Hi everyone, my name is Aidan and I'm a pro keys player, mostly solo piano for weddings and corporates, but I also play in a number of bands, along with fairly frequent dep work.

Recently, on holiday, I came across a guy using a Technics arranger. The results were a bit cheesy, to be honest, nevertheless I had a bit of a 'lightbulb moment'. Many of the pubs/clubs on my local circuit are just no longer in a position to pay four/five-piece covers bands on a regular basis, and more and more frequently, they're putting on guitarist + singer duos.

I've done a few of these with a vocalist, playing just piano, but for obvious reasons guitarists have a bit of an advantage in being able to more easily 'propel' the more upbeat, dancy material that's largely required. So, my thoughts have been turning to an arranger, with the choice between the Tyros 5 and the Korg PA4X.

I'm aware of the forthcoming replacement from Yamaha but given where the T5 is currently discounted, I'm unlikely to be able to afford or justify the Genos, and in any case the timeline is probably against me – I want to start on this project soon.

Currently, my thoughts are favouring the Korg, for several reasons:

* Firstly, the physical size – I'm thinking that the PA4X, although a large-ish board, could easily sit on the top tier of a dual keys stand and replace the Kurzweil PC361 I currently use for function band necessities such as brass, strings, synths (I have my Yamaha CP4 piano on the bottom on these occasions). The Yamaha looks too bulky for this to be a practical proposition.

* Secondly, the styles available on the Korg seem slightly more tilted towards contemporary music, and rather more subtle than those on the Tyros.

* Thirdly, the Korg's physical appearance, and at least perceived build quality, seem to be more 'professional' – I appreciate this is maybe a bit shallow of me, but audience perception can be important.

For the Tyros:

* I already have a basic knowledge of its functionality, as at the church where I'm director of music, I regularly use a Clavinova CVP model. So the learning curve would be less steep, I think.

* Some of the sounds, particularly the ensemble voices, are pretty amazing. I also have a soft spot for Yamaha's Motif sounds, many of which I know come down from Tyros in the first place.

* There appears to be perhaps a larger 'community base' of users, add-ons etc.

I know that I need to get to play both these keyboards before making the ultimate decision on what is a hell of a lot of money in anyone's book, but I would appreciate hearing some of your own thoughts.

Oh yes, and I promised you a few questions:

* Those of you who gig with a Tyros (particularly if you have the 5-76 model), do you find it awkward to handle in and out of gigs? I'm not so much worried about the weight (16kg), as my CP4 is 17.5kg. However, from experience, I know that the physical size of an instrument can influence its portability as much as the dead weight, especially lifting it on and off the stand.

* Would I absolutely need a 76-key model? Overall, my feeling is that the answer to that is probably yes, bearing in mind that I am principally a pianist, but again, you may have your own thoughts on that.

* As far as price is concerned, the Korg 76 is right at the top of my budget (and straining it more than a little, if I'm honest). Looking around, I can probably get a T5-76 for around £300 less right now. Finally, part of me (and perhaps the more sensible part!) wonders whether it would be a wiser move to score a used T4 (about the £1,500 mark here in the UK), given the huge drop in value once you drive these babies off the forecourt, as it were.

Sorry for rambling on a bit on my first post! I look forward to getting to know you all.

I've got a Tyros 3 and the only thing that I don't like is the size. As a pianist at heart I remain very tempted by the T5-76 but that's even bigger and I'd find it difficult to transport.

I have wondered about switching to a PA4-76 as it is only slightly wider than my T3. The biggest impediment is my many years as a Yamaha person and the very significant effort it would take to transfer all my settings, files etc across and (probably more significant) me having to learn a new keytboard OS and layout.

I had a play with a PA4-76 a few months back, sounded fine to me.

As you don't have a huge Yamaha history I'd vote for the Korg if I was in your position and could raise the funds. Nothing wrong with a T4, mind.

I don't usually plug dealers but my local store (Hamilton's, Preston, Lancashire) sometimes has manufacturer refurbished models which may be more affordable although still way more than a T4.

John good move to KORG Pa4x 76, but I would suggest you start from the beginning setting up and utilize all that the KORG offers you first style & sound wise,....then filter in third party & converted styles to suit your needs, the transposition and learning curve isn't that difficult but in the end you will be VERY happy you made the change for so many reasons..

good luck.

I have to agree with DNJ and the Pa4X76. I have one and started to convert my Yamaha and other keyboard styles, as I was familiar with them and thought it would be easier to populate my Korg. First of all, something is lost in the translation, as it were, and secondly, familiarity can be boring. I bit the bullet and delved into the sounds and styles of the Pa4X, bringing new life to my old songs. Like he said, you can bring over any specialty styles afterward.

I'm on this bandwagon too, Korg Pa4x 76. I had a Tyros T5-76, great board but the size, not the weight of it put a damper on taking it to gigs. At the time I also had a Pa3x and that became my choice for taking to gigs. You can't go wrong with the Pa4x. If you were to purchase a T5-76 I would wait until Yamaha releases their newest arranger the prices of T5-76 used will be in abundant supply at good prices.

agoldstraw,

Just a thought, take it for what it's worth. You apparently don't sing and therefore wouldn't need the vocal harmony feature. You might be as well off going to a lesser model such as the Korg PA600 or Yamaha PSR S-770 especially since this would only be used on some jobs (if I read the situation correctly). You wouldn't have to break the bank this way and you would still have a decent keyboard to use to back up a vocalist.

As for your question in general:

Korg-the perception is a more "live" sound than Yamaha. Recently, the opinion of the pros here (I am a home player only) seems to have swung slightly in favor of the Korg. Yamaha has the most active user support forums (although the Korg has a good forum as well) and the most styles available. Korg songbook feature is usually preferred over the clunky Yamaha registrations. As you say, you'll have to test drive both to find out.

I'm a huge fan of PA4X for live play. So many more fantastic controls. Much has already been written here, so you may want to search for older threads.
Fortunately you can't really go wrong, particularly if the size of the Yamaha doesn't put you off.
If you sing, the Korg has MUCH better vocal harmonizer.

And even if you don't sing you still have to talk to the audience during a performance
and the KORG mic processor is top notch.
The sliders and large Tilt up display, songbook, and overall on deck navigation is great for live performance also..also want to mention the "side notched" grab handles perfect for setting up and packing up..

Thanks for the replies so far – I do in fact sing, and on several of the duo jobs I've done with a singer, I've used the CP4 split playing LH bass, with a Roland BK-7M (only using the rhythm element of any styles, as I find those VERY cheesy) and providing backing vox using a TC Helicon Voicelive. Together, it sounds quite good but it's a pain to bring all the different units and wire them up etc, and there are three different pieces of equipment to keep on top of. Something like the PA4X would replace the Roland and Voicelive, so I could raise a bit of extra cash by selling those too.

If you find the Roland styles "cheesy" I don't think you will be satisfied with the Korg either. Been lots of debate here on Roland vs Korg vs Yamaha but I've never heard cheesy styles as a reson not to like Roland.