Help deciding which arranger

atcfisherman · Post by **atcfisherman** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 1:49 am

This is my first post here. I've read a little, but I need to make a decision this week so here goes.

1st and foremost, I am a KORG guy. To me, they are the best keyboards bar none. However with that said, other manufactures make awesome keys too like Yamaha and Roland. I've even played a Kurzweil before but really didn't like the feel of the keys, but that was 15 years ago.

Anyway, the current keyboards I have are and use our classic rock band:

KORG Triton Le88
KORG X50
Yamaha SY85

I want to get the best arranger possible to add to my arsenal and I'm considering the KORG Pa3X 76 keys, the Yamaha Tyros4 and the Roland BK-9. My heart says the KORG Pa3X, but I want to make sure. So, with this information, here is the situation.

I was at Guitar Center this past Monday and saw they had a Yamaha Tyros4. I sat down to play it and was impressed. The only thing I don't like is its only 61 keys, which isn't a big deal but I prefer 76. I noticed the list price was $5299, but they had a weekend sale of $3499. I was so impressed that I put 1/2 the money down and the rest on lay away for a month.

Then I was on Craigslist and saw a Korg Pa3X 76 keys for sale for $3200 that was less than a year old. I called they guy and he said he was retired and wanted to try playing the keyboard, but decided this one was out of his league. I made a quick offer of $2500 and he took it. He has the receipt from zZounds too!

What should I do? I thought about selling a little more stock and getting both, but that would be close to $6000 spent. The Pa3X will not have a warranty. Should that be a concern?

Also, I can't find any place within 500 miles that has a KORG Pa3X that I can play, so I don't even know how they feel or sound live other than listening to YouTube, which they sound awesome there. I'm gonna make a decision by this weekend.

I appreciate any help you can give me.

BillyHank · Post by **BillyHank** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:14 am

atcfisherman,

Those are very good prices on both keyboards, but the Yamaha Tyros 4 replacement will be out the end of this month and you might want to see what that brings and the price may go even lower after that on the T4.

The Korg would likely be easier for you to get used to since you are already playing other Korg keyboards. It is also easier to use your own samples with the Korg and there are many sounds and styles available for the Korg where the T4 is pretty much limited to whatever Yamaha offers, although there are thousands of styles out there for the Yamaha keyboards.

If you can afford both, get them - I think you will be happy with them.

Bill G

atcfisherman · Post by **atcfisherman** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:28 am

Thanks for the reply Billy.

Should I be concerned about buying a slightly used Korg Pa3X 76 key that is less than a year old?

BillyHank · Post by **BillyHank** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:45 am

That is a hard one - depends on how it was used and where it was used.
For sure you want to try the Korg pa3X before buying, especially the one you plan to purchase.

At home by a none gigging owner - probably no problem at all.
Does it show any signs of wear or abuse?
Still that is a pretty fair price for a year old unit.

I'm new here, so I can't say what the reliability factor is for the Korg keyboards, but they seem to be very well designed and manufactured.

Bill G

atcfisherman · Post by **atcfisherman** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:48 am

OK, you make some good points. I hope to see it this Wednesday or Thursday. Based on the conversations with this guy, who is retired, I don't think it has ever left his house. He stated it was way over his league for this keyboard. If all this is true and it looks and plays new, then I'll probably get it. But not having a warranty at least the basic 1 year one is touchy for me.

Anyway, thanks for the replay and I'll keep it posted here as to what I do.

BillyHank · Post by **BillyHank** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:58 am

Good luck!

Bill G

keysman · Post by **keysman** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:59 am

If you use keyboards for live gigs there is no contest the Pa3X wins hands down

atcfisherman · Post by **atcfisherman** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 9:50 pm

Yes I will use it for live gigs with the band and stand along. My gut feeling says the KORG Pa3X 76 keys, but that's probably because I've been a KORG guy for years.

Anyway, I hope to play the used KORG Pa3x 76 keys in the next few days and then will make a decision. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks!

Post by **karmathanever** » Wed Oct 09, 2013 2:19 am

Hi atcfisherman

Firstly, welcome to Korg Forums

I seriously do not believe you will have any regrets with the PA3X-76.
As "keysman" says - there is NO contest.
Yes there are some who like Yamaha Tyros sounds etc but if you want a truly professional, performable arranger keyboard, then nothing else comes close.
I have owned Tyros and there is no way I could perform or record live with it mainly due to its limited access to basic functions and lack of control over some of its features.
I am Korg PA biased but only because it suits my needs perfectly.
If you want factual details of my opinions and experiences, I am happy to send them to you in a forum PM (private message) so just let me know.

All the best

Pete

(forum moderator and Korg addict!!)

atcfisherman · Post by **atcfisherman** » Wed Oct 09, 2013 5:47 pm

Thanks for the info Pete. TM actually going to play it this evening. Last night didn't work out. I'll keep you pasted and when I get one, ill probably PM with questions if I can't find them in a search or video.

PAPAPETE · Post by **PAPAPETE** » Thu Oct 10, 2013 3:39 am

Hi there atcfisherman

If you decide on the PA3X and are concerned about the warranty issue with the pre-owned one, you might want to get in touch with the guys at www.proaudiostar.com.

They sold me a new Pa3X 76 key last year for $2950.00 (Tax and shipping included). I ordered it on a Thursday and it arrived at my home the following Monday. BTW they are an authorized Korg dealer, so no worries there.

I do about three gigs a week at different venues here in the Keys. Mostly indoors but also some outside at the various Tiki bars in the area. The keyboard has performed flawlessly.

Hope this helps,

Papa Pete

atcfisherman · Post by **atcfisherman** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 2:47 am

Thanks for the replies. I picked it up last night. I'm disappointed wight the piano, electric piano and strings sounds. My 11 year old Triton Le88 piano, electric piano and strings sounds are way better. And I'm mostly a piano player or much of my music has piano as a foundation.

Can the Pa3x be down loaded with better Korg sounds? Please tell me so!!! If not, I might have to bite the bullet and get a new Korg Kronos X 88 key.

Sam CA · Post by **Sam CA** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 6:19 am

atcfisherman wrote:Thanks for the replies. I picked it up last night. I'm disappointed wight the piano, electric piano and strings sounds. My 11 year old Triton Le88 piano, electric piano and strings sounds are way better. And I'm mostly a piano player or much of my music has piano as a foundation.

Can the Pa3x be down loaded with better Korg sounds? Please tell me so!!! If not, I might have to bite the bullet and get a new Korg Kronos X 88 key.

The piano sound that you hear on your PA3x is the best factory piano sound you can find on any arranger keyboard that Korg has ever produced. If you compare it with the older models, you'll hear the difference. If you're a Piano guy primarily, this is definitely the wrong keyboard for you.

I'm sure there are Piano sounds developed for the PA series by 3rd parties.

Yes, Kronos sounds are way better but that is a different beast altogether. It's not fair to compare these two keyboards when it comes to sounds and combis.

BillyHank · Post by **BillyHank** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 1:35 pm

atcfisherman,

Sorry to "NOW" learn you are primarily a piano player as I would not have recommended either the T4 or the Pa3X for you.

Since you said you played the T4 demo in the store, i thought you already found the keyboard to be satisfactory for playing as well as the sounds because the Grand Piano is the default sound on both of these keyboards.

There are many options for modifying the sounds output by these keyboards and the most important one is the Master EQ settings.
You definitely need to work with these EQ settings for the speakers you are using and the room.

Best regards,

Bill G

atcfisherman · Post by **atcfisherman** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 2:00 pm

Again, thanks for the replies. I should have mentioned I'm more of a piano guy. But I'm gonna keep it and learn and try to develop better piano and string sounds.

As for the Tyros, I felt it had very good piano and strings sounds and being a KORG guy and hearing about how awesome the Pa3x was, I immediately thought it would be even better than the Tyros.

Maybe I need to reset the keyboard, but before I do anything else, I'm gonna order the manuals and watch many YouTube basics about the Pa3x. I'll keep y'all posted.

Thanks!