Squeak,

Like Squeak said...he didn't want to hijack the Tyros 2 posting and neither did I.

He's not wrong with this thing about those who are allergic to too much keyboard "weight." I'll use the word myself......they are "whiners!" The music is about entertaining an audience and not about sending a keyboard to Weight Watchers so you can haul it around town without a tow truck! If you have to put it on wheels and add a gear box to it and DRIVE it to the gig, well then that's what you have to do.

His recollections of the gig's from H__l brought back a flood of my own memories. At my peak, I was gigging (party events) carrying a total of 18 cases by myself. And that was before Rock 'n Roll carts arrived on the scene to help move everything! Most of these cases were full size. I was playing three keyboards MIDI'd together. Then you had the whole sound system (two big speakers, head, microphone cases), the odds & ends case, the processor rack, the USS stand setup right and left, etc. My best time for setup was 50 minutes. But you know what? I didn't mind it because the sound I got was incredible and I loved making people happy, listening and dancing to good music. The setting up/tearing down routine was secondary...the audience came first.

Someone on a gig said it all. I was tired one night as I was packing up and mentioned it to one of the waitresses. She replied: "Would you rather be driving a taxi cab in NYC?" Ever since she said that, I remind myself of that remark when I start feeling "my equipment is too heavy!"

Yes, the Tyros probably IS too heavy if you're used to gigging with a harmonica. Those of us who played through those years get a big laugh out of the "weight" freaks. The new technology did fantastic things with the music, but unfortunately it also made a lot of "wimps" and "whiners!"

Please.....only those who went through what we did back in those days are allowed to flame this letter. The rest of you need to pay your dues first!