I agree, Spalding...Yamaha has had nothing (or, at least, very little) to do with the demise of other arrangers.

Roland caused it's own demise...Technics was discontinued by the parent company Matsushita Electric for reasons unknown, but it certainly wasn't because the product wasn't marketed right, or that it had become unable to compete on a technological level...they were great instruments, and were very popular.

GEM also had internal problems in the company...the products themselves weren't at fault.

Yamaha is made up of many divisions, and each one supports the other.

That may be one of the main reasons they are still doing very well.

It's always sad to see a company stop producing arrangers, as we both know, competition is what keeps everyone on their toes, and it always benefits the buyer.

Ian