Which keyboard should I buy ?

[shyamwestwind]

Hi Everyone
Though I'm still not sure how I can afford to buy a new keyboard, I think I'll need to, sooner than later.
My Yamaha S900 has go a display problem and though I'll be geting an external video lcd screen to use with my video out, I'm not feeling too comfortable with Yamahas. My last Yamaha PSR 3000 gave me problems with the music stand coming off and breaking the body of the keyboard and I had a problem with a dragon shape on my display.
I agrre the Yamahas are very nice and user friendly, but I get this feeling that they are deliberately not built to last.
My earlier KORG N364 and KORG iS40 were rugged creatures and I was thinking of the KORG PA 80 and the KORG PA 800, but they are darned expensive.
I need to have speakers on board and I dont neeed floppy disks - just USB pendrives. and preferably a Smart card for inbulit storage
Any suggestions and advice ?

[Tiny]

Hi Shyam
Steve (oldsage) is using the Korg pa 400 i think ?? please
check with steve...... it,s an awsome K/board great snd,s in there
Hope this help,s m8 rgd,s Tom

[allegro]

Hi there shyam, sorry your yamaha is having problems,firstly as it is not that old have you contacted yamaha direct to see if they would supply the parts and you pay the labour charge. Years ago when i was using yamaha i found them more than happy to help.
However if you decide you want to change then i would recommend the Korg P.A.500.It is light, has speakers and a card reader and usb.Anything above that model starts to get heavy, especially if like me you have heavy duty flight cases.I use a PA1X and a PA2XPRO and the pa1x in its case is a heck of a weight, but with that sort of investment you have to protect your gear. Hope this helps

cheers for now geoff (allegro)

[oliver101]

Shyam

A few years ago I had a PSR8000 that developed a problem with the motherboard after 15 months, they were happy to send a replacement although I had to fit it myself, which was only a 20 minute job, so you may be lucky if Yamaha India are as helpful as Yamaha UK.
Good luck

Oliver101

[shyamwestwind]

The situation here is a little different Oliver. Most, if not all of the keyboards sold here in India are purchased from the "grey market" and its much cheaper than buying it from an authorised dealer. The keyboard is the same - costs less without a bill and costs about 30 to 40% more with a bill. My S900 costed me Rs,50,000/- but with a bill, it would've cost me Rs.68,000/-
Yes you might ask me about the warranty. I have always registered my keyboard with Yamaha online and there was no problem.
The repairs are usually done by Yamaha trained technicians who will do these under warranty or without. If I did buy my S900 with a bill, the warranty would have been for a year, so anyway I'm beyond that period . The technician attends to any problem I have at a reasonable fee.
In this case, the display board will cost me Rs,22,000/- which is 44% of the original cost.
Its a no win situation.
I'll be getting my external av, lcd screen tomorrow and I hope I can continue playing my S900 without further hassles. I truly love te keyboard and its like a friend letting me down. I feel very upset.

[shyamwestwind]

Thanks all you guys for the advice and suggestions. Yes, I will check on the Korg PA 400 - I only hope its affordable and available.

[JohnG]

Hi Shyam,

Don't know if you tried Yamaha USA? I got this from the UK Yamaha forum,
Yamaha Corporation
ATTN: Parts Department
6600 Orangethorpe Avenue
Buena Park CA 90620, USA
888 892-6242
[e-mail]

Maybe you could try e-mailing them.
Might be cheaper!
But maybe you've already tried.
JohnG.

[gspro]

Hi Shyam,
I don't know if this is something you are also looking into or not, but i'll post my thoughts. What about looking into SOme Roland gear. I've been using the Roland XV-88, then the first Roland Fantom-S88 came out and purchased it, then I purchased a Fantom -X8. I still have and use both of them and one thing I can say is that this keyboards are built like tanks. I'm not saying that because I owen them, It's just the way they build them. They are very reliable and never had any issues. Trust they can take a hit, I can acually stand-up on 'em. Next month I'll be purchasing the Fantom-G. Check their website at www.rolandus.com and see if it's something you might be interested in. You may also be able to demo one at a music store.

Just my .02 cents

GSPro

[marshallmusic]

Hy shyamwestwind ; I've just joined this forum and pleased to see that the questions (and replies) are serious about keyboards. Which keyboard to buy is always tricky for two reasons, what do use use your keyboard for (gigging on your own, gigging with others, or playing at home etc.), and ease of use (not forgetting specification of course. Take that as read)
I've had Hammonds, Technics, Roland, Korg, Yamaha. Each brand has good points and bad so there is never the "perfect" solution. For sound, rugged build, specification and bear in mind I work with sax player, trumpet and drummer, I chose Ketron. The sounds are good, solid and cut through with "live" musicians. The new Audya range is excellent, though expensive, but second-hand earlier models are now available as musicians upgrade. Last tip - listen to as many as you can, make your selection based upon how you intend to use it and then look for a bargain.

[oldsage]

it,s the PA-500,Korg which i have,and have just had a sound upgrade by someone,who has redone all of the sounds and styles for me plus about a thousand extra styles for £25 .It sounds awesome!!.Never had 1 bit of trouble or problems with it.Plus all the yamaha styles have been converted to Korg at sometime!!!.The Yamaha has a great sound to it,but i have heard of numerous problems with the screens,dont know why.The Korg has a better band sound,brass is better,strings are great.the electric guitar wasn,t too hot on the Korg,but now after this last tweak it sounds great.It all comes down to what you can afford!!!!!!!!!!.and if you are gigging with it!!.you want something rugged but not too heavy

[shyamwestwind]

Hi guys, thanks for all the inputs. As mentioned in my post elsewhere, I had the good fortune of being gifted a Yamaha s910 !!!!!!! Its practically the same as the S900 but there have been some improvements and hopefully the display will last. My S900 is waiting for a buyer and I'm giving an external display with it !

[frankie]

I think you should pass your good fortune on to somebody else, a childrens home or dementia care unit.
If you got it for free pass the old one on for free.

[shyamwestwind]

Good idea Frankie ....... I'll need to see if they can really use it . I had presented a small Casio to an orphanage but it kept coming back to me for repairs. It was a new one but no oone looked after it.