DNJ,

I came from TOTL arrangers and workstation from Yamaha, Korg, Roland, Technics, and others. I also auditioned units from GEM, Ketron, Solton, and other manufacturers prior to buying the Wersi. I've been fortunate enough to own nearly every high end keyboard, synthesizer, workstation, and arranger made so it wasn't like I bought the Wersi not knowing what a TOTL instrument should sound like and what features it should have.

The funny thing about other non Wersi owners bashing the Wersi prodcuct is that they presume that others who bought the Wersi must be idiots. Who in their right mind would spend that kind of money and never complain if the instrument didn't live up to the hype? You'll see lots of non owners bashing the instrument but how many actual Wersi owners are saying its crap? If you spent $8K, $12K, $30K or more on an instrument would you keep your mouth shut and not bash the product if it was crap? I seriously doubt it. I know if the Wersi was crap I'd have been the first to chime in and say so after using it. It's not, it sounds fantastic, and I couldn't be happier with any other instrument.

If the big three come out with an instrument that sounds better and is more viable than the Wersi I'll be the first to jump ship. I have no brand loyalty, only loyalty to what instrument sounds best and does what I need it to.




[This message has been edited by Ensnareyou (edited 08-18-2008).]

Sorry for the double post.

[This message has been edited by Ensnareyou (edited 08-18-2008).]

Ensnareyou........

I agree with what your saying....Fran & I had to put off our trip to Wersi in Lancaster PA due to unforeseen circumstances but it is definitly on our schedule for a future trip. Good luck with your music & your Wersi.

You're kidding, right? I've lost count of the number of times Wersi has gone bankrupt. As I said above, it's an annual event, and a racing certainty that they'll be belly-up again before long.

No matter what financial problems they had in the past they are currently in business at present...shows tells you something in my book.

A friend of mine had one about twenty years ago and he tells me that they were great, but very very heavy. From what I've seen online and heard demos, I would say that maybe there more for a church application or home organ. I couldn't see myself gigging with one every weekend.

The Abacus is portable but its by no means light. Real wood, real metal, TFT touch screen display, a powerful internal amplifier and speaker system, and a nice feeling keybed makes it heavier than a plastic toy keyboard but it's about the same as a Yamaha Motif XS88 which many pro's gig with. The Wersi Ikarus is lighter if you need more portability but its also very well built so don't expect it to weigh 30-35 pounds.

I think that's nonsense. The most important selection criterium to me is how an instrument sounds. I've put up with horrible user-interfaces just because I loved the sound the thing made.

I don't visit any dealer to try any instrument if that very instrument didn't make me go "wow" while listening to an online-demo of the thing. And in Wersi's case, I laugh while listening to the demos, wondering where they found the nerve to ask so much money for a (in MY opinion) mediocre instrument.

I don't jump in my car to go and listen to the new Yamaha Tyros 3 either. Because the sound of the demos don't appeal to me. And I don't care if I _could_ make it sound better if I loaded it up with sounds, styles whatever. I'm not looking for an instrument like that.

If I were, I would buy myself a Huge Sampler-Synth to feed it with every custom sound I liked, programming arpeggiators till I keeled over.

But I don't want that.

If I am going to spend a lot of money, I am going to spend it on an instrument that makes me go "wow" when I listen to demos. That's what demos are for. To showcase the very best an instrument can do. If the demo doesn't make my jaw drop, I'll stick to the instrument I have and save a lot of money.

Heck, we even debated in this forum about the way demos are made, some suggesting that external devices were used to make it sound like you could never make it sound.

If I'm going to spend a lot of money, it will NOT be on an instrument that has some well-hidden 'potential' to be this flabbergasting wow-machine IF I take 5 months off to feed the thing with the sounds and styles I _do_ like. [/quote]



I disagree. That's just your opinion. And you're entitled to have that opinion. But if others feel that OTB a Wersi sounds like a bad-wired Casio, you can't just say that they don't know what they're talking about. They do, they heard the thing and they didn't like it.

Some say the Yamaha Tyros has great drums. I am a drummer, and in MY opinion you never heard real drums if you say Yamaha's are so great. But hey, if you like em, it's your money, be happy with it.




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- THE DUTCH KEYBOARD FORUM
http://www.keyboardforum.nl

Twice in almost 40 years.

Bill

So as to clarify things because I must be seriously missing something.... I actually own a Wersi Abacus Duo Pro and know exactly what it sounds like in person. Others (including yourself) hear some online demo and therefore profess that you know that the instrument sounds like crap and has poor features and a horrible GUI. All I can say is WOW!

I think I'll go off and be a food critic and give bad restaurant reviews without having ever eaten at the restaurant only having seen pictures of the food. That's basically what you are doing.

I wouldn't profess to call the Tyros 3 crap until I heard one in person but I guess I'm different than many people here because I'd rather play the instrument first before deciding its crap. Others don't seem to feel hearing an instrument in person actually makes any difference.

FYI... I bought my Yamaha 9000 Pro even though the online demo's of it were God awful. Had I not actually seen and played it in person I'd never have plunked down all that money on one. I must have been a fool for buying the 9000 Pro because the online demos sucked and yet I still purchased one.



[This message has been edited by Ensnareyou (edited 08-19-2008).]