I agree with Don,.... on Light touch, that does it for my style of playing. Tyros arrangers are just too much real estate for my needs in & out every day, been there done that. It's Better suited for a living room player. That said this discussion will never end because everyone like a different feel....nuff said.

It's sometimes difficult to find that "Baby Bear" action that works well enough for every sound. Too light (and shallow), and Acoustic and Electric Piano sounds are less responsive and expressive...too heavy, and most other sounds, like strings, brass, organ, sax, guitar (to name only a few) become tedious to play...especially fast runs and repetitions.

That's why I like the Tyros4's FSX...it's an excellent compromise, and (most importantly for me) manages very well with Piano/E.Piano sounds...it also lets me do without the expense (and complexity) of two keyboards, especially important if I plan to gig a few times a day or several times a week.

The aftertouch lets me add expression without taking my hands off the keys...the T4's SA/SA2 sounds also let me do this.

A keyboard under 50 lbs, in its case, is still quite manageable for me, especially if I really like how the action works for me.

Ian

Having moved from many years of PSR's to a T3 I have to agree with everybody!

If I was gigging frequently the extra weight and size of the T3 would be an issue and make me consider the s9xx. But the FSX keyboard is excellent and I can definitely play complex stuff more easily than I could on the PSRs. It would be a bit sad going back to the psr keypad, but if it a choice between that and a bad back then the back wins every time.

1st To all service personnel, my humblest Thank You for keeping us safe. with that said I was scanning the weight issue and here's what i moved around for 35 yrs. B3 @ # 380, Leslie 122 @ #150= 530 pounds. and no one got real injured,remarkable. Now I carry around a Hammond sk1 @ # 16 and sk3 73 @ # 22 and a Leslie Studio 12 @ 3 100 = 138 lbs. carried the b3 2-3 times a week. I know what the b3 can do, and I'm loving that the 2 sk's are just as capeable giving me the sounds I'm use to.

That's all well and good and most of us old dogs carried the b3 around for years with 147's etc, etc, not too mention a Rhodes,
Juno synths, stacked, etc, etc, also I know I'm one of them...
as that's all there was,.........but most of us Now are talking in & out of Nursing homes, and much smaller venues where we need the lighter convenience every day & in no way R U gonna shlug a C, B, leslies, etc, or what have you in there for a 1 hr show day after day 300-400 times a year, .... I could see it for a house gig, or extended stays,...and then the bottom line always is what does it sound like no matter what the rig consists of which comes down to the players talent, singing, etc,..

It was quite a lot of setting up way back then...but, oh, was it fun!

Nowadays, I've shaved down my keyboard setup...and my hair too. Much less maintenance

This was my "portable" organ/keyboard (Yamaha C-605p) back in the day...like your FS500 it was a beast, but it did come apart...and still weighed a lot too.

I’m a converted guitar player to arranger player and weight is a big issue. At my senior age, that’s the first thing I check on any new product or potential purchase. What it looks like, how it sounds, and the cost are all secondary issues. And, if indeed, arrangers are pitched largely to us old fogies, as some have argued, then you’d think the manufacturers would be keenly aware of the weight and size issue of their keyboards.

I'm a converted guitar to arranger player as well. And weight/size issue might be in part what is driving one of Yamaha's new MOTL arrangers:

http://au.yamaha.com/en/products/musical...=product_lineup

From the spec sheet..."The PSR-S670 features two assignable live controllers..."

This looks very interesting, and hopefully we will see these assignable knobs on the S960 and S760 and even more importantly, they will wind up on next Tyros.

Formerly, these were only on the entry level PSR-E-series, and having "live" control over voice filter and resonance is very expressive indeed.

When I was doing Yamaha Arranger clinics, only a small percentage of users were doing the gig thing, but those using them had locked on to a great little tool for one man (and two man) jobs.

Regarding solo and duo acts in my area, there seems to be an increasing usage of MP3 players for accompaniment tracks, whether inbuilt to a keyboard (where they can also use styles and/or SMF) or stand alone units such as laptops.

Ian