This is one of the things that worries me from time to time at SZ... Do we often mistakenly move on to newer gear at the expense of gear we later recognize for its subtler qualities?

There is so much about moving from one arranger to the next that is far more a question of 'content' (newer styles and the odd sound) than with anything to do with, does it really help you to be a better player?

Groundbreaking new FEATURES are the only thing that can tempt me away from what I have, and even those, sometimes a decade later, I realize I didn't really use them as much as I might have expected, and what did I lose from moving?

There's a lot to be said for old school multi keyboard rigs an lo-fi sound. You got a bit of 'bite' you don't tend to get now unless the sample itself has attitude (something the majors still feel a but uncomfortable with) or you use a bunch of outboard. You also didn't have all your eggs in one basket, so to speak... If the sax on one keyboard didn't work, you had one in another that might. Or you could combine the two for a less homogenized layer sound.

Couple of old synths I really wish I hadn't let go were the Yamaha CS60 (smaller cousin to the behemoth CS80) and an old ARP Odyssey. Never played anything that could do the same tricks those could...