The newcomer here again. I ran across a Korg IS40 on eBay, current bid at $78 with two days left (reserved not met, however) I realize it's age, but I'm not sure if at this time I want to spend more than $400. As I've mentioned, I'm seriously considering the little Yamaha PSR-e403 for it's cost/feature ratio.

Any advice or opinions on this for a first instrument? What else could I likely find that would be worth looking for? Honesty won't offend me!

As always, your comments are appreciated.


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Kelly J

Hi Kelly,

I am a happy owner of an iS40 for almost 2 years. Pros are excellent sounds, especially piano, EP and pads. There are great sound tweaking options, almost like a dedicated synth, touch and after touch, and powerfull sequencer and edit tools.

Cons are limited polyphony (32, barely enough for elaborate arrangements), lack of modern styles (not compatible with PA-80 range), and organ and brass sounds are not very good.

all in all, it is a great instrument for first steps in arrangement, sequencing and live performances in Jazz and 70-80 dance gigs.

[This message has been edited by Nesh (edited 08-02-2007).]

[This message has been edited by Nesh (edited 08-02-2007).]

Kelly - In all honesty I would not recommend the e403 for anyone even mildly interested in arranger keyboards for anything but fooling around. Its "many features" will fall short of needs and wants very quickly if you are serious about your music making. It is a 'getting started' keyboard and you will soon want to step up to something with more complete features. Unfortunately, the $250 or so that you paid will be money out the window, since you will not be able to resell it for anything close to half.

My suggestion is to look into Casio or continue to look at used arrangers, say less than 3-4 yrs old. There are many members here who would sell a good arranger at a reasonable price to a serious newcomer. Check the SZ Wanted to Buy or Sell forum, Sweetwater Trading Post or your local Craig's List for leads.

If, on the other hand, you are a complete novice, I think the e403 does have some useful learning tools - but that's it.

Just saw this on the Buy&Sell forum: http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum29/HTML/002195.html

[This message has been edited by cassp (edited 08-02-2007).]

Thanks. I think I'll pass on the is40 for now, cautious of anything electronic that old I can't check out in person. I downloaded the manual and it IS a powerhouse. Wouldn't mind having something being about to edit the actual voices, as sound creation interests me as much as music creation - but I don't want to limit myself to a dedicated synth.

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Kelly J

kelly, i'd advise you to grab either of the 2 is40's on ebay now closing tonight..i've used the is35(same but w/harmonizer/input)for 7 yrs and they( i have 2) are built well and have been trouble free. i have owned and tried many others and NOTHING is as well laid out and makes as much sense for live navigation as these units..sounds are easy to modify. i have rarely seen them up for sale, let alone 2 at the same time..don't let them get away if in your price bracket, unless you need features that newer kb's have that these don't..for the money..they are a super unit.

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Miami Mo

Thanks, Miami, but they did get away. One is at a local Dallas pawn shop (one of the reasons I demurred) so it may become available again. I was also just a little intimidated by the manual. Appears there's still a lot of synth mentality in how they're operated, but I trust your judgement on that.

I'll continue my research, trying to find as many keyboards locally I can to lay hands on and watch for deals. I'm thinking the last generation Yamaha's will drop in price, and if I could find a reasonable Roland E-50, that would be attractive. (Not as sure about the EXR's which already are available used at decent prices. Any thoughts?)

I look forward to the day that I can ANSWER questions here as well as ask.



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Kelly J

not sure what you mean by synth mentality.. keep in mind this is a 1998 unit. but.. not a synth, it's an arranger..one of the best ever IMO. only 28 lbs. but solidly built. if you play live and don't need a lot of polyphony, memory, usb , etc, and don't mind a light touch, it's hard to beat for the money. you're not going to find an E50 or psr3K for anywhere near the price, and the exr's are garbage compared to the is40.(and more $ to boot) I'm tempted to call the pawnshop myself to get one more backup ..I don't even know why I let someone take the other one for $153+ 50 shipping..and i would have gone to $250 if i were you..for $300 outlay that's the best arranger you'll ever lay hands on IMHO.. Mo

Kelly - Mo speaks some good words of wisdom. I have not owned the iS40 but I did own an iX300, which I thought was very well built and had great features. Again, keeping in mind your budget you are not going to find something with USB storage or probably not even a harmonizer. Putting those types of frills aside, arrangers from the last 7-10 years are very much in the mainstream of technology.

You speak of 'synth mentality.' Most mid to high level arrangers are great synths in and of themselves. IMO arrangers have a step up on regular synths because they were the first to group sounds into easily accessible families with dedicated buttons - much easier to use on the fly.

Your language seems to imply a very intelligent person, so if you've found your way here to the SZ, keep asking questions and you will finally get the answers you need. We can wait for you to take your turn at reviewing and answering; it won't be long.

Lastly, don't let the manual chase you away. You can learn so much right here tht the manual will become some place to begin your search, not end it. Anyway, these arrangers have so many features that you may never use or need them all.

Well, thank you for the compliment! Actually, almost everyone on this board writes well and BBS' are notorious for poor grammar and spelling, not mention rudeness. My comment about synth mentality was certainly not a put-down, it's just that the Yamaha's I've played had very easy UIs and allow quick changes on the fly. Probably the difference in age as well as engineering.

Oh, how I wish there were a big store of older keyboards! I dig through the web and listen to as many demos as I can find and it seems only the top models (any age) really stand out in sound dynamics. Some lesser machines have their better sounds and most I've heard are usable. Accepting that, an older arranger with more advanced sequencing, editing and style manipulation is probably a good bet. Open to suggestions, as always and thanks again for helping me along.

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Kelly J

Kelly, you might want to check roland E09 at Murphy's music in Irving, I thought you mentioned E09 in your earlier post, I saw one over there last week,and you can check it in person, thanks!

Tye

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