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This guy is using both hands. His technique is interesting but his video does a nice job demonstrating the instrument and his songs are pleasant as well. [video:youtube]

I'm sorry for your circumstances. Tough times indeed. Aside from Ebay, I'd suggest Reverb.com. For some items you can see price trends. I got this from a quick check on their site. S90 for sale Guitar Center's 'Used' site is indicative of the 'going rates' for gear too. Between these three you should be able to get a reasonable gut check price.

I think Adam Neely does a great job as an educator and a person that makes us think about music in different ways. I enjoyed this cover and the story explaining his process.. [video:youtube]

Montage 88 weighs 63# MODX 88 weighs 30# Kronos 88 weighs 53# Krome 88 weighs 32# Kurzweil Forte 88 50# Kurzweil PC4 88 28# Nautilus 88 weighs 50# I know we don't buy keyboards by the pound but cheaper boards are lighter, more plastic to keep the weight down. The weights I listed tell a story.

IMO 50# for the 88 says this is the Kronos replacement.

Yes, the sliders will help get you there. Regarding the brass programs, the PC4's addition of the Kore 64 brass sounds is an improvement. I think you'll find it's more about how you play/voice brass parts than whether it's Yamaha or Kurz.

Props to Reverb. Just sold my first listing there several weeks ago. Sold in three days. Some have complained about their percentage but I'm okay with it, think it's fair all things considered. Their site is good, some good tools to help with the listing and they walk you through the process. Easy. Go for it.

I'm sure the Korg is a fine instrument. I've got a Kurzweil Forte and love it but trying to stay objective. I've always said that I enjoy the Kurzweil more than any other keyboard I've owned when it comes to sitting down and playing it. The programs are so responsive to touch. The PC4 has the PC3 soundset with some others added in as well as FM, user flash memory and more polyphony. Impressive stuff. There are some gaps in the sound set (IMO), but it does AP, EP, organ, strings, synth stuff extremely well. E. guitars are impressive too. I'm sure you can make great music with the Korg and suspect it has a more robust sequencer but also believe the sound set and playing experience to be better on the Kurz.

Many thanks for both responses......seems Kurzweil found me. Very nice!!

Deep respect for Rick. A few of the boards probably have significant value but most are a pile of crap. What would you even do with most of those?? Nope.

I know there have been some older posts on this topic but wondering if anyone has cracked the code on loading PC4 programs on the Forte. I have the PC4 FM programs that are supposed to work 'as is', but when I attempted to load them, the screen on the Forte looked liked a view of a disk drive, with colored segments for sectors used for objects, programs, etc. I chickened out because it felt like I was going down a bad road. Yeah, I guess I can take a run at it and just reload everything if it goes bad, but trying to avoid that. Also interested in loading other PC4 sounds, knowing that some of them won't work. I don't like to program much, so getting other sounds on my sonic palette is very valuable. Greg

You are 100% good by me, my friend. No balls were harmed by your post! Your comment resonated with me as co-workers often come to me for help with sensitive or crucial written communication. I totally get it. Yes, I added those alternative titles but thought the last one would convey the spirit of levity that was intended by my post. Agreed. I think one reason I hold onto gear is that it is often so painful to find a buyer. That has changed in recent years. A few weeks ago I sold a Roland SC-88. It was sitting on one of my monitors, rarely used, and I thought it best to try to sell it rather than let it become totally worthless over time. I sold it in 2 days on Reverb (my first sale there) and pocketed $150. I think I paid around $900 for it in 1998, but for over 20 year old gear, I was ecstatic. Less clutter, a little cash. Simplify.

I getcha. Words do have meaning. Obviously my intention was regarding an 'investment' in my hobby, joy of playing and continuing to learn, playing in bands with others, etc., not to buy a keyboard to make money selling it. That would be tough for most people to do, aside from those like yourself that could buy an instrument that needs repair and fix it, then sell it for a profit. Some alternate titles for the thread could be; 'Keyboards are always a bad investment' 'Keyboards aren't always a bad purchase' 'Keyboards aren't always a bad expenditure' 'I didn't lose my a$$ when I sold my keyboard'

Contentment......that's different for everybody. I still have (and enjoy using) my Motif ES, purchased in 2003. It has a paltry 175MB of wave ROM. I know my way around the sequencer (shudder) extremely well. I still like many of the sounds. Fantastic keybed. It would still get the job done in many band settings. I just used it to create a smooth jazz composition and used brass, synth bass, synth comp and drums on it. It sounds great and not the least bit dated. I think the Kronos is a fantastic synth and would love to have one. So many nice features............that I haven't needed. I upgraded to the Forte because I thought it not a horrible idea to have a newer instrument with better sounds and better interface, and got it for a price I couldn't turn away from. The YC61 intrigues me as well. I have respect for many newer boards (Montage, MODX, PC4) as well as some of the pure synths out there. But I've learned to be content and long ago figured out that the best way to improve my music was by playing, learning and fully utilizing my current gear. The Motif ES has features I've never used, some I've rarely used, that are fascinating. Anybody that manufactures has to market their products to stay in business. I think that's great and it's a great time to play keys, so many choices. I've just learned to not be lured by the shiny new thing.

We all get caught up in GAS and have stories where we've made a bad purchase (didn't work as desired or described, bad choice, didn't really need, etc.). A fellow forum member posted about the high prices of workstations and I agree, they aren't cheap. I recently sold my Kurzweil PC3X (88 keys) and through the selling process discovered it's been a great investment. I purchased it in 2009. List price at the time was $3500. I purchased it (by buying smart) for $2600. 11 years later, I sold it for $900. (I know I could have gotten up to $300 more for it but wanted to help a fellow player.) Bottom line is that it cost me less than $13/month to own and enjoy Kurzweil's flagship keyboard (at that time) for 11 years. I've reaped so much joy playing that board at home, recorded music for my daughter's wedding, recorded other original music, played and played for hours upon hours, etc. I won't include all the money I've made teaching piano lessons using it. $13 per month. Wow, that's a cheap hobby investment and tool for continuous personal growth. Yes, the key to this is buying right and buying something that holds its value. Not every shiny new thing will do that. And yes, I bought a new keyboard, a Kurzweil Forte 88. And yes, I bought it right too.

Super glue does not work well for this type of repair. You need something that will fill the gap. Gorilla glue is a great choice, but again, clamp the repair for 24 hours for best result.

If that's the problem, I'd epoxy the plug part into the wall wart. I've had great luck using something like 'shoe goo' for a lot of repairs. Either way, I'd suggest clamping for 24 hours for the best result.

Is the problem that the plug part stays in the wall socket?

Whatever you do, go used. You'll easily hit sub-$3K and possibly the $1.5K mark. Lots of choices in that price range. I found a used Kurzweil Forte 88 for a friend for $2K. A stellar deal that would be hard to find, but deals are out there.

Bob L, None of my suggestions are gig-related, just following best practices for anyone venturing out in public. Social distance as much as possible. Wear a good mask at all times if possible. Gloves may or may not help. Frequent hand washing is best. Sanitizing lotions are second best. I'd put gloves further down the list as they create a false sense of security and can create other problems if not properly used, removed, etc. If people are singing around you, they place YOU at greater risk as singing creates smaller droplets that travel further and can more easily be inhaled. If you aren't reasonably certain that patrons will keep a safe distance you will be undertaking an additional risk. All of this is about diminishing risk as much as possible. I traveled to Florida a few weeks ago. I knew there was risk by flying and greater statistical risk just by being there (as compared to my home in Indiana). We took many precautions, only went to a few restaurants, made sure there was no crowd, socially distanced on the beach, etc. We made the trip safely, but there was risk. You are taking a risk but if you know what you're getting into, that's your call. Some things in all of this are beyond our control, mostly what other people are doing.

here's what I used from Amazon. Nearly the same size as Synmike's. Project Box Klonk

Funny, I have the same project box (got five on Amazon for $10). Haven't built mine yet, but was going to use a mini SPDT toggle (something I already had and quiet). I like your switch better. Might start with what I have, but boy, yours looks nice. Assume you've velcro'd it on.

That was going to be my suggestion...not that I'm an expert in building materials However, I'm going to make some concrete dumbbells and my intention is to use this more rigid pvc as the handles between the two cast wheels/squares of concreate (with some screws through the pvc to keep it from slipping out of the concrete)...should be interesting, with my level of handiness I'll probably cast my hand into the dumbbells.... Looks like you can make a nice pair of 25# dumbbells for $10. KLONK

Consider using schedule 80 (gray) as it has a thicker wall.

David, Thank you for that offer. I'm fairly certain nothing is broken, just loose. The "Paul Harvey rest of the story" is I was in Florida visiting my daughter and son-in-law. They were in the midst of moving (to a newly purchased home) and they were going to throw the board away! I thought I'd fix easily fix it. I was pretty frustrated just getting it opened up. I also disconnected the two ribbon cables that run from the keybed to the PC board and kind of lost my mind when I saw there wasn't a connector on the end of the ribbon cables. (You're probably laughing at me right now, but that's ok.) Fatigue, poor lighting, poor work surface and doing all this at 11 at night was a recipe for failure. The focus changed the next day to helping them move. After some rest and reconsidering how to get back into it, I told them to bring it next time they drive to visit us. It may be a while, but I'll be back in it when they do. Thank you again for always being helpful. I appreciate it. Greg