Clif,

Right you are about the general lack of arranger keyboard knowledge (and interest) by music sales staff here in the US, at least here in the Northern California Bay Area where we both live. It seems to me that it is "only" because Roland, Yamaha, and Korg produce successful selling mainstream contemporary synthesizers, that their arranger keyboard models are marginally accepted and sold (abeit relegated to a dark corner of the store).

Right you are about the hipocrasy regarding those guys who don't hesistate to purchase drum machines, groove boxes, sample loops, etc, yet reject arranger keyboards as a toy.

To further emphasize the "brand" image problem, I have actually had to cover up the brand logo on my Technics KN5000 (covering it with my own name/logo) because some clubs and clients think that unless your keyboard displays the designer plate names: Roland, Yamaha, or Korg on it, that it would not sufficiently impress the audience that the keyboard was a pro keyboard and would then reflect badly on the club. It's troubling to think that brand name indentification/image is more important (or at least of equal importance) than the music itself, even though a lesser known brand keyboard may in fact perform and sound better. Strange times.


Scott