I believe that Yamaha has over-extended itself and can no longer provide the level of help that high-end arrangers require. This was all too apparent with the 9000 Pro, where things were promised like voice editors and never delivered, and products like the PLG expansion cards were developed to go with multiple Yamaha keyboards including the 9000 Pro but the documentation never materialized (I wonder if the new PLG150-AP expansion card has any documentation on how to specifically use it with the 9000 Pro - likely not). And watching what Scott Yee is going through with his Tyros makes me more aware of just how easy it is for regional technicians to screw things up (Scott's Tyros USB modification had a diode installed backwards, forcing the instrument to be sent back to Yamaha for repair). Multiply Scott's problem times the number of Tyros users and you get a small taste of what Yamaha has to contend with... and Scott lives near Yamaha's best US reps and technicians - the rest of us would be without our instruments for weeks if something similar happened.

Yamaha suffers from it's own giganticism - I imagine every product it makes being like a giant balloon at a Macy's parade that requires hundreds of handlers to keep it afloat. Obviously Yamaha could make a Tyros Pro from existing technology and parts if they wanted to and there seems to be demand for one - so why hasn't it happened? Methinks it has to be lack of support persons and people who write the technical and owner's manuals. There may be a related high turnover of product managers too. I suspect that a Tyros Pro will come someday but that it'll be after they've got the bugs and technical flaws worked out of the original Tyros, and that hasn't happened yet.

[This message has been edited by The Pro (edited 09-22-2004).]