I think brand loyalty limits one's choices. It's better to approach other brands with an open mind as every brand has something to offer. There's no best.

The competition has been eliminated and the big company's today are a monopoly and after you buy a keyboard the lifespan is 3-6 years then after that, no parts available and you are scrambling on your own to figure it out, although Korg is my loyalty, they have disappointed me many times, but because they are the only ones supported by the kind of music I play, I am forced to have the most equipment by them, but then again I feel KORG gives you the most bang for the money period, I am talking from experience because I had every brand you can imagine over my career.

I was loyal to Technics , from the kn1000 to the Kn7000. Some were bought unseen. I had problems with the Kn6000, after three trips to repair they sent me a new Kn6500.

No problems with the Korg and Yamaha keyboards I have owned.
One problem in all the years I am playing, that says a lot for the Technics, Korg, and Yamaha.
John C.

Huge Korg guy here. I believe they made great strides with their 800 (a total OS revamp and the amazing Songbook introduction).

I had (2) 800 screens go bad and Korg sent new screens for free. That's enough to keep me loyal.

Just started working with the 1000 again. This time around, I see great potential (I do think it takes a 2nd and sometimes 3rd look in to things).

Still using my pa1000. Happy with it. This was not an out of the box player but a little attention and wow. The best ever. It does every thing I need and more.

MEL

I had a Korg MicroArranger which I really loved. I added John Smies Resources to it and they were the best thing I did for it. One day it quit on me. Turned out the board failed. No problem I thought except the price of a replacement board was double what the price of the new KMA was and that did not include the installation cost. Oh yes, Korg did not have the replacement. Had to find a company that sells parts for older electronics to find one.

Today I am a Ketron fan. I have used the Ketron SD7 keyboards, the SD90 Module, and now use the SD40 module. So far Ketron has met all my gigging needs. Through the years I have owned Yamaha Psr300, T3, T4, T5, and Genos - Korg KMA, PA1000, and PA4X, Roland E50 and E80. All of them were very good and all of them had their short comings. Those I wished I had kept included the PA1000, the KMA, and the Roland E50.

Who knows what the future holds for the arranger player world. Right now I don't see anything being offered that rocks my boat more than the Ketron equipment I now own.

Deane

I see no reason for brand loyalty. Use what you feel fits your needs, regardless of brand. Before Arrangers I had a full Korg setup, drum machine , two keyboards and bass pedals. Then my first Arranger, a Roland RA 90 , then on to a RA95, G1000, and now BK9. My reason for staying with Roland is I'm too lazy to learn a new system and redo all my songs to fit the new Styles. I hate the time I have to put in editing now and I know my way around the BK9 pretty well. Whatever floats your boat.

The only reason i see for brand loyalty is backward compatibility..
Meaning you can use all your old files on your new instrument..

I don't know which brand deserves my loyalty. I had a Roland E50 and regretted selling it. Yamaha YPG 525, big disappointment and gave it away. PSR S950, because I got a very good deal and needed a KB quickly to continue gigs, sold it for a good price and then acquired a PSR S975, another good deal.In retrospect I should have researched more and not make any hasty decisions. From what I know now, I should have tried a Korg PA1000. Will I ever be happy? Like others said before there a advantages and disadvantages, there is no perfect Arranger Keyboard. So,I'll make the most of what I have now and be satisfied with it.

I have Yamaha, Korg and Ketron at home. They all have their strong and week points , they are certainly capable of making fantastic music in the right hands....

I’m happy with what I got, but I’m longing for something else...... I’ve never had a Roland and I think I’d like a BK9, but I absolutely no need for one!

Well thats one BIG reason for me. But the BK9 came along and hit so many buttons for me it was / still is a winner. I wanted a very good Hammond, light weight, and 76 keys. Other sounds are very good and there's nothing I miss except a built in VH. Chased the new keyboard train for a long time and finally got off.

Absolutely. The 3X has some cool styles that I mapped to the 1000 (and I love the newer styles too). Now I have the whole boatload available - the 1000 sounds terrific

Also, not having to learn a whole new OS is a good thing. The 1000 makes logical steps forward (and better).

Brand loyalty or OS fatigue? My first arranger was a used i3 in 2009. Upgraded to a new PA50 in 2010 and a PA500 in 2011. Got the PA4X in 2016 and am very pleased with it. At 71 years of age, I am not inclined to learn a new OS and go through the torture of transferring files and styles and sets. And the Korg songbook makes everything so easy.

Duane

The title Loyal to a brand, should have been – the company I trusted themost, John C.

Loyalty can be caused by many things. I was a Technics fan (hence the name) since the AX-7..with KN5000 as my favorite..I immediately regretted it the moment I sold it when I got the KN6000..especially because the KN6000 came damaged (parents hand carried it away and somebody dropped a bag in the middle of it breaking about five keys and damaging the internals...I tried to repair it, but the composer kept lagging..) I so loved the user friendliness of KN5000 particularly the composer...I would take that composer's friendliness over all the pretentious complicated stuff we have today. Many years ago, I brought my 5000 to a studio in Oregon and when the guy played me five chords on his guitar and put me on a hot seat "Show me what you can do". I whipped up a song in maybe about five minutes tops. Got a deal to be a recording keyboardist for a couple of his songs on the spot. I haven't found any thing that comes close to my KN's user friendliness till today, and (you can call it an excuse) that definitely is one of the major reason why I played less and less..I briefly got back in with Korg Triton but that was not the same, until I finally stopped playing in 2010 (except when needed like funeral, family party, etc). But yeah, I was loyal because I felt it gave me what I need no fuss no muss. Last year I managed to get a 2600 (5000 is impossible to find), but it was not the same, the sounds definitely sounded outdated and the touch was horrible...I guess you could say I was loyal to the KN5000 not Technics...(haven't tried the 7000 though).

Kn Fan, the Kn7000 was far better than the Kn5000, over the past few years I owned three of them; sorry I sold them. Not to long ago I found another Kn7000, I had it two weeks and it stopped playing. Every repairman turned away – no parts available.

I remember putting a song together in 12 to 15 minutes, all parts. The closest I have come to a Kn7000 is Yamaha Sx900, sold my Pa4x. Genos is out of my price range.
John C.

Thanks Bruno/John...maybe I'll consider SX900 in the future!

Can Assure KN fan (as John C has) that the KN 7000 was absolutely out in front in the KN range.
Especially with The SD Card which suddenly made it lightening fast to set up when gigging.
Mine is suffering the ravages of age but, for most songs, I still prefer my KN 7000 to my Genos.
If Technics re-opened again, I would buy a KN8000 unseen and unheard and pay whatever they asked for it.
I would even pay today's prices and buy a brand new KN 7000 if one was on the market.
Not many would want a 20 year old keyboard for today's price but that's what brand loyalty means.
Tony

Anthony, I have to agree. I went from a KN5000 to the 7000,and always loved the board for many reasons. I and many others would do the same as you.

Bernie