hear something I HATE (or suspiciously, can't find anything to listen to AT ALL) I don't have enough time to try out everything I hate on the off chance it MIGHT be a lot better in my hands.

I can't honestly see how hiring a GOOD arranger player for an afternoon, and record him doing A/B comparisons with the stock factory Performances in a few styles is going to break the bank. But it would make a MASSIVE improvement to his ability to market his product.