Most people do a write-up within days or weeks of having their latest & greatest keyboards. And as this is still the ‘honeymoon’ period for them, during which they are so much in love with their latest pride & joy, such accounts often tend to get a bit OTT, e.g.
“100% better than my previous model” etc. The following is an account of my experience with my current keyboard. However, the big difference is that it’s now over 13 months since I acquired it. Please read on....
In December, 2017, after owning all Tyros models from the very first one up to Tyros 4, I finally decided to trade the latter in at Bonners of Eastbourne for a used Tyros 5/76 (now, here’s the important bit) and I'm happy to say that I'm still as thrilled with it now as I was on the day I took it out of its box... yes, that was over a year ago! Up until the time of the exchange, I had neither seen nor heard a Genos live, but Yamaha's hefty price tag on the Genos meant that the amount of money I would have had to put on top of my mint condition T4 was (to me) just too ridiculous to even consider such a move! Meanwhile, however, I have since had the opportunity of seeing and playing a Genos, and am pleased to say that the experience has further convinced me that I have done the right thing! Yes, the Genos is a very nice-sounding instrument but (to my ears) it didn’t strike me as being all that different to my T5/76 to be honest.
Coming from a background of electronic organs, I find myself making a lot of use of the T5’s Organ World. And another feature that obviously wasn't on my T4 is the fascinating Ensemble Voices section. I love experimenting by re-voicing some of the parts and setting up different effects etc... not to mention the myriad of Harmony settings. And in terms of appearance (but again, this is purely my taste): when I entered the music store that had the Genos on display, there was also a used T5/76 right next to it and I immediately felt that the T5/76 (being slightly larger, with its tilt up screen etc.) looked the most impressive of the two... I just couldn't wait to get back home to my very own T5/76!
So to anyone out there who has a previous Tyros model, and thinking of upgrading to a T5/76, then go for it. And those coming from a T4 will find that a lot of their old keyboard is still in the T5/76 (not a bad thing really) but with now a much better effects/DSP system. Spend some time experimenting with the new effects and you will be truly amazed! There are also over 300 new voices, several new styles (incl. Audio)... and much, much more. And of course, you’ll have 76 keys to play with - great if you like using a 3-way split keyboard occasionally. All in all, if you’re like me, you won't regret it!
Oh, and before I wind all this up, I'd just like to say that I am extremely finicky (to the point of being OCD, so my wife says!) with my keyboards! Therefore, being naturally a little concerned when exchanging my T4 for the (unseen) T5/76, I made it clear to the staff at Bonners that I wanted a mint condition specimen... and that is exactly what I got from them! When it arrived, it was like pulling a brand new T5/76 out of the box, complete with its protective film on the screen. I thoroughly scrutinized it from all angles and could find nothing at all that would tell it apart from a brand new one... and all for less than a third of what I would have had to put on top of my T4 in exchange for a Genos! So a huge thanks to all the people at Bonners!
Will