After looking around and trying to decide which "hold-me-over" board to buy I went with the new Yamaha E403. I am a keyboard hobbiest, not a pro. But I do have a fascination for keyboards, so in the past I have had all the major boards from Technics, Roland, and Yamaha. Right now, I have a 3 yr. old Roland digital piano (KR7), which I suppose, could be described as a full-blown 88-key VA5 in oak. I have no portable board at this time. I am waiting for the successor to the PSR3000.

All that to say I "needed" something cheap to cure my 'portable arranger keyboard withdrawal' after selling my PSR3000 to pay taxes (ouch). Hence, the purchase of the Yamaha E403 (paid $194 off the shelf, including a free power converter)
This is in no way a pro board, but in my opinion, any pro could make this board sound great. It's got just enough good stuff on it to make it sound fabulous for the price. Here are some of the cool and useable features:

- 61 'Yamaha' keys w/touch response
- Pitch bend
- 116 panel voices, 12 drum kits, 361 XGlite voices, 15 arpeggio voices
-"Sweet" Voices: tenor sax, sop sax, trumpet, flute, pan flute
- "Cool" Voices: Galaxy el. piano, organ, rotor organ
- Stereo sampled piano (PSR 2100 quality)
- USB to PC
- Arpeggiator! (50 patterns)
- 2 real-time control knobs (reverb, chorus, filter cutoff, filter resonance, attack time, release time, style and arp tempo, style cutoff, style resonance) Yes, you can create and save changes.
- dual, split voice, harmony
- 155 styles (user styles, too) (one intro/ending, 2 variations, auto fill)
- 6 track sequencer
- 32 voice poly
- 30 internal songs, user songs (up to 99)
- Music Database (256 song setups)
- Registration memory (8 banks, 2 types)
- Performance assistant technology
- Yamaha Education Suite
- Outputs: phone/out, DC in, USB, Sustain
- 2 two-way speakers (just OK)
- cool blue backlit screen & orange-glow buttons
- 15 lbs. (without the 6 D batteries)

Things I miss on this board: DSP, mixer, more intros & endings.

For the price, it is outstanding. I have mine connected to a 200 watt amp, 2 Samson Resolv65's, and my little Behringer 1202fx mixer and it sounds real fine.

This (under)$200 board, compared to the PSR3000, which cost nearly 8 times more, is really a bargain and a lot of fun.

Tim

For the price I'd say you got a great deal. Especially on the XG end. If you had XG works, or another good computer sequencing progams it will open up so much more for that keyboard.

I like that Yamaha includes that great sweet saprano sax on the lower models

Squeak

Squeak,

I'm gonna look into XG works...I think you might have mentioned that before.

And yes, I agree with you on the Sweet Soprano Sax. I love that sound! I think if it were the only voice on the whole keyboard, it would be worth the $200 bucks!

Tim

Ya know the funny thing is that I've come close myself to buying a lower budget Yammie just to get that Sweet Saprano Sax

In my opinion that is one of Yammie's BEST sweet voices to date. They nailed that one. I swear it's like Kenny G is singing to you through that voice

Actually let me add one more voice to that. That Sweet Oboe is also very impressive. Personally I love the Oboe (I know it's not a favorite instrument, but there's something about the sound that I love)

Squeak



[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 07-24-2006).]

Agree 100%. That Sweet Soprano sounds like Kenny G.

CoasterTim,
Can you elaborate on the arpeggiator (50 patterns)?
Starkeeper

[This message has been edited by Starkeeper (edited 07-24-2006).]

[This message has been edited by Starkeeper (edited 07-24-2006).]

You can bet the PSR3100-76 , will have an arpeggiator. If this lower price keyboard has it and Roland has it, then the next Yamaha will have it.
Starkeeper

That would be great if Yammie added an arpeggiator to the 3100. I know I've mentioned it in the past, but the only other arranger I can think of in the last eight years that Yamaha has made with an arpeggiator was the Original DJX. There were some preset arps on it, but you couldn't program your own--still they were useful.

If the 3100 has 76 keys--hell that alone will be worth it. Even though the 3000 didn't fit my needs for (more modern styles), if there were a 76 key version--I may have a closer look.

Anyways sorry to go off topic.

Tim thanks for your opinions on the E403--Can you post some demos of it in action for us?

Squeak



[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 07-24-2006).]

where?it's a geat price.

ARPEGGIATOR - I will assume you all know what it does, but here is a list of the patterns:

UpOct1
DownOct1
UpDnOct2
SynArp1
SynArp2
SyncEcho
PulsLine
Random
Down&Up
SuperArp
AcidLine
TekEcho
VelGruv
Trance1
Trance2
SynChord
PfArp
PfBallad
PfChd8th
PfShfl
PfRock
Clavi
ChordUp
ChdDance
Salsa1
Salsa2
Reggae
Strum
GuitChd1
GuitChd2
GuitChd3
GuitArp
FngrPck1
FngrPck2
Samba
SlapBs
AcidBs
TranceBs
LatinBs
FunkyBs
PercArp
Perc1
Perc2
African
Tamb
R&B
Funk
HipHop
Latin
Arabic

The arpeggiator opens a whole new window of opportunity for creativity. I would bet the house (if I were a betting man) that most all new PSRs will have it.

Tim

Jamman,

Bought mine at Sam Ash. MSRP is $349. Sam Ash price new is $199. Mine was already on the shelf out of the box and they had none in stock, so they offered it to me for $194 and threw in the optional power cord.

Tim