PSR 3000 - Upgrade to S900?

Hi Y'all!
I have had my PSR-3000 for about 6 months and I am really happy with it. I am currently still in school, and don't have too much cash to spend. Question is, is it worth it to upgrade to the S-900 - is it really so much better? I don't use acoustic guitar too much anyway, and the buttons look harder to use than those on the 3000.
Thanks for your help!

From my perspective, it's not much of an upgrade, and you will miss the Smart Media Card. Some neat things, some things just don't make it worth spending the extra bucks.

Good Luck,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy

If your Y3K is in good shape , I would keep it , better buttons.

Smart Card in front too.

Take care,
Gary 

My music is all instrumental, and I fell in live with the SA voices on the Tyros2, but I still wanted to keep the portability and built in speakers of my 3 year old PSR-3000.

So, I made the upgrade to the S900...absolutely no regrets...the SA Sax and SA Concert Guitar were voices I did not want to be without.

Also, the S900's audio to USB recording is something I use a lot as well.

If right hand voices aren't a primary concern, stick with the PSR-3000.

Ian

I actually use the right hand voices a lot, and even use a few saxes, but never wasn't happy with the voices. I heard the PSR-1500, though, and if I had that, I'd upgrade. The recording would be a nice feature, but if I need to record, I can use my computer. And the SA voices seemed nice, but mainly focused on guitars.
But again, I never used it... so that's why I am asking your opinions.

Save your money ...S900 its no big deal ....
a few Sa voices most nice for a novelty & must be played correctly to be effective but tire quickly ....how much acoustic guitar knocking & trumpet shakes can one stand to hear the sweet sounds on the 3k are more then satisfactory...vocalizer is useless...mic processor is usable though.
key-bed same light feel...rubber buttons take em or leave em....bare bones recorder is an added feature...poorly positioned ports and inputs in rear, no smart card...its does the job with many work arounds..but worth the upgrade?.. read above and decide if its worth it for you!

I'd be inclined to agree w/the others on this decision. I'm not sure what the 3K's are going for right now. I did have one and sold it for $1175 and w/that much for my 3000 I was able to get into the S900 ballpark. I looked at it this way - if the machine took sound cards and one was available for a couple hundred, I'd have spent the $$$ to get the SA voices. And that's about what it cost me to upgrade after selling my 3000.

The ARE a few detractors on the S900...

1 - They definitely put the USB port in the wrong place! I bought a 6" dongle to allow me to get a USB drive into the board without breaking the drive when I slide it into my desk. I could probably tape it to the underside of the unit and it would serve as a "poor man's hard drive".

2 - Display should have been angled up 2-3" off the top

3 - Slight differences in Operating System - I took my Tyros USB stick and put it in the S900 and it couldn't read it (too many files in the directories)

4 - Buttons - I really don't hate the feel, but at times, you push them and they don't seem to register - you have to give a solid push to make it count

Having said the above, I would do it again for the upgraded sounds. But if the upgrade is going to cost you $400 or more, I would think about it for a while before making that jump.

Randy

I appreciate everyone's opinions...If you haven't given one, I'd appreciate you telling me what you think!
Only other side question - one of my buttons under the screen (up/down) doesn't work perfectly - you have to push it harder.
Is something like that worth it to fix, or is there an easy "home fix" that I can do?
Thanks!

It all depends what's important to you as a player. I upgraded and do not regret it one iota. I love the sa voices. However, before you make a decision, go spend some time playing the S900 in person. Then go back a week later and play some more. Then decide. At least that way you've made an intelligent choice according to your ears and your needs.

Tim

Without going into detail – standing side-bye-side ---- Psr3000 and the S900

There is more life in the S900. It’s clearer, stronger, there is a difference, well worth the change over. My opinion.

I love recording a song then being able to play it back and record/add (Audio) my guitar or voice. I can then play over that. The song can then travels from my 2.0 flash drive to my Ipod, great.

I use the flash drive for all my work –unlimited storage and back-up.

John C.

The button problem sometimes can be solved with a quick blast of canned air. However, this usually only works when there is a bit of dust than may have worked its way beneath the button. If the contact is worn, the fix is much more difficult and should only be done by a factory authorized service center. The problem is that the button is on a full board of buttons, which makes replacement very expensive.

Hope the air works,

Gary



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Travlin' Easy

Hey,

Don't play much on Yammie arrangers (except when I'm hired by the local Clavinova dealer to demonstrate a 400 series) but wanted to say welcome and find out what you're majoring in? I'm a 40+ year old Music Education major currently trying to finish up my certification and bachelor's degree after 20 years of being away from it.

jeff

I agree with Bruno123--I think the S900 is way better than the 3000. It just sounds better, plus the ability to easily load and see text files and the recorder. I have no problem with either the screen or the buttons. I DID have problems with the Tyros and T2 buttons sinking down into the case. (Yes, that's a technical description)
DonM

Lets hope the S-SERIES blossoms into something we can really enjoy....it will only take a few WELL THOUGHT OUT real time changes that can be achieved if Only Yamaha would LISTEN too players consultations & suggestions that are in the trenches as they progress with new models & use their opinions for consideration with the design teams progress in future units.

One more question - does anyone know how to get the MultiPads from the Tyros2? I heard that they will work on the 3000.
Thanks!

I don't know about you, buddy, but I'm having a blast with mine.

Best money I ever spent.

Ian

Ian that's because your dont sing at all.....
there are definitly issues with the Voc Harmonizer, MFD Saving parameters, & on-board real time features that have to be addressed.......its just ok for now but needs to be progressively redesigned & improved no doubt about it.

Yep...I don't sing...but it is a great "player's" instrument....better than OK for my needs...I guess it's all in how you use it.

No doubt the next S-series will be better, and I'll probably get one, but I'm quite satisfied with the S-900 as is...the 3k was cool, but this one is way cooler.

Enjoy what you play...be happy.

Ian




[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 03-03-2008).]

And when you had the 3k, you were 'quite satisfied' with that, too...

The NEXT PSR will be way cooler, and the one after that, and the one after that.

We are ALL waiting for the one that adds the features that WE personally need. For me, it would be the MIDI codes to allow complete external control, so I can slave it to my G70. For Donny, it's the harmonizer (though, how he thinks they can put a significantly better harmonizer in one without a SIGNIFICANT increase in price beats me ) and MFD issues.

But whatever they come out with next, you will still be happy with it (you're happy now), but it MIGHT have the one feature that makes the difference for us... So let us dream, will ya'?

It just came to me --
If we were to find the PERFECT keyboard that we are looking for the job of finding the perfect keyboard player would be by far the greater task.

John C.

Gee Diki...I hope I'm not stopping you from dreaming...

I guess I'm easy to please...I may even keep the S900 if the next S-series doesn't have significant upgrades that would suit me.

The new T3 should give a few hints on what might trickle down to the new S-series.

Ian

[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 03-03-2008).]

I guess in a lot of ways I'm like the guys who frequently upgrade. I'm always looking over the horizon for something that will really be a big upgrade. Unfortunately, these days the horizon seems to be a little farther away. Lots of neat things out there, lots of great keyboards, lots of improvements, however, all that stuff is not in one, neat package.

Guess I'll stick with the 3K for a while longer,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy

John,
I have tried to find a younger person to whom I could pass along my knowledge of entertaining using an arranger keyboard.
I just don't see any out there, at least around where I live. Perfect? Of course that will never happen. But I would just like to see more younger people interested at all.
Maybe you have to be older to develop an appreciation for arrangers, where you can be quite spontaneous yet still have a full arrangement backing you.
I see a lot of people using sequencers and MP3s or wave files to accompany themselves, but no arrangers.
DonM

Dom,
I wise man once said to me:
When you reach the older years you find that you have learned so much but have no one to tell it to”.

I remember visiting my dad, he had moved into a retirement village in South Jersey, Holiday City. I saw something I was not aware of. In these homes you could find the best of every trade and educational positions, -- plumbers, electricians, teachers and leaders of other men. Sad, but the majority of them would pass on taking their knowledge with them. What a terrible waste.

John C.

Don,
I think the market dictates what is well received and what is not. In this area (Philly metro), the arranger is not all that beloved. The audiences that dance the most seem to respond better to tracks that more closelt resemble the originals. For those of you who do not know me, I speak from many, many years experience as a one man band, and I have never been out of work. I started playing left hand bass with a dedicated drum machine, and a Rhodes piano...and worked the same rooms ( for MORE $$ ) than some 3-5 piece bands. That was 20 years ago. Today's crowd is programmed to believe that they can all sing ( due to the dreaded "K" word, and that horrible abomination, known as "reality TV" ), and as such, they are slow to accept an arrangement that sounds "canned" or "generic".

Mind you - these are observations, and by no means the rule in any area. I use any tool that is available to help me in my task to entertain. Every artist (or even artisan, for that matter) depends on the right tool for the job. In the Philly night life...even in some senior centers, there is NO WAY an arranger/stock pattern and a 53 yr old guy singing the electric slide is going to get the same reaction as a charming, 53 yr old host, inviting the crowd to dance as he cues a track of the electric slide.

Sequences can add sizzle to your act, free up your hands, and allow you more vocal freedom. Tasty arranger use can give you sponinaity, and instant medleys. Using an MP3 can let you go to the bathroom and not come back to a hostile crowd !

Arranger use is not bad.
Neither is Sequence use.
MP3 use does not make you a DJ.
The key is in something Eddie Fisher said you gotta have......

(cue "Damn Yankees" soundtrack)

All my best, guys and gals!
UD