Spider76

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. (S. Beckett)

Thanks for the many answers, lots of things to think about. I'm also going through the manuals and the humongous topics here on KC, sooner or later I'll sort it out!

Partially answering myself, I found a nice comparison by Anotherscott (thanks Scott!) on the CK thread. It's over a year old so I don't know if some things have been updated in the meantime (either in the CK or YC) Here's some of the things the CK has that the YC does not: ... pipe organs ... the Acetone and Yamaha Combo organ models from the Reface YC ... the ability to combine any three sounds (on the YC, one of the three sounds must be an organ) ... ability to save master EQ to a Live Set ... more CFX piano variations ... more sounds overall ... battery operation ... speakers ... effects for the audio input ... audio playback from USB stick ... bluetooth audio in ... {ETA} 2 split points for the internal sounds, instead of 1 (so each of the 3 sounds can have entirely different key ranges) And here are some of the things the YC has that the CK does not: ... the better tonewheel organ emulation (instead of the one from the Reface) ... presumably the better rotary effect as well, and definitely a much more adjustable one ... more different piano models (C7, Nashville C3) ... way more different Rhodes models ... metal build ... internal power supply ... endless encoders with LEDs so controls indicate (and are immediately properly adjustable from) their current positions ... higher quality actions ... FM sound generation for the FM sounds, plus ability to create your own "FM organ" synth sounds ... a 73-key version ... balanced outs (on 73 and 88) ... full travel drawbars, with multi-manual LED indicators ... 4 amp simulations (in addition to rotary) ... generally more effects capability (i.e. a third insert effect that can be added to the main pair on the non-organ sounds) (...) As a general performance board, there's a lot to like about the CK. The YC is definitely stronger for organ and Rhodes, and comes in a more premium package.

Thank you for your answers! My main use is in a cover band where I need a little bit of everything. I do use quite a bit of organ, but almost always in a background role so I don't need the ultimate quality and realism. Yes, I agree that the CP wouldn't be ideal because it's more piano-centric and in many ways more limited than the other two series. My main curiosity was about the YC/CK comparison, because they really look almost the same by a quick look at the control panel. Is the CK really a "YC Lite"? Or are there more substantial differences besides the cheaper plastic build and slightly different panel layout? Has anybody played both? (quick question before I start going through the manuals: can any of those models load custom samples?)

My venerable Nord Stage 2EX is still going strong, but it's not getting any younger and I'm starting to feel a bit nervous, because all my live activity depends on it and after selling off a few things, I don't currently have a real backup board if anything happens. So I'm starting to evaluate options. The Stage 4 is out of the question because its price is crazy, especially for a second board. The NS3 is a good option that would give me substantial improvements, but still comes with a hefty price tag even on the used market. The more logical choice would probably be to get a duplicate NS2EX: I already know it inside out, I could transfer all my programs and sounds and be ready to go without any learning curve. And they start to be relatively cheap (as far as Nords go). Downside: I'd be getting an instrument as old as my current one, with all the associated concerns. So, looking for more modern choices that wouldn't require me to sell a kidney, the recent Yamahas are obvious contenders. But I admit that I didn't follow closely all their news and updates, so I'm a bit lost between the YC, CP and CK series. Of course the YC is the top product, the CP the mid-level option and the CK the entry-level board. But apart from the differences in panel controls, I have a hard time figuring out exactly what one series has or lacks compared to the others. Taking into consideration my user case (live use, no sequences or extremely complex sounds, need for good pianos organs and synths with decent real-time controls), how do they compare with the Nord Stages or Electros?

Yes he's surely more popular in EU, while this forum is more US-centric. Anyway I love Chris Rea, he was clearly influenced by Clapton and Knopfler but is his own thing, and had a string of pretty huge hits. He had a knack for catchy guitar riffs that bridge blues and pop. Auberge, On the Beach, I Can Hear Your Heartbeat, Stainsby Girls, Josephine, Let's Dance (not the Bowie song), Julia... lots of really nice songs. I love the long version of On the Beach which ends with a 2-minute long rhodes solo, quite unusual for the genre!

With my band we use the big (relatively speaking) brother CQ20B. It has more inputs and channels but lacks the screen, which for my use case it's actually a positive. We'll use a tablet anyway (and our phones for personal monitor mix), so why waste money and space on a screen that will never gat used? Absolutely amazing piece of gear. It's so tiny it looks like a toy, but punches far above its weight

Yes, sadly it's a matter of fact that most high-end pianos are not sold as instruments, but as furniture for millionaires in Beverly Hills and Dubai. Like most Ferraris and Lamborghinis are not bought to ever be driven, etc. From this perspective, I can understand the success of the Spirio system (which is perplexing to us from our musician's point of view). And I must say that it kinda makes me happy: it means that even if nobody will ever play them, those pianos will hopefully make some music, instead of being just left there as an expensive piece of interior design to show off.

They really REALLY couldn't make it uglier, didn't they? Hope that off-white with weird cuts in the wooden corners is just a prototype...

Exactly. The whole fuss of manufacturers to provide the best possible stereo samples is only a bonus for the player, to better recreate the experience of sitting at a real piano. But for the audience, it actually makes the sound worse.

Isn't that just a Korg C1 with a new piano sample and a fancier wooden case? I does look good though, it will make a nice piece of furniture in any living room.

Which inevitably leads us to...

Exactly. As usual in these kind of threads, in a few pages every keyboard ever produced will be mentioned, but the truly iconic ones are just a very selected few: the ones with a striking, distinctive look, seen everywhere onstage and in videos, and maybe even recognizable by non-keyboard players (though this last criteria is not really important). Microkorg surely is at the very top of the list together with Hammond, Rhodes, Vox, Minimoog, Prophet, Juno, Jupiter, Mellotron...and of course the most iconic of them all: a big black shiny grand piano (the brand is totally irrelevant, nobody knows of Steinways or Yamahas or Bosendorfers outside our small circle)

And maybe he is a devote user of Juno synths 🤭

Jupiter 8's or OB8's were standard stuff in LA?!? How many billionaire musicians were there at the time? 😯