Rikki, Cool you had both a Disklavier and a Yammie baby grand. There’s nothing like an acoustic grand but we both know the expense of keeping them sounding good.

Total overkill for my playing abilities.
Husband loved baby grand as a display piece for the houses ( I didn’t complain haha)

I fell in love with the Disklavier when I first saw it at a music show, I’d always wanted a pianola, basically Disklavier was the ultimate, no piano rolls to worry about, it worked with floppy disks.
Still require tuning every six months. Haha

And the posts keep coming in anyway (right after the above post)! Didn't anyone read Chas's message here? Is the Dnj super-post still actually in the headlines? Is it Teflon-coated and nothing sticks?

It appears the king has spoken again to his Royal Subjects, or has he surpassed that title and is now the Holy Messiah of the group? As was suggested, he found another way to bring his regiment to attention. And I'm not talking about Chas.

I've never seen such a childish statement from an adult? ("What should I get next.. Thoughts?"). What comes next? What do you think I should wear today? What should I have for supper? What's the next movie I should see? It seems at this point that when El Supremo catches a cold everyone sneezes. Doesn't it seem a a little odd to you that if (according to Donnie) he "hung up his dancing shoes a few years back" that he's looking for a custom fit keyboard to play that suits the Wizard of music making?

I think Donnie cares as much about what's the next keyboard he should buy as he cares about what time the sun will rise in the morning. Further, I don't believe, repeat, I don't believe that Donnie even bought these past keyboards he keeps writing about. I do believe it's just plain fake news....sensationalism...spin doctoring, to stay in the limelight. I don't even believe he masterfully "rewrites these MIDI or Karaoke files" he states he does. A few months ago, I found a Karaoke file online that was exactly what he said he modified to "suit his liking." The pre-Donnie modified file that was available for download was the same as the post-Donnie modified file.

I'm really weary of looking forward to viewing the Synthzone every night and instead of a myriad of topics, I see another mindless chapter in the life of Donny Pesche. Another version of the movie: The Truman Show. I really enjoyed the variety of posts everyone used to write in. Now it seems to be the Donny Pesche Hour. Maybe we should consider adding a room to the forum and label it the "Dnj zone?"

If any of you are wondering why I feel so strongly about this? I'm always a gentleman, but....you know I don't pull any punches....I'll tell you the exact reason for those of you who weren't here at the time.

Mr. Pesche was feeling his oats a few years back and posting "demo"s that were done by the keyboard manufacturers and claiming that they were his, played "right out of the box." I called him out on the "French musette" and he swore up and down the block that he "played it." I then told him "prove it to me." That I would drive the 100 miles to his house and let him play that Musette song in front of me. That ended his denials. And right after that I got maybe a half dozen personal emails thanking me for "calling him out." I still have them. I didn't appreciate being lied to at the time, or the members being made a fool of. And...I particularly didn't appreciate the recent inference, after 5-6 months of hard work at the piano (when I dared to re-enter the room) that I should "take a hike" if I didn't like the status quo now.

And, that is why, I don't take any DNJ post as Gospel. Diki might have been removed from here, but, speaking for myself (and a few others?), I hung on to every word he said...and...learned. And that goes for Scott Yee too. And...Ian...he also wrote good stuff.

Despite, all that, like Chas said, I have nothing against Donny other then the constant chest-thumping (and the repetitive "clapping" hands). Personally I think he's amusing and an alright kind of guy otherwise....the kind I'd like to sit down and have a beer with....as long as he doesn't start the Mr. Wonderful routine again.

I believe there is another view. Donny’s post was answered by 195 replies. He could become a bit sweeter,
but look what he has done for our beloved SZ forum.

Just saying, John C.

And what might that have been? Did I miss something here?

I think we can agree upon that nobody owes anything to anybody here and we can't force people to act in a certain way, to like or dislike something.

But there's this peculiarity it the way boards like this work. A topic comes to a "top" just because there're replies. So it often happens that if you post some good and useful stuff which is nice to read but hard to comment it becomes a sort of dead. In general it's a problem of the internet if not a culture.

The silver lining here is that a reputation is a different thing, and in the end people know what is what and who is who, regardless of how loud or silent anyone is.

As for S-Z, I guess there's no too many people or activity here, there's no need in any filtering. Everything which is posted gets its attention, even if there aren't many replies, it's still appreciated.

Generally, it today's world the place to share is YouTube, although not without a challenge. Communities like S-Z are like small clubs where it's nice to discuss some things, mostly for getting to know better people themselves.

Hey, everyone has their own opinions, but I take what I need and leave the rest. Donny may have a tendency to stretch the truth a bit, the showman that he is, but that is only one side of the man. I have found him very caring and helpful. Let's take our members with a grain of salt and look towards the positives.

Bernie

I can see both sides of the Donny issue. I am a skeptic by nature as I suspect Chas and Mark are. My ears perk up when I hear (or read) something that I know is probably not true. Such was the case (as I previously reported here) when he told me to go look up the old thread where he explained why he had sold his 2nd (if I have the sequence right) PA4X instead of just telling me why. I called his bluff and did some digging and found that there was no explanation. And the first time he sold the 4X it was for “health reasons” that he soon miraculously recovered from. Of course, the obvious explanation for this (and all his other keyboard swaps), which he evidently thinks nobody here can figure out for themselves, is that he was bored and wanted something new.

A couple other recent examples of the “beyond the pale” rhetoric he uses. One was when he made the statement that the SX900 is not a professional keyboard or something to that effect. This is obviously nonsense as several members who play outside the home and get paid (my definition of a professional unless you have a profitable YouTube channel or something) are using one. He made a similar statement about the PA4X-that it didn’t meet “his needs” whatever that means. Don Mason, who is universally respected here, has said that the PA4X is the best keyboard for the professional out of all the ones he has tried (just about all) over the years. So that is nonsense as well.

What Donny does do is stimulate conversation and that is usually a good thing. He gets people thinking and talking about subjects that are of interest and even I appreciate that. And since he has had just about every keyboard there is, he is very knowledgeable and helpful to members with questions. Heck, he has even helped me by sending me about 10,000 Roland styles when I had the E-A7. I think the reason that the saga of him switching keyboards gets so much attention is that it is somewhat like the forum version of a reality TV show. Everyone can watch and live vicariously through what he is doing. Even my wife, who knows nothing about keyboards, enjoys hearing about his exploits. He is now down to the Genos and the Ketron SD series if I am correct. So, it will be interesting to see what he does.

The best way to handle Donny's exaggerations, in my view, is the same way you deal with your crazy uncle at Thanksgiving. You know, the one who tells you all the stories that you and he both know are complete nonsense. Just smile and nod and enjoy what is useful or interesting and ignore the rest.

"Narcissistic personality disorder — one of several types of personality disorders — is a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that's vulnerable to the slightest criticism.

A narcissistic personality disorder causes problems in many areas of life, such as relationships, work, school or financial affairs. People with narcissistic personality disorder may be generally unhappy and disappointed when they're not given the special favors or admiration they believe they deserve. They may find their relationships unfulfilling, and others may not enjoy being around them.

Treatment for narcissistic personality disorder centers around talk therapy (psychotherapy)."

Source: Mayo Clinic

just sayin'

I can remember Diki being banished for personal attacks. Let's stop this bullshit.