For the past few weeks, I’ve been tracking down and playing arranger keyboards (mostly tracking) where I could find them. I’ve been on the Tyros 2, Roland G-70, E-80, GW-8, Ketron SD5, and...just a short time on the Korg Pa2X PRO.

You folks weren’t “whistling Dixie” about lax salespeople and poor service and their inability to demonstrate their products. I wonder how they don’t realize they could double their sales if they would only learn how to demonstrate an arranger keyboard rather than lead you to it, and proceed back to their cup of coffee.

Anyhow, I said all that because I really didn’t get to appreciate any of them for what they were because of this. By the time I figured out how to play a particular board I was too tired to continue. Add to that you’re usually in a cramped corner of the store, and if they have it hooked up to a speaker, it’s usually some generic one that doubles as a salad bar. It’s all very discouraging.

But that’s where this Korg comes in. I’m not a “Korg” man, but I came off the E-80 and thought I’d give it a quick try. I was knocked out. It’s the closest thing I found to a Ketron but with a solid name and track record behind it. I’m partial towards horns, and I usually judge a keyboard by it’s ability to replicate a trumpet and trombone (I never heard a bad “sax” on ANY keyboard). Sure enough, the trombone was just the right thickness and didn’t sound like you were playing a pocket comb. I went on to listen to the rhythm section. The drums sounded as clear as they do on the Ketron.

So I went home and listened to all the PA demo’s I could find here:
http://korgpa.com/pa_root/en/news/news.html?en

Very impressive. The keyboard sounds great and I can see someone actually took their time making these demo‘s. Many were burned at a very high speed for accurate playback. If the folks at Korg took the time to do all this, I can see they’re highly invested in their keyboards. A far cry from Roland.

I had a long talk with the company this afternoon (Korg), and again I’m very impressed with their dedication to arranger keyboards and for keeping their fingers on the pulse of us working musicians. The rep was extremely polite, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, supportive, etc. When I told him I was a working professional, he became even more concerned about my needs, understanding that it’s a big investment and that I don‘t mind the money, but I want to make a sound decision.

I was really bowled over with Korg. Everything so far sounds like a “go.” But...in all fairness, I haven’t really played it enough to replicate what I hear on those demo’s.

So...what are your opinions on this Pa2X. Why WOULD I buy it, and...why SHOULDN’T I buy it. This is not about is this the “best” keyboard? It’s about how some of you “hear” it through your own ears, and, of course, features. Are there any features that make this board unique?

I’m interested in hearing what some of you have to say about it, and, after studying the manual beforehand, I’m going to go and play it again.

BTW…I asked Korg about that glitch with the “fill-ins” that AJ talked about. Korg said there was nothing wrong with it. Figure that one out.

Lucky