Sorry to disagree, TWD, but Fran is right. In fact, DonM and I were talking this morning and one of the things that came up is that in all the years that we've both been performing in front of various audiences, no one ever comes up to you and says "Wow! I love the way that keyboard sounds." And, the only person that would come up and comment about the keyboard would be another musician/entertainer. And, they would NEVER say "Those drums sound like $hit! You shoulda bought a different brand."

Our audiences want to be entertained - period! They could care less what brand of keyboard you use, they couldn't tell you if the keyboard has live sounding anything. What they want is good players, good singers, and if you're a mediocre player, but a great singer/entertainer, they'll hire you again and again, and again. If you're a great player, and have the best arranger keyboard on the planet, but can't sing a lick, you're not likely to be working as an OMB entertainer very much, or very long.

And, like DonM, I've owned lots of keyboards, Yamaha, Roland, Korg and a few others. Also, like DonM, I loved each and every one of them. I thought they were all fantastic, and each time I purchased a new one I thought it was better than the previous model. Additionally, I was able to make a living with each and every one of them. But the feature that continues to make me the most money cannot be found in the keyboard - it's my vocals and my ability to entertain my audiences. If and when I lose both of those features I'm out of business - even if I own the best arranger keyboard on the planet.

Good Luck,

Gary