What is the overall "feel" of the pitchbend on the PSR-1000/2000...??? The pitchbend on my PSR-550 has to be the worst one I've ever used. It's too springy and just feels totally cheap.. It's nearly impossible to get a decent "whammy" effect with it. Are they much better on the 1000/2000?

Squeak

I've used pitchbend wheels on a half-dozen different keyboards, and essentially, they're all about the same. The big advantage with the PSR-2000 is the range is adjustable. This is a great feature when using the sax, guitar and fiddle voices and provides lots of realism if properly used. None of the wheels are worth much if they're not properly used.

travlin'easy,
I have to disagree with you on "they're all about the same". I too have played "many" different keyboards with wheels and sticks. There is a very noticable difference between the brands. Some are so cheap (PSR-550) that you when using it you always feel like it might break on you, and I've used some that are so smooth that it's like butter under your fingers (so to say)... I use the pitchbend a lot since I also play guitar.. One of my former synth (which was a Yamaha) had a very smooth pitchbend wheel and pulling off "whammy" effects was a breeze, but trying that with my PSR-550 is a nightmare. Of course any wheel can add realism to the sound, but the quality of the wheels construction can greatly affect it. Most keyboards "even the cheaper Casio's" allow you to adjust the range of the pitchbend. Some say I'm too picky at times, but when I'm recording and using only a keyboard for the entire song I'm quite stubborn in that I like to make that song sound as real as possible. That's just how I've always been. Yamaha has great keyboards and they do give you a crap load of features for the price.. However, "quality of construction" is the compromise for all the features and great sound.

Squeak

Hi Squeak,
There "ok" , but IMO , like the key`s (same feel) . They will hold up but "handle with care" would be a good rule of thumb !!
The 1000-2000 are good KB`s for the price and are built with that in mind.
I have not had a chance to play a "Tyros" , some folks say it`s has better build quality , it should. But so should a $900-1200 KB. I think "Yamaha" has to take a step back and realize that some people buy a KB and keep it for several years. I feel that the 1000-2000 will hold-up ,if handled with care.
It`s not a "Pro" instrument but does a very good impression.
jedi

I agree Jedi, Yamaha does need to take into consideration that some people hold on to their keyboards (even the lower models) for some time. Honestly I think Yamaha really and truly only cares about it's Motif, S90, and it's other top models. It's like they just throw us a bone with the lower lineup. They seem to forget that even though some don't admit it, there are a lot of pros out there that also use arrangers, but of course Yamaha's solution to that was a $3,000 keyboard with arranger functions and add the name "Pro" to the title. There's no reason that a $300.00 Casio should have better key feel, and better pitchbend and modulaton wheels than some of the PSR line up.. My PSR-550 blows the Casio WK away in terms of features, but when it comes to construction and key feel, I say the Casio WK wins in that department. A good example is the PSR-2000.... That is one hell of a keyboard.. However the price tag is around $1200.00, and at the price Yamaha still had the nerve to cheese a bit on the construction. The Korg Triton LE is virtually the same price, and has better build quality, and key feel. Guys don't think I'm talking bad about the PSR-200.... Hell if Yamaha took that keyboard dropped the speakers and put it on stage, no one would no the difference. The PSR-2000's acoustic sounds are just as good if not better than the $1,700 synths out there.. Actually Yamaha got smart and put some of the PSR voices like the sweet tenor on their top synth the Motif, but of course the jerks gave the credit to the 9000 Pro as the keyboard they came from. They won't even admit in a ad that those sounds really come from the PSR line up.. Anyways let me stop before I write a novel on this one.. Sorry to rant, but I get really frustrated everytime Yamaha get's so close to perfection and misses it by an inch...

Squeak

How many of out there on the forum would buy a PSR-2000 with ALL the same features, minus the speakers.. Imagine that.. (1)The keyboard would be lighter, and the height itself would be shorter as well. (2) It would have the "pro stage" look that so many people are picky about. (3) No one would even know the difference because the 2000 sounds just as good. Why should a pro version need to be $3,000..???? Look at your PSR-2000's, and and just take away the speakers "keeping the same body design" Add better keys and the word "Pro" after 2000, and they got a winner! How hard is that...??

Squeak

A Pro version would need XLR mic inputs, hard drive capability and after touch also.
DonM

Don,
Even if they didn't add all that but just dropped the speakers you'd see the 2000 popping up on stages. Peoples opinions of a keyboard (just based on looks alone) can be completely thrown off just by the appearnce of onboard speakers. People still seem to think they're no good and just toys. Imagine how much Yamaha would charge for adding those things.. Even if they just added aftertouch and the option of a hard drive would be great. How much could that actually cost them (not much), but to the consumer A LOT!

Squeak

[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 12-27-2002).]

I hope the pitchbend wheel on the 2000 is better than the 740. I get the feeling that if I leaned on it a bit too hard - goodbye. I recall on another forum that someone had to wait 3 months for a new pitchbend control after he broke it.

Bryan

Hey Squeak,
I use the 2000 and 740 both a couple nights a week and have a freind that plays six nights a week at one of the top restaurants in Baltimore and uses the same rig--they're aready appearing on lots of stages. Personally, I like the speakers because I use them for monitoring purposes instead of packing along a larger monitor speaker. They're real handy when your main speakers are 40 feet apart. I liked both the 740 and 2000 enough to buy back-up machines for both. Yes, I currently own two each of the 740 and 2000. When I'm on a job I also take a spare mixer/amp head, spare mics and spare cables. To me, not taking these things along is like playing Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun. I've had keyboards suddenly stop working, amp heads dropped dead and even a few bad cables and mics. When you have spares, you can take a short break, plug in the spare and you're back in business. When you don't have the spares, the person that booked you for the wedding, private party, corporate party or night club gig will have a conversation with their attorney the next morning, and their lawyer will be sending you a letter the next day. As for the quality of the Yamaha keyboards, the quality of the voices and the vareity to styles, I still consider them tops. I spent four hours at Washington Music playing more than a dozen different boards, some that sold for nearly $5,000, and right out of the box, the yamaha sounded better than all of them. The only experience I've had with casio is a few of their mid-price boards, and while the styles were great, the individual voices, sax, pianos, etc, sounded like crap. Don't know about the rest of you, but I'll stick with the Yamahas. God, I just wrote a book. Sorry guys.

I agree 100 percent about the 740/2000 being pro quality, and that the TYROS is a big overpriced gimmick.

My 740 is the hub of my music studio, and I also added a Roland XV5050 module to add some new sounds, and I use a good amp and mixer to get all the sounds out together.

Yep, take the speakers off either 740 or 2000 and it could do a fine job onstage I'm sure.

By the way, I demo'd the MOTIF right next to the Roland fantom when thinking of a new module (and picked the roland) because the MOTIF soundset sounded just like my PSR740 soundset.

Yes, maybe "more" in # of voices but basically all the same sounds.

Yes, my 740 does just as good a sound job as any PSR 9000, any MOTIF -- and with the Roland module as additional sounds -- its got the mega voices beat all to H*ll -- because you can actually PLAY the roland guitars live, whereas, my friend who gigs and did buy a tyros, found that the mega voices are programmed in such a way that they cannot be played by the keyboard player, the manual says they are for "styles and midi implentation only"

this is because the programmers set the "key range" to a small section of keys and put the velocity switching in a difficult range as well ON PURPOSE to keep those voices in the STYYLES section only.

My gigging friend is HOPPING MAD about that. But he says the TYROS is worth it cause its not as heavy as his PSR9000, that he traded in for it.

So its all about the speakers , really I think my friend jut *had to have the best and newest* and got sucked in by all the hoopla at the PSR songs group, where it seems that more than 30 people have plunked down that $3000, and the majority of them are home hobbyists who 5 years ago had *never* played a keyboard before!

Go figure,

peace,

Cathy http://www.roncat.net/private.htm (midi files mostly made on my PSR, working on new ones now.)

Keyskitten,
The only thing I have to disagree with is your comparison between the 740 and Motif.. I've played both as well, and I honestly think the Motif beats the 740 hands down "especially" in the acoustic department.. The EP's on the Motif are awsome, and are a great deal better than the 740. Did you really dig into the guitar sounds of the motif??? The velocity curves on those were awsome, and quite realistic. I do agree that the 740 sounds good, and can hold it's own on stage, but in terms of "sample" quality the Motif has the edge.

Squeak