I work at a large independent store with a million dollar inventory on the floor. Most of us are over 40 in the store and have a track record of professional work
of making music for a living. In a destination resort market that hires a lot of singles and duos. We have one Tyros 3 and it will sit for a long time.

There is a lot of work here during the season and some off season for musicians.
My wife is one of them. For 30 years she made her living playing. No one we know would take only an "arranger" to a gig or any 61 key board.

My wife does record tracks from the T3 but always shows up with 88 weighted keys and a guitar. whether one of the RD700's or the Casio Previa 320 depending on the job, She feels being hired as a keyboard player requires more than showing up with a 61 key board "you play like a chord organ" She would rather use both hands to play a weighted keyboard even with tracks. As does every other keyboard single or duo player we know who derives their living playing.

The T3 will sit in the store for a long time I suspect. We sell a lot of Clavinova Arrangers and PSR900s. All to home users. None to professional musicians for gigging. Even I use it solely for songwriting and recording. The pros buy their Motifs and Fantoms online. We don't even carry them as we would just be a demo house for them because it has been our experience the tax savings is worth buying online for many regarding those workstations. Home keyboard players tend to buy in store. Pro players buy online.

Not so with high end guitars though.
We have over 300 guitars hanging on the walls, A ton of Amps and room full of PA , 8 grand pianos , a handful of uprights, 100 SF of sheet music, All the Clavinovas made on and on....yet a we had a used Tyros 2 on consignment for nearly a year on the floor that only recently sold.

I understand why Yamaha target markets them to home users. I reside in a destination resort market now and lived in Vegas for years and never saw anyone using an arranger on a paid gig.

The PA2x is a keyboard I can understand people using on a gig far more than the T3. It's built better for that single purpose and somehow looks like a "real keyboard" due to its larger size and 76 keys. Better harmonizer, low impedance mike inputs dual sequencers etc....

I can understand a 61 key board on a rack in a band situation. I cannot envision being hired around here anyway as a keyboard player and showing up with a 61 key board with or without speakers.

I think again Yamaha knows it's primary markets for the products they make and sell.I think the owner only picked up a Tyros 3 because I bought one on the employee plan and I would know how to demo it and train people on it. Also it will help sell far more S900s. $1600-$4000 is quite the jump. Its easier to begin with the T3 and then sell the suddenly bargain S900 using the same styles.

[This message has been edited by Kingfrog (edited 10-08-2008).]

[This message has been edited by Kingfrog (edited 10-08-2008).]