Hmmm, someone with the guts to say it. And yet, some who do 1 hr. NH gigs exclusively, spend 3-5000.00 and tons of hours of preparation and setup to do basically the same job. Why? For 3 and 4hr CC/Bar/Restaurant/event/Festival gigs, sure, I can see it, but if SINGING is your main 'thing', for a 1 hr. NH gig, how does this make sense? In most of the cases I've seen, the AKB is little more than a playback machine, with very little 'playing' going on. Some people (like ME) would feel very insecure without some kind of 'prop' such as a keyboard, and some would view it as karaoke without a playable instrument involved. Still, UD is the first and only one I've ever heard state clearly and without apology, that for these 1hr NH gigs, a 5k keyboard is "just not worth it". He DID state that he only meant 'for himself'. In the words of the great DNJ, "thoughts?".

chas