What was your First Arranger Keyboard?

Would like to know what was your first Arranger Keyboard ? What made you by it at the time?

KORG I-3, sounded really good, did you ever see the KORG DEMO, it was amazing.

Korg SAS 20

Arrangers came late, as I was first playing organs before moving on to a fully computer based system. (I had been using computers since the early 80s which also included music programs)

The downside was that you were locked away in a room rather than in a nice warm lounge, thus when Wersi introduced the OAS series of organs (And sorted the teething problems) I went for a used Abacus (Single manual Organ/arranger) and upgraded it to the latest software which allowed me to use all my computer software on-board in a nice warm lounge. (About 2003)

To this day there is no other arranger/organ that comes even close to allowing the use of professional quality sounds and features on-board, (Still nothing on the hardware arranger/organ front to touch the quality of sounds available in VST instruments) thus I still have it today now running the latest OAS7 software, so it is no different to a new instrument you buy today.

Bill

Casio CT 403 or something like that ..1982..It was Casio's top of the line($700)...I liked the quick band back up ideal...The Casio and a fake book..I was in business

No more accordion strapped on me for hours, No Hammond hauling..

... A little, thin sounding Casio. I used it to record backing tracks on to a big reel to reel that had sound on sound, then transferred the finished product to cassette tape for 1 to 2 hour shows that I did. It was the only arranger board that I was aware of at the time (probably mid '70's). I carried it to gigs sometimes, used it as a drum machine ... used it atop a Cordovox that I mounted into a cabinet made to look like a Hammond ...
Ciao,
Jerry

Casio MT 70. Still have it, it still works - but obviously it's a museum fit instrument...

Casio 101

Roland RA90. Wanted the arranger section for the drum machine part (no drum machine at the time did two variations, two fills and the intro/outro thing), wanted the Sound Canvas sound source for SMF's (already familiar with that from the SC-55).

1984: Yamaha PS6100. The sounds were not very impressive, not even for the time, but the design was fantastic. It had the same flip control panel as the Technics KN7000 reintroduced 20 years later. Sold it many years ago.

Technics KN700. Five piece was having trouble finding work. The Technics permitted scaling down to a more affordable (and Hire-able) duo.
The redundant styles drove me crazy and later I added a Roland E20 for variety.
Eddie

A casio. Can't remember the type.

TommyF

I had one also, and people said it sounded pretty good. Of course, that was 40 years ago with FM sound before we all became spoiled.

yamaha 630 then korg i5s . got tired of playing bass pedals. the arranger was just as effective. less work for me. still use the korg and a psr 1000. retired now

An arranger module, a Solton Artist 2000, with matching Solton a-2000 accordion. Keyboard- Yamaha e223 or something close to that.

Roland E38. Decent enough, but hated the bass sounds on it.

An Optigan I bought about 1975 from Monkey Wards. Had about 3 dozen disks. I didn't keep it long. But I got one for free last year, but only has one disk.

Duane

A Solton MS-40 arranger module connected to a midi enabled Elkavox accordion.

Hi
my first decent arranger was the technics kn800 back in roughly 1988. I did have a funny little Yamaha a couple of years or so earlier, but it was more of a toy.

Hi
my first decent arranger was the technics kn800 back in roughly 1988. I did have a funny little Yamaha a couple of years or so earlier, but it was more of a toy.

Diki, I started out with the RA800. Was looking for a drum machine that I could control/trigger different parts. Saw the RA800 in a Roland flyer went to my local music store and I played around with the RA90 or 95 and was hooked. Especially when I discovered all it could do.


Joe

MY first was the technics kn1000 ... I liked the sounds, but the ease of the operating system is what sold me on it ... unfortunately is was the model BEFORE they started reading GM files ...

Hi Duane
Gosh, I remember those, really takes me back, I so wanted one. On the teenie bit of money I was earning those days, couldn't afford one. Had to settle for a chord organ instead. haahaa.

I was more into Hammond's but this was my first decent arranger:

Farfisa DK250

Mine was a yamaha pss 780 ...it had mini keys and drum pads with 100 styles with intro's and endings...also it was true FM like a dx7...the sounds were very thin but for the time it was fun...never used it to gig with.

Steve

mox8,psr s910, pa50sd, microarranger, psr s2000 and cx3

PSR 520

I brought a few of those really cheep for friends - it had incredible on board speaker system for such a small unit.

My first arranger KB was a Tyros 2. Before that, I was playing a Roland digital piano and I’d play along to midi file tracks that I created on a Korg N364. I was putting in an insane amount of time creating these tracks and was getting frustrated on following the same arrangement all each time I played a song. The arranger KB has lead me into playing styles I never dreamed I’d be covering and sounds I would have never thought of using. While I fully understand why many players view an arranger keyboard as sort of crutch, I have actually grown musically or least discovered new musical territories. I think it’s safe to say I’m totally hooked on arranger keyboards

Played an Electone Yamaha (sounded like an arranger to me), starting in 1976. Had three different ones. Had an Auto Orchestra
and a small Casio ($200.00-37 miniature keys-white). Lined out of the Casio and into the jack at the bottom of the Yamaha.

Still have the last Electone, Auto Orchestra and the Casio!


Russ (packrat) Lay

My first one was a Roland RA-50 and a Roland E-70 I still have it prob a collectors item today.