AJ, I have been a loyal supporter and purchaser of Solton then Ketron products for the last 10 years.

The reasons are simple:

1)Great sounds - For so little sample memory
2)Fantastic styles - Very realistic
3)Innovative features - Best integral harmoniser although I also use a TC Helicon.
4)Best Value for money - When you buy it from Belgium that is.

However, it is a wonder that anyone else in the UK actually owns or plays Ketron instruments. I first came into contact with their products when I sold keyboards for a living. These included Technics and Yamaha and we became one of the very few retailers in the UK to stock them. I was blown away by the MS40 which made the others sound like (expensive) toys in comparison.

However, the competition are now catching up (The Tyros is a half decent instrument although considerably overpriced)

I would add reliability to the above list but I am afraid thet if I developed a problem with my XD I am on my own in this country now.

The distributers here don't answer all your e:mails and when they do they give me the name of an accordian playing studio owner as one of their retail outlets. Not that the guy has any stock but he has an SD1 which "would give me an indication of what the instrument I wanted to buy would sound like"

I was so keen that I had to buy an instrument that I could not hear in the flesh from another country.

In a way it is an advantage that it is so difficlt to discover/hear/try/buy the Ketron products here as I get a fantastic response to my mediocre playing in comparison to the fantastic players in my area who have the usual mediocre boards but this is litte compensation.

I see that there are now pattern and instrument expansion boards available. Great, I wonder which continent I will have to go to to buy these? Also, I will invalidate my warranty unless an authorised engineer that isn't available in this country fits these.

However, I will still get them from somewhere because, in spite of the above, There isn't anything else to touch them for the music I play and the way I play it.

Sorry to rant on but you did ask.

Keith