I'm presently writing a research paper that needs to include a brief history of the development of arranger keyboards. For current top models, I would like to be able to include reliable estimates of total units sold.

I will, of course, be contacting manufacturers for any help they might provide. Beyond that, though, I'm hoping some of you can send me copies of (or links to) relevant articles in industry-related magazines or other such publications. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Charles Walker

This will get you started. http://www.korgpa.com/pa_root/en/extra/KorgStory.html
DonM

Best of luck trying to get any of the major manufacturers to give you accurate sales figures, though! They tend to be fairly tight-lipped about internal financial figures, at least about current models.

But please post back and let us know how your project comes along, I'm sure it will be a fascinating read....

Hi

History of Yahaha arrangers: http://www.yamaha.co.jp/manual/english/chron.php

This link is permanently stored at my site (Yamaha Sites page).

Regards
Jørgen

------------------
The Unofficial YAMAHA Keyboard Resource Site

Hmmmm, let's see - between Don Mason, Donny Pesce and I alone .... we can acccount for over half the arrangers sold in the last 25 years. Then, there's Tom C, who has had all of ours, AFTER we wore them out, and once in a while Boo would bite on a used slab......so I guess the number would be somewhat higher than the total number of Superbowls that the Eagles have won!

( Fran still has his original Roland stuff, so he's falling behind, if we could get him to keep a Yamaha product, the numbers would SOAR !!! )

Jorgen, there are a couple of models missing on the yamaha list. and a lot of them are no arranger keyboards. Basicly it all started with auto accomp. way back around 1970. I think Solina was one of the first brands which came with a homecabinet organ with autoacc., soon followed by the italian brands and yamaha. Yamaha also had an early small keyboard just called PRS or PSR which had an autoacc. around 1972.
Did not see it in the list of Yamaha. There was also a strange cabinet called Optigan, which worked with some kind of tapes for the autoacc. also from the early seventies.

Just my two cents..

Eh hmmm.

Like just about everything else re modern keyboards, Hammond did it first.
http://www.hammond-organ.com/History/hammond_accomplishments1.htm


http://www.hammond-organ.com/History/hammond_accomplishments3.htm

Danny

[This message has been edited by pianodano (edited 02-16-2007).]

Actually, Yamaha's first auto accompaniment portable, called the Portasound was in 1980 with the PS1/2/3.

Their first really legit models, IMO, were the PS-55/35 which had PCM drums, but used P.A.S.S (pulse analog synthesis system)for the sounds.

These were followed by the FM based PS-6100(1984), PSR-70(1985) and the PSR-6300(1986).

The next bunch were based on an early form of sampling(before AWM) called D.A.S.S.(Dual Architectural Synthesis System) and the top models were the PSR-4500/4600.

The AWM stuff came later, with the launch of the PSR-6700 and PSR-500 in 1991.

I had just started working for Yamaha way back then, and remember demoing(and owning) these instruments.


Ian

------------------
Cha d’dhùin doras nach d’fhosgail doras.

The next bunch were based on an early form of sampling(before AWM) called D.A.S.S.(Dual Architectural Synthesis System) and the top models were the PSR-4500/4600.

My 1st arranger keyboard ! Dan O'

------------------
eBay power seller and store builder . Former Ketron demo guy.