There's a guy here who has been on top of the music scene for at least 30 years. For many years he had a night club and performed with his combo--3 to 6 pieces.
He now does nightclubs and parties, still from two to 6 pieces.
After years of lugging around B3s and leslies, for the past few years he has used two PSRs. You're not going to believe this but one of them is PSR 510 and the other is PSR 270. He plays left-hand bass on the 270 and piano, strings, EP or organ on the 510. He does all the vocals. I don't believe he even knows the keyboard has drums or automatic features built in.
Often it's just him and a vibe player, and they add a drummer, then a sax, as the jobs get larger. He works 5-7 days/nights a week.
There's a message here somewhere. Oh yeah, I think Uncle Dave has mentioned it many times. It's NOT the keyboard, it's the show.
DonM

Yeah man ....... Manual bass kicks butt !

Man.... If I was putting together a 4 or more piece band, drums and a bass player would be the first two guys I would hire so I could concentrate on other KB stuff.
Eddie

Sometimes, I agree, but most times - I can make a better imprompteau arrangement by playing the bass and keys together. It's like free rehersal. The 2 parts "click" and compliment each other with almost no confusion or toe-stepping.
Playing bass lines really opens up possibilities for soloists ..... the "canned" patterns get so boring after a while because they always sound the same. You NEED to add some more of yourself to the mix, and OFTEN.
I still prefer to play my right hand as if it were the whole band, and not a solo voice. Makes for a fuller sound behind my vocals, and keeps the arrangement fresh each time.

A PSR270 and PSR510!!! . Looks like I don't need to upgrade to the EXR-5.
I saw a young female recoding artist with a PSRGX76. I have better equipment than her!
I went to see Jimmy Smith play live at a night club many years ago. Back then he was the top jazz organist. I was up real close, I was so close, how close were your?, so close that I could see his hands. His fingers weren't extra long, or stubby, or fat. His hands looked exactly like mine, except that his were black, and mine are white, that shouldn't make a difference, right? At the time I owned a Hammond L100 and a Leslie 122. There is no physical reason I could not play and sound like him.
Starkeeper

"It's NOT the keyboard, it's the show." Read it closer guys and gals--IT'S THE SHOW! This is not neurosurgery, rocket science or something mystical--it's show biz. We are entertainers, first, foremost and always. The guy Don was talking about is an entertainer, and there are lots of them out there that have nothing more than an old, beat-up 6-sting, acustic guitar, a cheap amp, a mic and a stool. Some of these guys are booked solid and often booked 3 years in advance. Most can only strum their guitar, and the guitars look like they were run over by a truck, but they sing their hearts out, put a lot of emotion into each and every performance and they constantly interact with their audiences. As Don said "It's the show."

Gary