A month ago I played my first solo job at a nursing home and used my mighty G-70 for the one hour gig. Afterward, I quickly sought out a second board that would still do the job, but be smaller and lighter - the 3K. Today I did a reprise at the NH and used the 3K. Now I have a dilema.

There is no doubt the G-70 is a far superior board in almost every category, but the 3K has some surprising characteristics that may keep it n my NH arsenal for quite some time. The G has a fantastic keyboard and feel, and I love the piano, strings and organ sounds to no end. The mic/harmonizer section is fantastic. But I have yet to really attack and master the intracasies of the OS, especially registrations and this is holding me back.

The 3K has a much smaller keyboard, and I just don't mean the 61 keys. The keys are thinner and shorter and definitely have that plastic feel. That said, it's size and weight make it a lot easier to trasport - a lot. The OS is easier to approach and I like the fact that I can save songs and styles in separate, multiple folders. The mic section didn't work for me; I'll have to check that out, so I used my M-Harmony - nice touch.

Roland has better styles for me, but I am surprisingly liking the Yamaha brass. The 3K piano still sounds thin to my ears, but I can now accept the organ flutes (drawbars) where in my previous 3K ownership I didn't care for them. I still long to sit behind the BIG board, but it is much easier to prepare onself to play a Yamaha than a Roland, IMHO.

So now what do I do? I was thinking I might put the G-70 up for sale, but now I'm backing off. While the weather is still nice I am going to try using the G-70 at least a couple times more. If I can handle the G, it wins. At the same time, I will continue to hone my Yammy skills; I need to learn how to do registrations there too. Meahwhile I'm preparing a new demo to distribute to local retirement and nursing homes. I think that with time and experience, this OMB thing will be as easy and fun as playing with my trio was. Both boards could be platooned, if need be - we"ll see...