Ian ... I agree ... while on another thread I did post that in one of the demo vids it appeared that Yamaha was targeting an older clientele, the only thing that matters to ME is whether or not a kb fits MY needs ... my 13 year old technics kn6000 is STILL my favorite board, but I purchased a KORG Pa600 because of my current gig NEEDS - good sounds, styles, and PORTABILITY ...
Both boards have paid for themselves many times over and at this point in my career and my age - when taking long vacations with my wife is my top priority - spending $5000+ on a kb is not going to be a good investment ... but the board does sound good ...

Yes, Tony, you have met your needs with your choice...and, not only was your current choice a good one, but your earlier one (the Technics) was also spot on. I wonder what your KN6000 sold for new back then, and what would that be in today's dollars?

Some people spend a lot more money on other hobbies (like golf) than home keyboard players do, and some invest far more to start a business for profit, than professional arranger players commit towards their gear.

As I said earlier...it is perceived value (the buyer has an internal feeling for how much certain products are worth to him/her) rather than price, and, in your case today, the priority of what to spend your disposable income on.

In my case, being a bachelor with no family, my musical interests have a high priority as they not only add to my income, but provide hours of diversion and fun.

So, the perceived value of a keyboard, to me, is very high and worth the extra expense to treat myself to the best I can afford.

Ian

Tony, shhhhh don't post that in too many places as I'm on the verge of retirement my wife seems to think that long vacations should be the priority, not arrangers.

I have an Audya76, Technics KN7000, Yamaha S910, Dan's vArranger, and Korg Micro as arrangers. They are all gig ready and are used for different jobs on a rotating basis.

Each one has it's unique stamp on it, and provides me and my audiences countless hours of ever changing styles of music. This is not even counting the 50% vocals I do.

Ian got me thinking when he posted about ones own enjoyment derived from the arrangers, and, of coarse, subsequently to our audiences, or not.

My approach may seem too scattered to some, but I get up every morning anxious for my next project.

It has been a helluva ride, and i'm just getting started.

Bernie, that is really all that matters. If the keyboards bring joy and contentment into your life, the cost is irrelevant! It's a great attitude to have.

Chony,

I totally agree with you. Sometimes I wonder who is designing these boards for Yamaha. Don't they listen to clients or focus groups? How about listening to real working musicians with real life use cases.

I can go on and on about T5 annoyances such as the Music Finder, authoring audio styles, why are Audio Basses missing, why can't you play very complex bass lines during style creation, audio file looping, and on, and on. I'm sure it will take time for some of these features to make it into the product. Geez, look how long it took to get 76 keys!!! Most Yamaha watchers proclaimed they would NEVER release a 76 key Tyros and Yamaha finally did.

The thing about keyboards is, they are all TRADEOFFS! Every one of them. Why don't more musicians own the Ketron Audya? There are things missing from that keyboard as well. Why aren't the Korg Pa3x keyboards selling like hot cakes? Because there are things missing or not up to everyone's expectations. But I think the Yamaha provides the most features close to what MOST people want. Is it perfect, NO, but the bread and butter features and support are there.

I like you Ian!

No matter what, But to play a Tyros (4/5) is so much fun

Impuls

I definitely think that Yamaha's marketing is what drives the excitement with the Tyros. If you strip it down to simple basic features, TBH, all of them compare very well, very evenly. Each of them has got stuff the others don't, and is missing stuff the others have got.

But how well is it promoted, how well is it demonstrated, how well is the launch managed?

Yamaha are masters of this.

And, there is a certain cachet in launching a $5000+ arranger. Let's face it, it is going to sell a fraction of the numbers of the S950 and the others in the PSR series, but just like every boy wants a Lamborghini poster on his wall even though he'll probably never drive one, a ton of interest is generated by something few of us will ever own.

Personally, I think Roland have mismanaged the BK-9 launch epically. One of its primary features, the ability to play loops in sync with the arranger, the one thing that puts it square in the ballpark of what younger players want to do, has absolutely NO CONTENT included when you buy it! How easy would it have been to include a cheap USB stick (or even a download for you to put on your own) with a selection of tasty loops and a few Performances with the Audio Key stuff set up to go? You play that in the store, you see it on a few user demos, and suddenly, everything about the BK-9 begins to make sense. It is an amazingly good arranger, especially at the price and size/weight, but add that ONE feature in, demonstrate it well, and Roland could have had an absolute sensation on their hands.

There are times when I feel that most of the manufacturers that make arrangers AND Workstations are a little bit embarrassed about their arranger divisions. One wants to feel one is on the cutting edge, one wants to feel that what one makes is having an impact on contemporary music and musicians, and if there's one thing that's true, it's that arrangers are none of that!

But here's a perfect example of a manufacturer that has actually managed to pull something quite new off, make it affordable and appeal to younger players, and Roland go and sweep it under the rug with little fanfare and promotion. In the meantime, of course, despite lesser capabilities that the younger player might need, Yamaha make a huge splash with the Tyros launch, and all the bedroom poster kids go ape!

The truth is, there's no anti-Tyros sentiment here. Simply players that this particular arranger doesn't suit our needs (or budget, mostly!) and when these shortcomings are talked about, Yamaha fanboys lose their freakin' minds! Somehow, they feel it is their right to be able to discuss things about Korg's or Roland's or Ketron's that they don't like, would prefer different, wish that they had, but somehow, when the screw is turned, label anything less than fawning, glowing, gushing infatuation as 'bashing' and 'anti-Yamaha'.

Strange, isn't it, that when THEY make their comments about other arrangers, no-one rises up en masse and labels THEM 'bashers' and 'haters'. There's a streak of inferiority running deep down in there, or why does the slightest discussion of Yamaha's shortcomings (ALL arrangers have them!) engender this rabid response?

Bernie, you are my hero!

I can totally relate to how you feel about playing. I only have a Tyros4 (for now), but even just this one keyboard has me looking forward to playing everyday.

My cuppa tea has got cold many times as I tend to lose myself in a particular style, chord progression or sound I'm working with; it's really more like "playing" with...not working.

Since retirement, I am playing a lot more (at home), as now I can spend time playing the music I want, instead of tunes to show features on the keyboard.

You and I have conversed via email often, and I can really identify with your joy of playing, and I am sure your audience picks up on that feeling.

I've seen me lately these past mornings, sit down at the Tyros4, switch it on, start playing, and after a while wonder why I'm so hungry...then I realize I haven't even started breakfast yet.

For those of us who embrace arranger keyboards, we are so lucky to have such magnificent instruments available, and, also, such fine support, whether through friends, or on the many arranger-centric forums.

It truly is a helluva ride.

Ian