Thanx for the shout, Russ ... I admit, I used to be WAY more into "stuff", but these past few years, since I started teaching ... I have shifted more thana few priorities. The thing I miss most about my old life was the extra hours I had to enjoy hanging out with my posse (Fran and Donny) - breakfast, road-trips, retail therapy sessions .... we had a great time. Now my days are filled with wide eyed (on a GOOD day) teens who eat up my every word as we share the "sound of music" together. (BTW - the Live TV broadcast tonight with Carrie Underwood was an embarrassment. She's terrible .... sang in bad keys, tried to "fluff up some runs", bad acting, terrible diction. She's a novice on a real stage. Next to Audra McDonald, she looked like a "Doe, a deer" in the headlights, but I digest ...)

I've never been a clinician, or a "player's" player, but I do pride myself on having the right "feel" for what I try to sell. I treat my voice as the main ingredient, then bass, piano (usually Rhodes) and drums next ... in THAT order. I can play all night long with those three elements under my lead vox and not get bored. I certainly love all the bells and whistles that the newer gear packs, and I USE alot of it, but my staple, bread & butter sound has been, and always will be:
Voice, Rhodes, bass, and drums.

Arrangers, MP3's sequences ... all icing on my musical cake. Maybe someday, I'll learn a few of those prettier chords that Russ and Boo like to use - you know, the ones that AREN'T really in the songs ... (smile), but for now, it simply is a poor use of my time to invest any more "tech time" into my rig or my act. I know hundreds (thousands, maybe) of tunes, I adapt quickly, get loads of referral business, and manage to enjoy myself in the process. Win/win, right?

So, thanx, Russ ... nice to be thought of from time to time. Love to come visit again real soon ... if you ever get a real coffee shop out there in horsey-town.

Don - you're right ... there are not too many major brands that I haven't tried. Wersi and Tyros are the only two big-boys that I never wanted. Chocolate and Vanilla, I guess.
Peace, all.