Arrived at 11:30AM after fighting 2 hours of traffic getting from my home to Aneheim.
For the first time, NAMM gave those with buyers badges VIP parking so at least I was really close to the convention center when I got out of my car.
Because of where I parked I walked in at the area which housed all the software exhibitors and went over to the music pad pro booth. I met my old friend Mike Garson (david bowie's keyboard player and co-song writer) who endorses the product and met the owner of the company. They have lowered the retail price from $1199 to $899 for the latest model and we talked about the problems with Music 123 dumping product and not being able to deliver what they offered. The company has now hired reps that will be opening up dealers throughout the USA and that in the future, a dealer network would be established and most likely you will not find this product in internet stores like music123. They had alot of product, had a hard time selling, and decided to dump the product at cheap prices.
Next I walked by Casio's Booth and met up with my Rep and he blew me away with several new models, all with 128NOTE POLYPHONY!
There will be a model above the Privia PX310 which is called the 410 which will sell for $595 map and be available in about a month. He then showed me a model which looked like the Privia 600 with a more home piano look with a covered keyboard and stand with 3 pedals and has over 200 sounds and will sell at about $700.00. The last one he showed me looks more like a Yamaha Clavinova or Roland KR product, all wood, big and beautifull with all new piano samples and at around $1200.00, it looked more like a $3000.00 model. By the way, I picked up a new issue of Keyboard Magazine at the show and they did a whole issue of digital pianos. The Casio's got their nod for the best value piano. They liked the Yamaha YPG625 piano for it's action and all it's other features, but they thought the Casio PX310 offered the best low priced package for sound, weight and feel.
Next I took a walk over to Behringer and their big new this year was a whole line of 100% tube Bulgera amps...They looked like marhall or vox tube amps.....at a price starting around $400. I didn't get specs, but these models looked about the size of a twin reverb. Behringer also had a newly designed line of powered mixers with more power and great new cosmetics then previous models.
A walk by where Generalmusic and Ketron always were made be sad not to see my friends Lou and Aldo at the Ketron booth. The new distributors applied to NAMM only last month and found that NAMM had given their previous area away to "finale" software. I walked past the Generalmusic booth and just looked over the products on display. My business relationship with Generalmusic ended last year and I didn't see any need for me to walk into their display.
I went up to the third floor where the Ketron area was and upon seing AJ and giving him a big hug, I met the brothers that purchased the distribution rights to sell Ketron here in the USA. Two nicer guys I have not met in this industry. Both have been invloved for many years in the electronics industry with video equipment and Kareoke equipment. We discussed the state of the Arranger market here in the USA and I was impressed with their desire to provide dealers and musicians with the necessary products and support we need. For one thing we discussed the state of the middle eastern market here in the USA and the need for certain chips loaded with styles and sounds for different ethnic customers and they assured me they were currently working on this. I told them how important it is to surround themselves with knowledgable employees who can help grow the keyboard line here in the USA. They are very much aware that some dealers just want to exploit the market by wishing to buy product and then wholesale it out to other countries and that this would not be their intentions for setting up new dealers and to just put product in stores where there were no proficient sales people with arranger keyboards would also hurt the ketron name and reputation. I look foward to see where they take this company. I'm affraid that where they were located at the show might make those looking for them think they are gone all together and I assure you they are not.
A trip to Korg and a chance to meet with the head designer from Italy and a discussion about the current PA800 and anything missing from Korg's current models for next generation models. I love that Korg is interested enough in what I and others think and are willing to take the time to sit down and discuss.
Yamaha was my last stop for the day and the MINI MO really impressed me and others. It looks like a much more expensive keyboard than it's $599 map price. And, after talking with a few of the product specialists I will now agree with many here that this is just the tip of the iceberg as for other products to eventually make their way in. It's really cool and fun to play. They should be showing up by the end of the month.
The new Motif models were equally impressive. I was shown the new mode for quarter tone tuning and the middle eastern musicians who like Korg's PA1X and PA800 system of choosing the tunings will like the Motif alot. Also, the sounds are great. I didn't spend much time listening because I have so many friends at Yamaha I spent most of my time visiting. I'll be back on Sunday to check out more thoroughly.
I was about to leave when my cell phone went off and it was Karim from Kelfar keyboards saying that he heard I came by his booth while he was on a break. I stopped by before driving home and he gave me a demo. It's a neatly packaged middle eastern keyboard called the "Ayoub". His style content is amazinging realistic and the his loops for his 60 styles are all professionaly sampled and track perfectly when tempos are changed. the layout is much like Yamaha's with an 8 track sequencer and registration memories. The keyboard looks like a typical Yamaha or Casio 61 key PSR or CTK product but with all Karim's personally sampled sounds and styles for middle eastern music. All different countries are represented with very authentic styles and sounds and quarter tone tuning. One of the best features is that when you transpose the keyboard and the quarter tone tuning is on, the transposition doesn't change the way the tuning is assigned within the key so that if you wanted the major third to be quarter tone tuned, it will not change this if you change to a different key.
The price of this keyboard should be retailing at about $695 and I think it will be the best inexpensive middle eastern keyboard available.
I didn't get to Roland. I will be there on Sunday.
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George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com
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