Power it up - Check!

Try some voices - Check!

Plug in USB stick - CHECK!!!

Play some songs from my thumb drive - Check!

Play some styles - Check!

Look for bonus software somewhere in the bottom of the box - um - oh, there it is...Check!

OK, now let's take a look at the control panel by the screen...screen looks good...rubber buttons are all there...Umm...where's the "Internet" label next to the IDC button? Oh my, it says, "Scale Tune" - WHAT? But when I push it, it goes to the IDC site. Ah, that's the Yamaha I've come to know...not everything can be perfect...and I just bet I'm the only one in the Lehigh Valley with a PSR-S900 that has the wrong label printed on their control panel! Wow. I guess that makes this a collector's item and the value of my S900 has just doubled! Any buyers of a one-of-a-kind mislabeled PSR-S900 out there? Um - second thought, I'm keeping it!

Tim, make sure they put the drum icons near the keys..

Tim, I hope the misprint is all the fault you find. Enjoy!

------------------
www.cassponline.com/

OH...is that what those things are? I thought it was some kinda secret code that only professionals could understand.

So you like them there, too, Fran...cool.

Much easier than trying to remember where the drums are...3k had them under the keys and they were a mite hard to see in certain lighting.

The S900 has them above...much better.

Maybe you could glue a strip over the G70's keys or use a cardboard cut out to help you find the right percussion instrument when editing?

Then again, some people like to do things the hard way.

Ian

Tim

Go to "bolero lento" style ots 4 and listen an awesome trumpet.Enjoy it!!!
In time:
Drums icons are a sophisticated code that helps musicians to find right keys to play melody and chords.

Chico - that's fabulous. It's FUN discovering all the new stuff.

Tim

Tim,
For your information, the 900 you received has a PSRS700oriental face plate. On the 700 oriental, the word scale tuning is instead of the internet connect button. There is no internet connect on a 700 or 700oriental. That mistake was from the factory. Someone will be in big trouble!


------------------
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com

George,

Thank you for the clarification. Your explanation makes sense, but it once more reflects a lack of quality control on Yamaha's part.

I guess I can live with this mistake, unlike those on my previous two S900s. It is ironic that even my third shot at this board is still not up to the highest quality standards that Yamaha would want to be known for. But after two disappointing shipments, this little abberation seems easy to accept. Maybe I'm just tired of the whole game. I guess that makes Yamaha happy.

I like the keyboard. I plan to keep it, but I am not what you could call a 'satisfied customer'.

Tim

This issue deserves an immediate action from Yamaha USA, IMO

Chico

[This message has been edited by ChicoBrasil (edited 10-20-2007).]

Tim, You should give Yamaha one more shot - to the head. They still haven't gotten it right, AFAIC. Your loyal dealer should do some shouting on your behalf, let you hold on to your present 7/900 until a good new one comes in and then pay for the return shipping - with a smile.

Hey Tim,

Man `o man , what is going on at Yamaha these days.

You have tried as hard as I would to get a perfect KB , and now you get one that has the wrong panel.

Gezzz, I am truly sorry , I glad your happy with it , but it still isn`t right.

However , if everything else works and the key-bed and buttons are A-OK , then I surely wish you all the best and many happy times playing your new A/KB !!

It really is a honey of a bargain , you would be hard pressed to find another board with all that the S900 has to offer for the price.

Keep us informed , and all my best !!
Good luck !

Gary

O___I almost forgot,

Tim , did you get Cubase AI with this one ?

I hope you did.

Later,
Gary

Yep, sure did. Of course, it was banging around loose in the box with not even a sleeve to protect it. Let's just say it's not perfectly shiny on the data side of the disc. How shoddy.

Tim

Hi Tim ,

Thanks for the reply , sorry to hear that.

Will it at least load , and did you get the coupon . or whatever for he upggrade to Cubase 4 ?

Take care ,
Gary

Tim,
If it's OK with you, I will call Steve Deming on Monday morning and let him know of the mistake made in manufacturing because Yamaha needs to find out where the blame lies. They are too big of a company to have an error like this get through the loop. My guess is that Yamaha will want to replace your keyboard one more time. They won't want a mistake like this out there in my opinion. I've spoken to Steve several times last week to make sure they are monitoring all that's been posted regarding quality control and shipping problems. I know for a fact that everyone at Yamaha is in the loop.

Although I'm not the dealer you've purchased your 900 from, I have been in close contact with Yamaha regarding all your issues. It is in everyone's best interest that I continue to monitor what's been posted here and make sure Yamaha knows of everyone's concern and for me to know what actions are taken to insure future perfectly intact instruments are received by all who buy them.


------------------
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com

Let us hope the s700 oriental parts are only in the front panel, and it isn't actually a s700 oriental on the inside too!

Any way to check that...?

When your fingers start automatically play chromatic, you'll know

Tim,

This is truly unbelievable!
I know at this point you must be just plain "sick and tired" of Yamaha. I know I would. It is unacceptable, and you shouldn't take it.

You and I know of our Bethlehem Pa. friend who also recently recieved his S900, and so far so good on the first try, so they do have some that work, and are actually labeled correctly. I wouldn't send it back, until I'd get a perfect replacement. But I do understand you may not want to try a fourth time!

I also know that George Kaye is a "heck-of-a-guy" to get involved with your situation. I admire him for that.

All of this could be avoided if local dealers would actually carry Yamaha Arranger keyboards in store. You could then try it, approve it, take it home, and take it back if needed. Of course here in the Valley music stores look at you funny when you mention "Arranger"

Good luck, and keep us posted...

Your Allentown Bud,
Larry

George,
That will be OK with me. I will also be calling my salesman about this on Monday when he is back at the store. I suppose Yamaha will want this thing back. However, I previously said if the third one was defective that was it. Right now, I'm undecided whether I want another S900.
Tim

[This message has been edited by CoasterTim (edited 10-20-2007).]

I feel for you Bro! They say the third time is a charm but the fourth? I dunno.. It's your call. If it were me I would probably try one more time but if the fourth one is not right then I would absolutely draw the line there and no way try a fifth one. >>?? It kind of sounds silly huh? We're actually talking about replacing three keyboards (one after the other) with a fourth one, with all of them so far being unsatisfactory from the factory. It even rhymes by golly. Unsatisfactory from the factory... Unsatisfactory from the factory... Unsat.. Ugh! I can't take it anymore.. sigh . I wouldn't blame you one bit if you choose to forego a fourth one Tim. I do admire you for your fortitude though. Here's the definition of fortitude: - "Strength of mind that allows one to endure pain or adversity with courage." You've taken this extremely well and if you do decide to try one more time it would be a stalwart undertaking on your part that's for sure. I think there should also be some other type of compensation on Yamaha's part in my opinion. They could do it by contacting you privately via phone or email if need be. One such conciliatory move on Yamaha's part may be giving you the full retail version of Cubase 4. It would go a long way in alleviating your recent frustration with Yamaha keyboard products and prove a noble gesture on Yamaha's part in trying to retain you as a loyal customer for your future arranger keyboard purchasing decisions and also your other PRO Audio products purchasing decisions in my humble opinion.

Be on the lookout for heads rolling at Yamaha U.S. I don't expect Yamaha to take this lightly or lying down by the way. It's akin to sticking a sharp object in their corporate eye three times in succession and they finally have to say enough! Steve Deming may want to unbox the fourth one himself and give it a thorough going over before repacking and shipping it out. >> "If he already did that with the 3rd one then we're in a heap of trouble folks, that's all I can say.." Or rather, Yamaha is in a heap of trouble that is. It reminds me of a Three Stooges comedy but sadly it is turning into a comedy of errors, or worse: a nightmare.

Again, my condolences Tim. You've been a trooper through this whole ordeal.

Best,
Mike

[This message has been edited by keybplayer (edited 10-20-2007).]

Hi Tim,
that's just truly incredible.
If Yamaha's your brand of choice, you may not be happy settling for something else.
Think long & hard.

The least they could do is let you hang on to it till they replace it with a properly functioning model.


best wishes
Rikki
[QUOTE]Originally posted by CoasterTim:
[B]

Tim,
The way I view the situation, is that you actually chosen the S900 to be your next arranger. Of course you haven't chosen defective product martyrdom in the process.

I suggest you to personally pull some hair at Yamaha, via telephone and also in writing, so:
1) You get exactly what you are paying for.
2) They realise something is terribly wrong, in the production line/supply chain.

To change the keyboard brand to some other, won't solve the problem, especially your problem. You will not get what you wanted.

As far as gifts from Yamaha, I think that you are not the person to take advantage from the situation to get a free copy of anything.

Congratulations for your patience.

Well, I WOULD be ELATED if they upgraded me to a T2 !!!

quote:Well, I WOULD be ELATED if they upgraded me to a T2 !!!

It would be fair,and a great offer if they do so.

Impuls :-)

you'd be elated to just get ALL your money back

I feel that I should mention that my salesman has been with me through this whole thing and has either absorbed or passed on to Yamaha, all the back and forth expenses of shipping and pickups - including a couple overnight deliveries.

The only shipping expense I have paid to date was the original $24 on the 1st S900. He has also offered a refund more than once, claiming he would have given up long before me. I DO feel like giving up, but now I think it wise to see this to the end. This is getting quite interesting.

Tim

Tim ,

I for one thank you for your continuing updates , and your help to this small community of friends and players.

George , stepping up to the plate , offering to help Tim , is superb. !!
That very action will reverberate , through this forum , and will not go unnoticed.

I do not want steal this thread with my own thoughts of kb`s I might get , but rather acknowledge the fact that a few are making a stand for the right thing,

All my best to ALL involved , way to go !!

Later,
Gary

Tim,

Hopefully, Yamaha will step up the plate as well and provide you with unlimited service for the ensuing keyboard(s), which I hope you do not have to wait for.

George has always been one of my heros, and when I do decide to upgrade from the PSR-3000s he will be the person I will be purchasing the new boards from. This kind of dedication and service to his customers is unheard of in this world of instant gratification. Over the years I have read all of his reviews, and I must say they are completely unbiased, well written, and he has always provided the most reliable service to his growing list of customers.

A big thanks to both Tim and George for this post,

Gary

------------------
Travlin' Easy

I sense the need to mention that even though I purchased my original S900 from another dealer, George's willingness to assist in communicating with Yamaha on my behalf just goes to show what kind of a man he is. The word "integrity" comes to mind. I appreciate it, George. Hopefully this issue will be resolved very soon.

Tim

Tim, you've been a real trooper through all this, I know I wouldn't have put up with this nonsense for this long.

But why do I get the gut feeling that in order to rectify the problem, Yamaha will have already put in an order at the printers for a batch of stickers with the right label and send them out to buyers of mislabelled boards (that's assuming it is just the labelling that is at fault).

A cheesy solution, for sure, and I would hope a major like Yamaha wouldn't resort to such a response but, for them, it would be the least expensive option, and all companies enjoy that stategy.

But then, I think it would prove expensive to them in terms of 'bad'will, so for all the aggravation you've gone through, let's hope they do compensate you more than properly, you deserve at least that much from them. Good luck.

George

I couldn't expect a different action from you.
Sincere congrats.
Chico

One of the reasons I have persevered is because Yamaha, along with Roland, have been my companies of choice for years. I not only have purchased their products but I've also encouraged friends and acquaintances to do the same.

I began thinking back to my history with Yamaha and it even surprised me. I have owned (purchased new) the following:
PSR2100
Tyros
2 PSR3000s
PSR-E403
PSR-S900

I've also had direct infulence on our church's purchase of a C7 Grand piano, a P120, and a Motif ES7.

In addition, I influenced friends in their purchases of the following: PSR-S700, PF1000, P120, and 2 YPG-625s.

I guess you could say I'm a loyal Yamaha customer!

Tim

Tim

You deserve the best response from Yamaha - the door swings both ways and it's their duty to treat such a loyal customer with professionalism. Let us know.

zuki

Good luck, Tim.

[This message has been edited by cassp (edited 10-22-2007).]

Get them to ship you one from Canada...

According to Ian, there hasn't been ONE bad one in the whole country. Yamaha should eat the shipping and taxes.

Seems fair.

Last report I got was this morning...no bad ones in Canada.

Ian

Well, here's the latest on the continuing saga of the defective S900s...

I had phone conversations today, with Chris (my salesman) at Alto Music, with George Kaye, and with Steve Deming at Yamaha...each conversation was cordial, informative and helpful.

Bottom line - I have been promised a new S900 to be shipped asap, along with a bonus Signature Series Gig Bag for the S900. When it arrives at my dealer, he will inspect it and then ship it to me overnight(at his expense, once more). I feel bad for Alto Music, who gave me a great price on the keyboard and also ate all the shipping expenses. (Yamaha does not drop ship to customers, so they ship to the dealer and the dealer ships to the customer. When this ordeal is over, Alto will have paid for at least 5 shipments on this one sale.) When I get the new board and make sure it works, then the old one will be picked up.

So, many thanks to Chris at Alto Music, along with his rep, and to George Kaye and to Steve Deming - all great guys who have helped me get through this dilemma. Also, thanks to all of you who have posted and responded to this issue here on SZ. Don't underestimate the influence of your posts!

I will, of course, let you know how this all works out. Hopefully the end of this story is in sight!

Tim

Hi Ian ,

Are you a dealer for Yamaha in Canada ?

Just curious ( in an honest way , not being a wise guy ! ).

If you are , what about shipping some of the good ones to the US.

Is that a possibility ?

They ( S900 ) are still the best bang for the buck , providing of course they work.

Now I`m not being sarcastic really !!

Gary

Hey Tim,

That`s great !!

Sounds like you are going to get a fair deal , good for you.

I`m glad to hear that the store you bought it from is helping out ! Chris sounds like an a-ok guy.

A new gig bag , that`s A-OK

Best of luck , and please keep us informed , thanks.

Take care,
Gary

Gary,

I'm just a clinician/ demonstrator, and I have absolutely no influence over how/where instruments are shipped...as I said one time before, I'm a very small spoke in a very big wheel.

I am only allowed to deal with Canadian customers.

I wish I could explain why there are no defective units in Canada...all I can say is, there isn't...if there was, I'd have to be told so I could prepare for dealing with customers who needed assistance,. or had any questions.

I have spoken to Tim by private e-mail.

It is not my function to deal between dealer and factory...that is the job of the Yamaha area representative.

I answer to the rep...he hires me for gigs.

That's how it works here in Canada.

Ian

Hi Ian ,

Thank you for the clarification , I do remember you saying a few threads ago that you weren`t really connected in a huge way with Yamaha.

I still think it pretty cool !!

Do you ever get the skinny on new boards being released ?

I know you thought the I was fairly close with my thoughts and spec`s for the Tyros 3.

Take care,
Gary

I wouldn't be surprised if Yamaha ate the shipping costs instead of Alto Music. Since these have been defective products from the factory it is Yamaha's obligation, in my understanding, to reimburse the retail go-betweens during the return/exchange process(es).

Well one thing for sure, Yamaha is not being in any way reluctant to get this matter settled - and finally resolved hopefully.

I really hope for your sake it finally is Tim. The S900 is really a great sounding little board.

Best,
Mike