not sure what you mean by synth mentality.. keep in mind this is a 1998 unit. but.. not a synth, it's an arranger..one of the best ever IMO. only 28 lbs. but solidly built. if you play live and don't need a lot of polyphony, memory, usb , etc, and don't mind a light touch, it's hard to beat for the money. you're not going to find an E50 or psr3K for anywhere near the price, and the exr's are garbage compared to the is40.(and more $ to boot) I'm tempted to call the pawnshop myself to get one more backup ..I don't even know why I let someone take the other one for $153+ 50 shipping..and i would have gone to $250 if i were you..for $300 outlay that's the best arranger you'll ever lay hands on IMHO.. Mo