Hi,

The "biggest" enthusiasts of the Solton SD-1 (on this board) are BOTH Solton Dealers.

The "biggest" enthusiasts of the Yamaha 9000pro are Yamaha keyboard customer/owners. What does THAT mean? (Just an observation).

Scott

[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 02-09-2001).]

I admit to being pro-Solton! That came from playing it! I have no other reason! Sorry! I am a previous Korg I30 user, before that nothing but Roland. And you know what? In the future I may be a Korg or Roland user again! My point, for right now, the KB I want is the SD1.
I really do not understand why people get so upset over this issue! I think it's great to here all the pros and cons. Whether or not I believe them is my choice. I recently posted a request for anyone to give me feedback on the X1 and Solton in general. I recieved no negative response.
This whole issue of " mine is better than yours" is a waste of time. We could be talking about more important things!!!

[This message has been edited by JCkeeys (edited 02-09-2001).]

Hello Scott,
I sell both Yamaha PSR9000/PRO and Ketron.
I let customers decide which keyboard they want to buy . However, my preference has always been Ketron . It's vanilla and chocolate . DanO @ guitarcenter
PS. Guitar center offers a 30 day trial period on any keyboard . Money back, no questions asked .Try them both. Does that benefit the consumer or Guitar Center ? I have a right to my opinion's .

I didn't mean to take sides in my above comment. It was just an observation.

I played both the SD-1 & 9000pro and though each has its' unique strengths and weaknesses, I know I would probably be equally happy with either keyboard as BOTH are EXCELLENT 'top of the line' arranger keyboards.

I do agree (with JCkeeys) that it'important to keep things in perspective though because excellent music can be made on most all the mid-upper range arranger keyboards now so instead of focussing on argueing about which is the latest/greatest board out there, better to concentrate on playing (making) music. Having the latest keyboard WILL NOT make you a better musician (or sound better). The real soul of the music comes from US, not the keyboard. Only the time spent "playing/practicing" will do that.

Dan, BTW, I finally had a chance to watch your "Solton X1" instructional video today . Excellent presentation. I really got a chance to see the strengths of the X1 which includes the ability to change styles yet retain (mix/match) different parts. I really liked that. Of course I agree that you have the right to your opinions and I respect that. My above comment was just an interesting observation.

Scott

So I guess it would be safe to say, The 9000Pro is well laid out and probably easier to navigate around more of a universal type keyboard setup like the other big guys, korg roland and so on. Japanese boxed styles, as Roland and Korg.
Solton, probably a little personal design and programming, not using the standard " string" sound or the "sax" but doing it the way they feel it should be done, like a rebel

Hi, I like ketron X1 more than any keyboard and I am not a ketron dealer. I think the ketron company needs to improve one thing and in my opinion it doesn't make any difference for a pro musician and that is the look of the keyboard.

Amhad,
I think that Ketron made a 100% improvement in the looks of the new SD-1: VERY PROFESSIONAL looking to me. I orginally had thought the look was dated, but the more I see it, the more I have grown to like the 'new' look. I always felt the acoustic piano patch on the X1 was "real bad", but on the SD-1 this has been addressed, and I now feel that the SD-1's acoutic piano patch is now among the very best. I was VERY impressed.

It's really a TOUGH decision between the SD-1 & Yamaha 9000pro.

SOLTON SD-1
PROS: Excellent size/weight factor. Relatively lightweight and small form factor for ease of getting in/out of a car (gig transport). Terrific sounds/styles. Style change feature which allows you to easily retain/remove specific parts. Nice cosmetic design begining to appeal to my aesthtics.
CONS: floppy disk mounted on top is rather ugly. buttons are all the same shape/size making it harder to locate. Bad reliability reputation of Italian made products. Does not support professional keyboard playing style (advanced chord recognition).

YAMAHA 9000pro
PROS: Great sounds/styles. The acoustic piano patch is outstanding. Button layout is superb (ergonomic) for easy access to controls. Beautiful sleek looking design. Keyboard action (responsive) is excellent for a synth keyboard. Supports professional keyboard playing style (advanced chord voicings). Yamaha's excellent record for reliability.
CONS: Too HEAVY for easy transport. The keyboard could have easily been made shorter by simply moving the mod wheels above the keyboard rather than to the left. This would have made the 9000pro MUCH easier to fit into a smaller car.

Scott

[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 02-10-2001).]

Scott,

Your summation of the pro's and con's of the 9000PRO and SD1 express my feelings except for one major SD1 con that I gripe about. That is, terribly poor distribution due to the fact that there are only a few distributors (stores selling the product) in the U.S. That's a BIG DOWNSIDE for me.

In regard to the 9000PRO being too long . . . you've got to start thinking bigger. I recommend Cadillac.

Cadillacs are a nice big car with plenty of room in the back seat for the 9000PRO. Besides, shouldn't a keyboard that nice be transported in style?

Cadillacs come in all shapes and colors. Find yourself a nice 1994 to 1996 Fleetwood (last of the bigger rear-wheel drive caddies). The 9000PRO will even fit nicely in the trunk. Drive a Cadillac for a month, you'll never want any other car.

Remember, when it comes to cars, bigger is better. Surviving an impact with SUV's, Vans, and Trucks is almost a sure thing in a nice big Cadillac. In fact, my 76 Eldorado weighs 4,979 pounds without a driver. A 50 mile an hour head-on collision with just about anything will result in shredding the opposition.

My son hit a Honda about a year ago. It was demolished, completely crushed and totaled. The accident damaged a chrome decal on our Cadillac Sedan DeVille - that's all. Not a scratch, dent, nothing. Well, there was a little of the Honda's paint on our bumper (but it came right off). So, I stopped at the Caddy dealer and picked up another decal for about $15.00.

Well Scott, there you go . . . problem solved. That's why they call me "Stevizard, the wonderful wizard". Remember, bigger is better.

Hi guys,

I never saw/heard the SD1, but I'm sure within a few days I'll order one !
Because the X1 NEVER let me down in 2 years
I have faith in Solton an as far as I know the current (Italian) Solton keyboards have an excellent reliability reputation.
(The KN2k, KN3k and the KN5k gave me more problems than the X1 ever did)

Only a few software updates were needed to fix some minor X1 problems. The KN's needed many !

Scott : Give it a try and buy the SD1 .... !!

Just a matter of time and within a few days, after 3 or 4 gigs, you will be a Pro-solton musician...... ;-)
You will get over the 'chord recognition problem'

Kind regards,

(P)ROel

I would certainly not like if yamaha would move the wheels to the top!
This is one of the reasons I don't like the Solton.