I'm sorry to argue with the stated case against arrangers by the 'public', but I would have to say from experience that 99% of 'the public' have absolutely no clue about one kind of keyboard from another. It's got lights and buttons, and black and white keys. And that's all they know or care.

They couldn't tell an arranger from a WS, from a stage piano, from a Hammond clone.

All they know is whether what you DO on it makes them enjoy themselves or not...

I don't honestly know where any of this alleged bias against arrangers comes from. I have, in my entire career, never had ONE single person come up (public OR another musician) and deride me by going 'Oh, you're playing one of those ARRANGERS... ' To be honest, have any of you? Really? Or are you just saying something, that someone said to someone else (that they heard about from someone else)?

I have a sneaky suspicion that the bias comes from the PLAYER, and not the device. Plenty of bad arranger players out there! But there are just as many bad players of WS's as there are arrangers (OK, maybe a BIT less!), but somehow you don't hear WS players whine about the so-called 'bias' against WS's.

Do we really have that big a chip on our shoulders, or is it just the tendency of the poor craftsman to blame his tool?