Guys Guys..... Working in a music store married to a 30 year professional keyboard player who has played for many major shows and does hundreds of single dates a year and myself having performed with national acts fronting many bands. I have never seen on single arranger nor have when asked has any one I have worked with even considered using an arranger keyboard live. There are all pro player who derive their sole income from performance. Not week end warriors or retires. These are the bread and butter buyers of product.

My wife feels that she is being hired as a Keyboard player and as such would never show up with anything less than 88 key weighted board, either the RD700 or even a Casio Previa 320 for beach gigs to go along with here Bose system and Guitar. I speak to pro players every day in the MI store I work in a beach town that employs many many singles, duos, and some bands most of the year. NO ONE uses an arranger on the job or would consider them. But they all like them and understand their benefit, if only for songwriting and recording.

Arranges are HOME keyboards for the most part. (and studio keyboards for people like us) We use ours exclusively at home to create tracks which we then may use on the gig. We use floor based TC Helicon harmonizers with a guitar and a keyboard,rather than the onboard harmonizers which don't compare whether the Yamaha or the Korg.

Yamaha (and I suspect Roland and Korg) is well aware in the US musicians do not consider Arranger keyboards as PERFORMANCE instruments, with the exception of a few who may play small backyard parties , nursing homes and maybe the MOOSE CLUB on week ends.

I believe the Europeans are more comfortable with using arranger professionally . Its a cultural thing. I would not think of taking my T3 out.I would rather use it to arrange home grown songs and create some tracks for live performance.

Te major makers are aware of their markets. Those few who do buy arrangers are in the minority. Far more Motifs, M3,s and Fantoms are sold than T3's and PA2xs for live use and in general especially as the lines are combing blurred with the mega arpeggiators on those boards

Im not surprised Pre MI stores like Guitar Center do not stock arrangers and MI stores like ours who carry $4000+ PRS, Fender,Ibanez, Taylor Guitars etc, as well as real Grand Pianos and DJ gear and PAs carry nothing but arranger keyboards and one lone Mini Motif....

The bottom line is we ARE a huge full line MI store and may sell one Tyros a year a truckload of Claviovas. IN A WORKING MUSICIAN"S MARKET!!!!Its the market.

IF Arrangers were a huge market the Wersis and Ketrons would certainly have a much higher presence in the US.

[This message has been edited by Kingfrog (edited 10-13-2008).]