well, we've seen topics and discssions held about this but, to be honest, is this the end. I don't think so...

Let's be honest for a moment. Regardless of which model you own, can you, hand on your heart, say that you've tried to use every facility available to get a new sound or style out of it. I'll probably get a few nasty emails for that but I've only myself to blame.

Ten years ago I worked as an insurance broker and dealt most of the time with classic cars from Jenson Interceptors all the way down to Hillman Imps. As most of you know these makes no longer exist but with the devotion of their owners the name carries on. The same, I hope, will be said of Technics in years to come. We've been privaleged to be owners and with good care will remain that way for a long time more.

If it wasn't for Nigel having set up this forum off his own back we wouldn't be sitting in front of our PCs/MACs swapping ideas, styles, music, etc. We should, this a personal view, be grateful for what we have and try to a)make to the most of it and b)keep talking to each other.

The girls are at college at the moment but I know what their views are. We're pleased with what we've got. It's unfortunate we won't be able, shortly, to upgrade, but we've got something that, with luck, will probably last me to my grave; Not long now, as I've just filled in a new will and deed of trust.

Sorry if the last section was a bit morbid but I've always said I like to know when it's going to happen...

Anyway, please no comments about me preaching a sermon, just happy thoughts about your 'board.

Regards to all as always,

Mark

Mark, While there may always (well, at least for a long time) be 'technics' as we know it today, the disappointment is in the 'technics' we will NEVER know....
t.

Tony and Mark,

I think the biggest disappointment of all will be the day we will be forced to buy something of much lesser quality such as a PSR. Very hard to go from a beautiful home into a small apartment or drive a very fine car and be forced to drive a Yugo. Both will get your body to the same place but the drive will lose all of it’s exhilaration and most of it’s pleasure. Of course man always can and will adopt to what ever he has to. So maybe that’s the reason some good old things are restored and treasured and some others fade away and no one cares.

Just tossing out a few thoughts from the old man, Doug

Doug,

Was that a Backhanded Shot at Yamaha ?
If so it was a good one.

Mark, all thing considered, I would rather take a trip from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to San Jose, California in a 2004 Lexus vs a Hillman Imp. But then again, I never rode in a Hillman.
Like wise with Technics. Twenty years from now, I'd probably rather play the new KN18000(That's KN eighteen thousand) then the antique KN7000.

Larry

Larry,

You know you're quite right. Hm, I dream of one day there might be a KN18000. Be interesting to see what it's capable of. Let's think, voice control, holographic display, at least 16 wireless speakers to place around the room, 15000+ voices and 5000 rhythms with variations, etc.

But, anyway, back to the original topic. Yes I agree I can't see you turning up at Bebop's place in a Hillman Imp. Why not consider a Ferrari or at the very least an Aston Martin (sorry, but I'm British - even if your lot owns them). The key point remains that we should try to get the most out of what we've got even if Technics is now an 'extinct' brand. Having said that the dinosaurs are extinct but thanks to Michael Crichton and Jurassic Park they've still got followers. The same could be said for Nigel and this forum.

One last thing, many thanks for helping Lucy out on Avalon. I heard her first attempt last night. I reckon she can make it.

Regards,

Mark

I do love my KN7000, in my opimion it is the best keyboard available for my type of work.

I am still learning different ways to use the keyboard, there is so much. At no time have I ever understood all the features of the older keyboard. The knowledge I gained form the old model is applied on to the new model.
Having said that, will I stay with my KN7000
for the next 5 to 10 years? No, no more than I stayed with a dial type of phone or with my 1990 ford. I could be using the dial phone to make calls, but the new phones can do so much more. With each new keyboard I grew in knowledge and playing ability.

When Technics said no more, they were saying no more keyboards, technicals advancements or creating new ideas. How sad.

I'm now forced to look elsewhere for the next generation of keyboards. I am selling my Yamaha Tyros, this keyboard came very close to being my main keyboard, but the KN7000 is better. Wow, I wonder what the future will bring in new fantastic keyboards. I wonder how this forum will change, what it will become. Interesting.

The happy part of all this is the many friends I have made because of my Technics keyboards and this forum. My two closest friends own KN6000. What in heavens name would we talk about if it were not for keyboards. My friend Bill carried his keyboard where ever he went. He said if there were no more keyboards in his life he rather be dead. He passed away a short time ago, his Technics keyboard was alone side his bed. I helped him with his keyboard right up to the end. Amen!

Sad and happy, John C.

Hi All,

I guess I look at this a different way. I have the technics instrument I wanted and it does the things I wanted and needed at the time I bought it.

The only reason I would consider upgrading to a better model would be because there was one. Now at least from the Technics standpoint that won't happen.

But it does not mean there may not someday be a better one. It just won't be made by Technics. If a better one comes along from Yamaha or even Casio (ha-ha) I'd consider buying it only because it was better. For now that's not happening. But it will because the other companies will keep moving ahead until thay do get to the current Technics quality. Until then I can enjoy the instrument I have and feel with pride that I still have the best instrument in it's class and most likely will for several years to come now.

Additionally, it's not as if the kn7000 or even my PR54 are stagnate instruments. With the ability to create new styles and chage and adjust sounds it can continue to change and be better. The only thing that might have made it better would have been the ability to sample new sounds or add new sounds with sounds fonts.

We are not the losers in this decision of Technics because the technology will be there. It's Technic's who is loosing and they obviously don't feel they are loosing that much.

That's my view for what it's worth.

Heather

I started with the Technics Music Academy in Scunthorpe in 1994 (does anyone else remember Paul Hayes?) and for Christmas 1995 my parents bought me a lovely KN3000 (manufactured September 95). For the first 5 years of it's life it stayed at home, while I used the TMA's keyboards for things such as the Keyboard Festivals, Keyboard Band Challenge 1998 and the TMA World Record Attempt (that was an awesome arrangement).

I was virtually brought up on Technics music instruments and would spent most of my Saturdays in Middletons Music in Scunthorpe either playing the instruments or reading through the literature. They also sold Yamaha digital pianos but I always preferred the Technics.

I started piano lessons in 1998 and for my birthday my parents got me a PR602 Digital Ensemble, which is also a fantastic instrument.

After Middletons Music closed, my TMA music teacher and the majority of his pupils continued as the same group, still with the Technics keyboards. Most of them have since gone to university etc and a new generation of pupils have come through, and all learned on Technics keyboards.

My own KN3000 now goes out to concerts with me, and it still never fails to impress people with it's sound quality. I never plan to sell either of my instruments; I'll probably play them until they die (which I hope is a few years off).

I had a trip to Lincoln a few weeks back and went to Fox's Music. It was a bit sad to see just a small handful of Technics instruments in there and most of them were trade-ins, except for the solitary PR604 ex-demo.

[This message has been edited by Chris.Day (edited 11-27-2004).]

Hi everyone
Interesting post. Quite a lot of emotions being expressed. I have to confess that I don't actually love my new KN2600.I love my wife and son and they love me thank goodness. My two yorkies display an affection to me that perhaps I don't deserve. However my KN2600 hasn't yet told me that it loves me but it makes an old hack like me sound reasonable. I envy you guys who can really make your Technics talk both to you and your audience in a way that I will never achieve. That is indeed a great gift. Pleasure discovering this Technics family.
Mike

I am always amazed at the loyalty you Technics' owners exibit. Bravo .....
It's nice to see such contentment.

Bravo to all the praise of the KN7000!
I belong to the "Barnstaple Organ and Keyboard Club"in Barnstaple Devon,UK
Six of our members have got Technics keyboards,one has a KN6500 and five (including myself)own the KN7000.
There seems no end to the amount of styles you can download from Technics website and others, most of them free.I keep running out of floppy discs,because I keep finding fresh ones to download.
I am so pleased with my KN7000,its the best keyboard I've had.My previous ones were Gem,
and Solton, but compared to the Technics they are like toys!

I shall keep mine until either it disintegrates or me!whichever is the sooner!

Derek

Hi Doug,

I was at the Keyboard Calvalcade Music Event in October last and out of all the keyboards there the one that sticks in my mind is the Korg PA1X simply because it offers quite a few similar facilities to that of the Technics KN7000 (which I now have). In fact there were two ex Technics employees demonstrating it and I said to them "it's like listening to my KN7" In reply I was told that some of the original programming software belonged to some well known ex employees who are now of course, at liberty to sell-on their ideas which is probably what has happened with the Korg PA1X and PA1XPRO.

I had previously been to a Yamaha demon-stration of their latest piano and again, it was like listening to my PR900 and some of the later models of the Technics pianos. This piano now uses the same idea as our Technics KN7 keyboard in that when you lift the lid, the basic controls are all housed in it, complete with screen, so it
would seem Yamaha has adopted some of the Technics ideas.

However, I have to say both instruments are very appealing and I can see the day when my KN7 packs up on me, I'll probably purchase the PA1X as, for me, it was that good. The only think I didn't like was the fact its screen was small and static and I said so the the team manager who in turn told me that Korg have received this comment from so many people, he thinks possibly the next generation of Korg keyboards will have movable screens like our KN7.

Anyway, it all looks hopeful.

All the best.

Aud (U.K.)

Interesting to note for Technics lovers, that a lot of ex-Technics employees are now with Roland in the US. Don't know what there positions are, but it will interesting to see if the new Roland G70 has any Technics influence.

Someone just mailed me a link to this with a question about it so here goes:

Sorry to disillusion you but the only Technics features you will find in the Pa1 or G70 will be there by the sincerest form of flattery - copying. The development time lags are such that any Technics employees will not have had any input and anyway do not own any software rights which remain within the company. The only person with the knowledge to be in any position to do so does not work for Korg.

Also the only ex-employees of any significance to move to Roland is Chris Halon, hardly a lot, but you would have to go back quite a few years now to count Dennis Houlihan who left Panasonic to become president of Roland(US).

Hi Audrey,
With reference to your remark "so it would seem Yamaha has adopted some of the Technics ideas." I think it is quite the opposite situation. The first keyboard I had was a Yamaha 6100 way back in the 80's or early 90's and it had a lift-up lid, with all the controls, just like the KN7000. The later Yamaha 6300 had the same arrangement.......

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Willum

Derek - when you download a style file for your KN7000 onto a floppy disk and then load it into your keyboard, why do you keep it on your floppy disk as well rather than saving it to your SD Card and keeping a copy in a special file (say - called Derek's style files) in your computer.
That way you won't keep running out of floppy disks in fact you can use the same one over and over again....
Best wishes - Roger M

Hi All,

As Christmas approches I guess we all start thinking about Technics and the closure of the instrument division.

Just a thought. While Technics has closed the door on any new models we can hold out the hope that one of the other Matsushita companies could decide to put out models under a different brand name. After all Panasonic does offer some low cost keyboards.

So let's all write to Santa and tell him our Christmas wish.




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Heather- Leesburg, FL PR54