Recent Posts

81

PSR-SX900/SX700/SX600 / Re: Should I consider a used SX700?

« Last post by Divemaster on April 23, 2024, 07:10:22 AM »

Buying second hand is always some risk. But if the keyboard is after 2 years still boxed with all accessories, his owner probably cared well for it. Check visually for any kind of wear (scratches and so) to see if „handful of times using“ was at his home or on the beach. This is just about the owner and his seriousness. But in any case this SX700 may be in good condition - even regardless of some scratches.

Lacko

I agree entirely...... The final decision is Andys.

Of course, condition is key, and I would certainly want to both examine it and play it before parting with any money. And I'd also NEVER trust a courier service to deliver a keyboard. Go and collect it!
But let's be realistic guys.
People DO sell keyboards, and for all sorts of reasons.
Maybe the seller bought it, and just can't play it, so has given up,, probably accounts for half of musical instruments generally, in which case it will probably have had very little use at all.

There's always people who buy stuff and then wish they hadn't, so just want to try and get some of their money back. Nothing wrong with that. We've all done it. I bought an E473 a while back... Really just couldn't get on with it. So back in the box and sold on It was just like new.

If it needs repairs , you don't buy it... Simple.
But why would it if it's been well looked after?
It's HIGHLY unlikely anyone would gig with an SX700. There are much more powerful keyboards.

Most of us, I'm sure, look after our keyboards. We don't pound, bash or hammer away at them. We play them quite normally to make music.

Just use common sense. Like you would with everything in life.

Keith.

82

PSR-SX900/SX700/SX600 / Re: Should I consider a used SX700?

« Last post by Andyfr on April 23, 2024, 06:40:28 AM »

If it's still available I will do as it's not far from where I live. I'm away on holiday until the weekend so I'll get in touch when I get back.

83

Genos2 / Genos2 Media Library

« Last post by overover on April 22, 2024, 10:58:06 PM »

Hi all,

Here is a link to the "Genos2 Media Library" on the Yamaha website. There you will find, among other things, many videos about the new features of Genos2:
>>> https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/contents/keyboards/arranger_workstations/genos2/movies.html


Have fun!

Best regards,
Chris

84

PSR-SX900/SX700/SX600 / Re: A-5000 features in SX-900 ??

« Last post by kamranwasti on April 22, 2024, 10:39:19 PM »

Er... you know a used Genos is going for about the same price as a new sx900?

Mark

Its size is an issue for me as well but I'll look for it.

85

PSR-SX900/SX700/SX600 / Re: Thinking of going from SX900 to Korg PA5X

« Last post by Dnj on April 22, 2024, 10:02:26 PM »

Dnj, with respect, I just don't understand this.  The OP says his keyboard is just over 3 years old.  He reports that the keybed is rattly, and the buttons aren't reliable.  Certainly, the keybed on the SX series has a poor reputation.  Why buy a newer model of the same keyboard with such a short lifespan?  Loyalty is an admirable quality, but I expect much more from a product that costs $2,400 U.S.

The problems stated never happened to me as a pro player gigging almost seven days a week using
Yamaha arrangers including the SX900 and so many more. I have also used every other brand available but always returned to Yamaha for many many reasons over the others. Everyone plays differently.... personally I use a light touch & never had any problems for years on end...then again I have friends who BANG the keys as if they are playing a piano and pounding the buttons also which would lead to problems... if this is the case I would recommend spending a bit more on a TOTL unit Genos, Ketron, Pa5x etc that could possibly withstand the harsh treatment while playing.. That said we still have no clue what will be with the next MOTL units from Yamaha changes in keybed, buttons, design, etc, could be in the works we will have to just wait and see...... enjoy what you play.

86

PSR-SX900/SX700/SX600 / Re: Should I consider a used SX700?

« Last post by KurtAgain on April 22, 2024, 09:40:58 PM »

There is a 2 year old SX700 for sale, he says it has only been used a handful of times and is in perfect condition, boxed with all accessories. As it is over 400 pounds cheaper than a new one it's very tempting. Is it worth the risk?

Isn't it a little too tempting? Can you see and check it before you buy?

87

PSR-SX900/SX700/SX600 / Re: A-5000 features in SX-900 ??

« Last post by Amwilburn on April 22, 2024, 08:00:20 PM »

Absolutely marvellous!

Thank you!

So A5000 is out. For me, depending on my budget, it would be either S975 or T5 or SX900

Genos will always be out of range for a few years... so I cannot bother with that

Er... you know a used Genos is going for about the same price as a new sx900?

Mark

88

PSR-SX900/SX700/SX600 / Re: A-5000 features in SX-900 ??

« Last post by kamranwasti on April 22, 2024, 07:50:47 PM »

As I've already stated, the A5000 is actually based on the sx600 chip, but with a *ton* of exclusive Middle eastern content. So that means there's even stuff from the s970/sx700 you'll be missing (the Boys Choir Oohs and Aas, the Real Strings/Seattle Strings (those are the same patch with different names) are all missing on the A5000. And no, Yamaha doesn't offer YEM downloads of keyboard preset sounds, nor will they ever, as that would defeat the purpose of having different keyboards. At least, to *Yamaha*, that would defeat the purpose. Korg? Uses the same sound library for each generation. PA4x, PA1000, PA700 all have the same sound library, which ironically means PA700or and PA4Xor both have the bigger sound libraries!

If you absolutely have to have the portamento features, get the A5000. But the piano, strings, choirs, brass, guitars and drums are all significantly behind the sx900's. The only things they share in common is the 1012 mb of sample expansion area and the plastic casing & screen. The speakers sound *significantly* less punchy as well.

If you' don't need ME sounds, though, even the s970/sx700 are improvements on the A5000. So you will be downgrading both sounds and speaker quality for the portamento

Why not save up for a G2, which *does* have the portamento features? (Fast playing, velocity portamento, etc)? If that's simply not in the budget, then wait for the actual upgrade (sx710/sx910 or whatever they'll call it). I assume they'll be here by the 3rd or 4th quarter 2025.

It's been 5 years, no they're not adding new features to the sx700/sx900 (nor did they ever say they were. Other than the G1, all OS updates have merely been bug fixes).

If you are looking at sounds, and *not* ME sounds, the A5000 is a downgrade from the s970.
s975 and s970 are the same keyboard, but with half bar fill, and more expansion, including the Middle Eastern "Oriental Pack" sounds already installed as preset sounds.

T5 the ppf expansions don't even all work on the T5 (for some reason, none of the Indian sounds transfer other than the drums; there's more incompatibilities but that's the one I remember off the top of my head.)

And as you can see from my quote in 2021, I still stand by what I said: G2 would've normally been announced before the end of 2021, but I didn't expect it until at least 2023 (and that's what happened). And I still don't expect an actual upgrade PSRsx series until at least 18 months aftert the G2, so maybe in another year to year and a half. However, that doesn't stop them from releasing a repackaged PSRsx900 (let's say a PSRsx905) in the same way they repackaged the s970 to the s975, the PSR2000 to the PSR2100. If they do a repackage, you can almost guarantee the actually *new* version will be about 18 months after that. PSRs975 launched April 2018, sx900 Oct 2019.

Please, please try the A5000 at the store and bring your s970 in for comparison. Other than the ME sounds and the touch screen, the s970 actually blows away the A5000 because it's for a different purpose. THe s970 sound library is in the sx700, and that's one of the reasons the sx700 is so popular.

Incidentally, going to an sx700 from an s970 isn't a full upgrade - you lose vocal harmony, punchier speakers, audio styles, and go from 512mb sample are to 400mb, of which almost half is already occupied by factory installed preloaded expansion, so you'd need to delete that first; and the s970 has 125mb so of installable Audio styles, sx700 has 0.

On the other hand, you go from 2 right layers to 3 (very important for orchestral /Big band) and the slick new touch screen interface.

Mark

Absolutely marvellous!

Thank you!

So A5000 is out. For me, depending on my budget, it would be either S975 or T5 or SX900

Genos will always be out of range for a few years... so I cannot bother with that

89

PSR-SX900/SX700/SX600 / Re: Should I consider a used SX700?

« Last post by Amwilburn on April 22, 2024, 07:37:56 PM »

I'd actually recommend you phone around just to see what repair costs are to see if the saving is worth the lack of warranty;

20-25 years ago, replacing the key sensors on a clavinova or psr was in the $50 ballpark for labour, regardless of brand.

Without pointing fingers at specific brands, depending on the difficulty of "getting inside" to the rubber double or triple sensors? I've seen labour anywhere from $150 to $1500. No that's not a typo; some brands labour has gone up approximately 30x. (the parts have gone up as well, but some have barely gone up in price, some parts have skyrocketed) Your local situation is going to be different unless you live in Vancouver, but I'd find the closest local repair shop and call them for ballpark repairs.

What can go wrong? Snapping the adapter input (which is soldered in) which actually shatters the pcb is expensive (20 years ago was about a $250 repair including labour and parts, last one I saw was $750), motherboard dying (P&L used to be about $900, now closer to $1500, which is almost the cost of a PSRsx700), blown speakers (<$100 20 years ago, but now still only about $150), dead screen ($500 20 years ago, about $900 now)

Again, that's Vancouver. 20 years ago you could purchase a house for about $350k, now you'd pay that much for a parking spot. Average house in Vancouver was $1.5m in 2023 (down from the peak of 1.75m in 2016 & 2017). IN 2003 average price of a house was just under $400k.

That's if you only include Vancouver, Vancouver in your calculations. Once you include all the regions of the Greater Vancouver regional district (incl Richmond where I live) the increase staggering: 2003 average price across GVRD was $90k for a home (ie condo, townhouse, house). In 2023 that'it's now over $1.2m (yes that's including suburbs now), and average price of a *house* across GVRD is now $2m. (yes the districts outlying Vancouver have gone up even more than Vancouver itself).


The point? Non warranty repair costs have skyrocketed here, but then so has everything else.
Find out if the amount you're saving is worth the lack of warranty.

Yes Yamaha has the best warranties in the business. But all brands, all instruments, can fail (and from decades of personal experience, some specific instrument models fail more often than others, but nobody is immune).

Mark

90

PSR-SX900/SX700/SX600 / Re: Single Button Save Please

« Last post by Amwilburn on April 22, 2024, 07:12:14 PM »

It’s really frustrating. I’m still having issues trying to work out what type of file save holds what type of information.
I’ve read these web pages
http://www.jososoft.dk/yamaha/articles/software_12.htm
https://psrtutorial.com/lessons/playing/files/10filesystem.html
They explain what they do but not what they store

And YAMAHA if your listening, which I doubt, I Want a single save button called SAVE ENTIRE STATE

Whatever my midi, keyboard, registration style, utilities, pedals, AND EVERYTHING else. . Just one button that saves everything. I’m a musician NOT a computer programmer.
Please.
One of the things I find really difficult is finding the correct instruments, Left, Right1,Right2,Right 3. Holding them and then go looking for a style WITHOUT changing my voices.

As already stated above by Fred &  Drake, RIght1,2,3 do *not* change when you change the style unless you turned on OTS. So they've already solved your issue. And Lacko is correct, if you are using registratios, you can freeze whatever you want not to change.

But furthermore, in the PSR9000 and before? registrations (which I doubt you're dabbling in yet, if you're still using OTS for styles) *used* to be instant save with no "Yes /NO" to confirm.

It was *awful*. So many times customers would try to modify or save a registration, forgetting to *load* it first and instantly erase their old one. Hence why the 2 step registration saves now. It solved *so* many problems.

Mark