Yamaha DGX-500

I moved into an apartment in Austin, TX from a house in Louisiana. I couldn't bring my baby grand with me, so the search began to find a reasonably priced keyboard with good samples and features. I got it home from the music store at about 3pm on a Friday. By Sunday, I had the keyboard doing every trick in the book, and I didn't even read the book!

The MIDI feature works like a champ... I use it with Reason, Audition, and Sonar. The 88 touch sensitive keys are very responsive, though not weighted (which is not a big deal). The onboard sequencer is not very friendly for large projects, but does work quite well for it's design. But, with the studio software that I use, that too isn't an issue. The DGX-500 does have a floppy to store completed works on, but again, I don't use the feature.

When I was at the music store playing on different keyboards, trying to decide which one to buy, I stopped in my tracks when I laid my hands on the DGX-500. The instrument samples are so close to the real thing, that people are amazed to find out that I do all of my studio work with this keyboard. The salesman at the music store was trying to convince me that the piano sounds weren't as true as a Roland that he had on display for $2,600 (with only 61 keys). After playing on both keyboards for over an hour, there was no contest to which one had the best sounding piano voice. The instruments on the DGX-500 keyboard do sound a bit dull through the onboard speakers, as some others have complained, but when wired into a mixer through a recording setup, it is very true sounding with no artifacting whatsoever.

I'm going on year 4 of playing it daily without a single problem. I would definitely use this keyboard without a backup - it's the only keyboard I own!

Never had to deal with customer support on this unit.

If my Yamaha DGX-500 were stolen, I'd be lost. I would buy another in a heartbeat. I've been playing piano and recording sequences for over 10 years, and have not worked with another keyboard that sounds this good, for any price... and yes, it is worth far more than I paid.

i use sonar software but the keyboard its self is so much easier to use then any other out there. this is my second keyboard so far and it took me atleast 2 months to figure out everything i neaded on that. but on th eother hand this yamaha i got last 3 or 4 years ago is still like brand new and no problems yet. i figured everything out about it in probably 2 to 4 days.

this keyboard has alot of effects on it already yes. it has a in and out midi and a headphone insert, and a flopy disk built in it. it is perfect for recording on a computer. the sequence on this is so flexible that it amazed me by a long shot.

i really dont know about the speakers it has because all my stuff is ran threw the computer and a mixing board which i do not use for the keyboard. so i cant answer that one folks sorry. the insturments sound so realistic that it tricked my friends when i shoed them my recordings. they asked me who is your drumer.lol. the distortioned guitar sounds ok but not the best.

hey if i have had it for over 4 years now and not a single problem. i can prety much depend on it. and i have used this keyboard on many of gigs without a back up.

i really did not like the costomer support because when i bought it when it first came out i ordered the first one ever sold in okinawa japan and it took them 6 weeks to send me my stands.

if it got stolen most like i would either buy the same one because its cheaper now. and i love it . i own a $20,000 recording studio and it is perfect for the recording. i have 6 guitars. a pearl drumset, a ibenz bass guitar, the keyboard of couse, a nother keyboard which is a Korg Triton Extreme 61 Keyboard, 4 alesis studio speakers, 5 mixers, 2 amplifiers, a computer with a sony flat screen, a laptop, sonar and cakewalk projects software, and alot of expensive cords.

This was really user friendly. And I never really read the maual because I didn't need to. I sort of just figured everything out on my own, it was that easy!!!

I love all the built in sounds, they work great. I also like that it has touch sensitive keys. Great for playing.

Since i love classical music and this keyboard has a whole list of them to pick from , I'm really enjoying it. It's also nice because I am finally taking piano lessons and the touch sensitive keys are great for that. But I have to admit, it doesn't exactly have that classical piano sound to it, it's just a bit muffled. But still great for playing on.

I could definitely use it on a gig withouot backup. Extremely dependable, I LOVE IT!!!

I haven't exactly dealt with the company so I really don't know how they are.

My parents had to give away my upright when we moved, so they got a Yamaha DGX 500 Portable Grand for me the following Christmas, and I was a little disappointed b/c I had wanted another piano, but less than 2 monthes later I was already memorizing songs and I love it! I would definitely beg my parents to buy another if this was stolen.

This keyboard is GREAT!!!!!!! It's is my first keyboard,I decided that I wanted to learn to play the piano. I did some research and found that this keyboard was user friendly and ideal for beginners just learning to play.

It's loaded with features. I've got my keyboard for christmas 2003 and I still have not used all of the features. I like the different styles and voices. It has a cool metronome or you can use the styles function for it seems like hundreds of different rythums and beats

When I first heard it I was amazed at the sound. I thought that since the keyboard was so affordable it wouldn't have a good sound. BOY WAS I WRONG!!!!!! It has great sound, it sounds like a real baby grand piano. I was very impressed.

This keyboard seems to be very well put together. Yamaha has been around for a long time, that was another deciding factor for me to consider when I purchased my keyboard. I wouldn't hesitate to use it outside of my home.

I have not had the need to contact customer support, so I can't say how efficient they are. I would think that as long as they have been in business support should be great.

If it were lost or stolen I'd get the new version of this model. This keyboard has made my childhood dream of playing the piano into a reality. The only thing that I can think of that could use some improvement would be the manuel. The section on recording is not as clear as the rest of the manuel

I think the piano sounds sound extremely muffled. I'm really disappointed since that is where I spend most of my time. After reading the other reviews, I'm wondering if I missed something.

It's probably reliable. Although I was very disappointed in a previous Yamaha I had that also had a disk drive. After one year, it broke and Yamaha had alread made the part obsolete--couldn't be ordered.

If it were lost or stolen, I'd probably look for something with a better piano sound.

this keyboard rocks, i had an older yamaha, but this by far exceeds there expectations. For the price I paid I dont think i could get a better keyboard. Its definatly one that I will hold on to.

it has a nice 32 polyphony, which is very good, seeing as how most people with keyboards cant play the 32 notes to begin with. The midi is also very easy to use with access with only one touch of a botton.

most of the sounds are very good. The live concert grand is the best piano sound i have ever heard. It is better than most korg piano sounds, and thats because Yamaha makes some of the best Pianos.

It is very reliable. I could take this baby anywhere. It is biult very well, and it looks like you paid three grand for it. I will be holding on to this one for a long time.

i have not yet dealt with customer service. but I do know from past experience, that they have great customer service.

i love this keyboard. i recomend it for anyone. especially for beginners, who are intimidated by large keyboards. So buy this one!!!!

Wow, this keyboard is sweet! It is very easy to use. You could bring this to a gig and call up any voice u want very quickly. It has a Regestration memory bank so u can program sounds into those for quick voice setup. The manual is very easy to read and has a voice data list in it.

This is where the keyboard shines. The polyphony is 32 (that is plenty) and the keyboard action is beautiful. It is semi-weighted and has a great feel. The keys do have the "bounce back" action like a piano has.The effects are very nice. The keys are velocity sensitive with inital and aftertouch.

This is another place where the keyboard really shines. The sounds on this keyboard are incredible! The pianos are awesome with every little nuance.They are super realistic. It sounds like a Yamaha grand. The organs, synths, strings,etc are all beatiful and realistic. This would go well with any type of music. It reacts super well to the touch. Great Sound.

You can depend on this keyboard. I would definatly use this keyboard on a gig without backup. You can depend on this, unlike kurzweil keyboards.

I have never had to deal with Customer support. They have a great site though, if you ever need specifications and online manuals.

If this was stolen, i would definatly go buy another one of these. It is worth every cent i paid. I have been playing for a while, and i used to play on a crappy casio ctk-518. Boy, that was a mistake. But now, with this beatiful yamaha, i can produce and play anything i want. This is a great keyboard to use on gigs or with a band. It is a great studio or music room keyboard too. The piano sounds and other sounds are just incredible. Great Job, yamaha!

The presets for the standard instruments are very nice. Some of the XGLite sounds are a bit weak but might be useful in a mix, and not "up front." The Piano, Sax and Flute sounds are real standouts, string pads are nice, the oboe and english horn are less than perfect and don't have the right level of bite to be identifiable.

Patch editing? I see other comments about editing patches...well there really isn't patch editing beyond editin reverb and DSP settings. Unfortunately these are done through Sys-ex and cannot be set on a per-channel basis when using an external sequencer. Oddly enough, the internal sequencer allows you to select these parameters for each track independently. One of these days I will see if I can hack the data to see how they are doing this.

The manual is good except for the MIDI parameter pages which took a bit of figuring out. This is probably not a problem as most users won't be messing around with this.

32 note polyphony (wish it were 64 but hey at this price...). The action feels nice even though it's unweighted and the responce and feel is even across all 88 keys. The floppy drive is a nice addition for archiving scratch pad songs and backing up my kids ramblings (my younger son has a PSR280, which is not easy to backup from the sequencer) as well as playing MIDI songs from floppy.

One of the nicest features is the MIDI local on/off. This is the greatest, since I created an OMS names file and can select names directly from within Vision when I'm sequencing. Without this feature I would have voice doubling and burn through the polyphony.

The onboard sequencer is basic without quantization or section editing (unlike my old ESQ-1). It's good for a scratch pad and is probably OK for folks using the nice auto-accompaniement/styles features. The coolest feature about it is that it will record most user functions of the keyboard while playing. This includes using the Dual button and changing patches mid-stream.

This keyboard could definitely use a mod wheel, but the inclusion of at least a pitch bend wheel closed the deal for me.

As mentioned above many of the basic acoustic sounds are great, including the pianos, fllutes, sax, clarinets, bassoon, horns, etc. The guitars are also very nice, including the nylon and steel 6 strings and the 12-string. The sound FX patches and some of the XGLite patches are pretty weak. The SFX especially have noticeable loop points and lack variety across the keyboard which really limits their usability. It could also include a better, more accurate Rhodes and/or Wurly sound instead of the DX based e-pianos that abound.

The sound set would work well for most jazz and "classical" styles, probably ok for rock, but doesn't seem biting enough for dance or variable enough for techno. The effects work well with the sound selection: it would be nice to be able to have these as channel parameters for outboard sequencing. They seem clean enough with a fairly natural drop off for the reverbs et al. It would also be nice to sync the delay effects to a clock signal, but that's life.

Seems to be working fine so far...

I've talked with their CS folks twice. They seem fine but not necessarily informed of detailed issues. My questions were really about outboard sequencing and the use of channel messages which they didn't seem all that prepared to answer. They're probably spot-on when talking about general issues.

This is definitely worth what I paid for it, especially since I bought it at Costco and got the power supply and matching piano bench as well as the sustain pedal. If it was stolen or otherwise rendered unusable (except because of internal failure), I would definitely try to replace it with another.

Since it lives in my living room it also needed to meet with my wife's decorating approval. This keyboard definitely looks nice on the built-in stand with the matching bench. The kids enjoy playing and I can get a musical quick fix without having to fire up my studio.

I've been playing on and off for about 25 years but have not had much opportunity to play in the evenings on our studio upright after the kids have gone to bed. With the DGX-500 I find that I'm playing more regularly. I have a studio with a number of (now) vintage keyboard and rack mounted synths but it's great to have something that sounds good and is not isolated from the family environment.

The only real downside is that I don't think the amplifier/speaker system is loud enough. Another poster mentioned this as well, and I can can verify that at the 80-90% position there is definitely an audible hiss from the sound system.

I did check out the new Casio 3x00 series which sounds great (really nice amplification), has good Rhodes and Hammond sounds, but was not as good in either overall aesthetics or user interface.

I really enjoy playing this keyboard (although it can never replace my beloved ESQ-1) especially since I can enjoy within plain sight of the rest of my houshold. It's the only keyboard in its price range that looks good as furniture but also has great sound and playability. Even if you can't find it at Costco, it's still a great value.

Man, this keyboard is the bomb! The presets are excellent. The "Live! Grand Piano" sound is superb! It sound exactly like a yamaha acoustic grand piano. The manual is easy to understand. The buttons are well marked.

This is where the keyboard shines. The polyphony is 32 and the keyboard action is excellent! The keys are semi-weighted. They feel great. The action is also excellent. It has plenty of built in effects. Yes, it is a MIDI keyboard so you can access a whole bunch of programs on the computer.

All of the sounds on this board are great!!!! They are so realistic. The pianos are excellent. As a classical pianist, they are exactly like the real thing. All the other sounds are great! This keyboard is very responsive. It feels great when your playing it. It has great velocity and aftertouch.

You can definatly depend on this keyboard.

Never had to deal with yamaha. Im sure there great. I do know. however, that they are very friendly and helpful.

If this was stolen, i would buy another right away. Ths keyboard is excellent. It shows what yamaha can do and how good there instruments are. All the other brands(Casio, Roland, Kurzweil!!!, etc.)try to get a great sounding piano but they cant. Yamaha can and the dgx-500 shows they can. If you want a great sounding keyboard with awsome features and a superb action, the yamaha dgx-500 is the one to buy!

I own DGX-300, 76-key version of this synth. Preset sounds are very good. What is bad, there's no way to edit patches from the keyboard - to set ADSR or effects parameters you need a PC. Manual is good, but IMHO, this synthesizer is so easy to use, you dont need manual at all!

Polyphony is 32 (64 would be better), keyboard action is excellent. Effects are just basic, I dont like them. This synth has no expansion capabilities, and MIDI functions are basic. On-board sequencer is pretty and easy-to-use, although without quantization.

Grand Piano sound is excellent! Electro pianos, organs and vibes are very good. Synths sounds are not so, and there's no portamento on DGX-300/500. This instrument is smart for jazz, rock or latin playing.

I think DGX-300 is the best keyboards for this price. My friend asked me to exchange this keyboars on more expansive Roland EM-55... I refused! I use my DGX with a PC, Yamaha DS-XG and Yamaha SW-60XG sound cards.

As always some idiot who has more pride than knowledge post something to try and sway you away from the truth. The sounds are excellent for this type of keyboard in this range. Editing patches is limited but still easy to do with ehat you have.

Poly is 32 and you shouldn't need more. If you do you need to go to a pro style synth. It does have the basic effects and you can have fun with them and really change your sounds and the get the creative juices flowing. It has basic midi functions and a six track seqeuncer. Remeber this board is not designed for pros although some of the sounds do have a professional sound to them.

The accoustic sound quality is untouchable at this price range. Just agreat job. The strings, basses, drums and other things are pretty good too. It has great action and feel but it is not have hammer graded action. So no true paino feel, but for soft keys its much better than some of the top synths out there.

It's built kinda cheap but so far no problems

They've been good to me and easy to work with.

I would get this again if it were lost or stolen becuase its supreme value for the price. It's better than anything in its price range and good for multiple types of users. While its not a pro board it wil work great live, when using an external sound source and will do the job for recordings as it has many useable sounds. All in all a great board fo those not looking for the pro stuff.

I own a DGX 300 which is basically the 76 keys portable version of the DGX 500.
I bought it for playing in bars and restaurant. It's really light for a 76 keys keyboard with speakers.
All I can say is that it looks good, does the job amazingly well and makes both owners and customers happy :)
It's quite easy to use, reads XG and GM Midi disk pretty well, and the speakers are fine for a 40 peoples room.
Some of the function takes a few extra steps that are sometimes anoying in a live setup, like changing the balance between the acompagnment and the solo piano, for ex.

Polyphony is correct for Piano solo or piano and an light MIDI accompagnment.
Like I say the MIDI player works fine - as long as the MIDI sequence are well prepared of course.
Not a wide choice of style but enough to bring people to the dance floor, which is all I askingfor.
The only way to hhok the DGX 300 to an external amp is throught the headphone plug. The sound quality is still good but it cuts the speker off, which is too bad since I can't use the speaker for monitoring my playing...
It came with a external power adapter, can use Yamaha or Roland foot pedal, has a small Midi notepad sequencer I haven't tried yet... and a handy music stand which doesn't move even when I play rock'n roll :)

Piano Drums, bass and organ are very good for jazz, which is what I play most of time. The other sounds are honnestly quite good, especially for the price.
I have my own arranging studio, with a fair amount of gear, and the DGX-300 sounds amazing well even agaisnt tmy main studio setup.
The effects are basic but, again quite good for live playing.
The keyboard is unweighted but the Keys are 'piano style". I found a touch setting that works for me. It's easy to change the touch setup for different sounds, even while playing live, which is great.

Have been using it using it for 4 months, caring it in "bag" in my car and haven't had any problem yet. Never had any problem with Yamaha gear though.
Like I say, I use it mainly for playing bars and restaurants, often for 5 hours in row, loading Midi files and having custommers banging on it sometimes and it seems sturdy enough for the job. :)
I'ts made out of plastic though, and wouldn't not stand well falling from the back of a pickup or having a bass pseaker crashing on it :)

Don't know... Their web sites are pretty good though.

If it would goet stolen, I would have to get another one. There's nothing like that for this price (new) on market today.
I've been working as a pro musicians for 25 years, and if I had this keyboard when I started in the 80 th, it would have been heaven !
At the moment iI own a MU100R, KORG WS, AN1X, AKAI VX-90S-2000 and other sofsynths, plus a QY700 and Yamaha Grand Touch electric Home Piano.
There isn't a lot of 76 keys portable keyboard with a with a good paino sound and a MIDI Player with nice GM-XG sounds.
I love Roland synth, but not their portable keyboard...
To be honnest, for the price, there isn't any competition for the DGX-300 today...

Ignore the previous, worthless, review - the writer must have been having a bad hair day. Presets are fantastic - best I've heard on a keyboard anywhere near this price level, including some of the best sax sounds I've heard on ANY keyboard. Limited editing facilities, but I do all this on the pc anyway. Manual is very comprehensive, but Yamaha could include a full listing of the Music Database contents (style, tempo, voicing, song name etc etc) & some of the songs represented are very obscure (had to do this myself - took six hours!)

32 note poly, keyboard very light but VERY responsive - makes you want to play it. Effects seem good, and lots of variation. No expansion, only a disk drive (which I haven't had any real problems having downloaded hundred of midi files from the web). Pressure sensitivity is VERY good and expressive. No aftertouch sadly, but you can't have everythign at this price. MIDI seems OK, sequencer is fairly easy to use.

Grand Piano is beautiful. Sax (067) and strings (049) are great too - most all the XG sounds are musical and very realistic. The demos show this keyboard can deal with almost any musical style, from classical to garage. Reacts very well top paying style and is very responsive. No aftertouch. There are some hidden features (some sounds used in the MDB have special effects added when in dual mode - ie vibes!).

No problems so far. I've owned loads of Yamaha gear and only one problem - I literally wore out a keyboard on a DX27! This would not last up to gig work (but I'd love to try it). The low power internal amp and speakers do not do the sounds justice. Try recording it and playing back through a decent hi fi - you will be amazed!

No recent dealings with Yamaha, but in the past I've found them to be 100%. They repaired my old PS6100 out of warranty without any charges whatsoever. Thos people that knock Yamaha should think why they have become such a large and diverse company.

I would replace it with the latest version. Its worth every penny of #469. I've been playing keyboards semi-pro for 20 years & own several other Yamaha keyboards + supporting gear. I love the sheer MUSICALITY of this instrument,the beautiful sound and the fact that it makes me really want to play it. There is nothing I don't like about it - I was thinking about buying a claivinova and I'm glad I didn't. The styling is a bit IKEA - not everyone's taste. Yamaha need to pay attention to the accessibility of preset sounds - the system of putting them in banks, only having two available for immediate use, is very restrictive. Tempo control needs to be on a rotatable knob - inputting tempo data is clumsy. Aftertouch would be great - I'd pay more to have it. These are minor niggles - go and buy one today, you won't be sorry!

It is impossible! No Yamaha software works with it and the cable they suggest to use doesnt either!
What a complete waste of money! And they dont even throw in an AC adapter! You have to buy it seperately!

Its is made of cheap components and has a problem with GM and its own XG files. You can expand it into your trash bin! The midi jacks are encased in cheap plastic. They broke the first day!
Nice 3 minute sequencer. All my songs are 4 minutes.

Sounds a little better than my Emanee portable, but I still think
its better than my cell phone.

I wouldnt try gigging with this without a Casio or 2.

They send you emails, but ask you for more specifics even though you explain your problems in detail.

I think I would beat on a tree if this were stolen, the police dont work well around here anyway. It makes a funny sort of midi noise like speed dialing the White House.

This is such an easy keyboard to use. I like most of the sounds. Some are very good and some are. The sampled piano sound is one of the main reasons I purchased this keyboard. You get over 600 sounds and the XG sounds which are a huge step up from the standard GM sounds. I can't believe Roland and Korg, (other keyboards I owned Korg Trinity and Roland XP80) have never been able to get a decent piano sound. My DGX 500 has a much better piano sound than both of those combined. Editing is very limited on the sounds but you have all the basics.

It has 32 polphony. I wish it had 64 but still at the price I shouldn't be complaining. Not many effects but if you really dive into this keyboard, you can do some interesting things. It has midi in, out and thru and you can play standard midi files through the sequencer. No expandability, but it does have a disk drive so you can download most PSR styles from the internet as well as midi files and XG files. This gives you almost limitless options and for an extremely reasonable price.

Great action for a non weighted keyboard and the piano and EP sounds are amazing for a keyboard like this. It has velocity and aftertouch and reacts as expected. Bottom line is this: If you are into dance music get a Korg, there sounds are better for that style. If you play jazz, latin, rock or require any sort of true instrument sound, especially a good piano, this keyboard is a great fit at a great price

Have never owned a Yamaha and since it's new I can't comment.

See above

I would replace this because it's so inexpensive and such a good value. It's a well rounded keyboard with many features that doesn't break the bank. I would say nothing comes close this keyboard for features and quality in this price range.

Excellent sounds, esp. the realistic "portable" Live! grand piano, sweet breathy tenor sax and flute, Cool! organ and DJ voices. The 135 Accomp.styles covers from traditional/classic standards to modern dance beats. These styles are well programmed with parts for Intro, Fill-in, Variation and Ending, but only limited to 1 each in a style.

Accessing all these are very quick and easy with own Registration Memory presets or the built-in 200+ MusicDataBase presets. Also with OneTouchSetting, every Style has a preset matching Voice #000.

32-poly from over 600 XG voices. Mains or Battery operated. Portable at just over 4.5 feet long and 30 lbs.

The 88-key Keyboard is light weighted with four touch velocity settings - Off (velocity = 80 constant), Soft touch(narrow loud range), Normal(wide range) and Hard touch(narrow low range). Normal Touch setting produce reactions that is either too loud or too soft, but maybe it is just me with my amateur fingers.

The floppy disk unit midi capability is limited to SMF format type 0 and not the type 1 which one usually download from the Internet, hence you have to convert all your midi files to type 0 before it can be played by DGX-500 keyboard.

On-board arranger is six-track 5 songs with 10,000 totals notes memory with savings to floppy diskettes. Only User songs can be created and saved. No Style file creation or editing.

MIDI terminals only basic IN/OUT, but no THRU as another reviewer incorrectly mentioned.

Built-in 6W+6W 2-way stereo speakers has enough loudness and bass punch for a medium room. However volume knob usually need to be at 70% - 90% levels for a meaningful playable volume even in a small quiet room. At lower volume, the mix balance can be poor. At 95% + level, only a very slight hiss noise can be heard if you place your ear next to the speakers.

Yamaha QUALITY should be very dependable in every area of music making.

None needed yet.

Overall the DGX-500 gives VERY GOOD value for money! Limitations mentioned above are trade-off to keep price low. Even Casio would find it very tough to compete with this quality Yamaha unit coming out from China.

The presets on this keyboard are very impressive. The instrument sounds are unmatched. I was shocked when I heard the sounds for the first time. The XG bank is very nice and lets you create some great sounding midi files. This keyboard is so easy to use. I have been able to figure most things out without referring to the manual. Manual is well written and logically outlined.

The action is super for a non weighted keyboard. I was surprised at that. The Polyphonyis 32 but with most sounds you couldn't tell the difference between that and top of the line synths. No expansion options, :( but with midi and floppy drive,you can add different styles fromthe PSR series and bring anything compatible into the keyboard, ie patches, songs, files ect. Has a song sequencer and works very well with computer sequencer interface.

All instrument sounds are incredible and very realistic. Flutes, Pads, strings and EP sounds are great. The piano sounds are to die for. The keyboard has all the bells and whistles, touch response, dual tones ect. This keyboard really reacts well to the touch. I prefer the action to many more expensive keyboards.

It's brand new but I assume it will last. I owned a DX 7 forever so I assume since it the same maker it will last at least as long.

They were laways good to me in the past. I have only had minimal interactions but never had a problem.

Originally I was looking at digital pianos and the Roland XP 30. Loved the price, it is an unmatched value. With all the possibilities and this has and the endless styles and things I could bring into it, it seemed stupid not ot get it. I didn't need a top of the line synth, ie Triton, Motiff or Kurzweil 2600, nor did I want to pay the price for one of them either. I feel like I got so much more than I would have with a digital piano and saved some major $. If you can't make music with this keybaord, you really need to consider whether or not you can call yourself a musician. Ironically with this keyboard, they even thought of that. If this was lost or stolen, I would replace it in a heartbeat. I play in church sometimes when the main guy isn't there. He uses a Roland XP 60. I can't tell you how many people came to me and told me how much better the music sounded. I played the same songs they always play and used a variety of different sounds. It has everything to do with the sounds. Especially the piano sounds!

version 1, the preset sounds are unbelievable, especially the piano, sax, winds, strings and flute sounds. haven't gotten into editing patches yet, to be honest no need at this point. Manual is easy to read, and well organized

I think the polyphony is 32. Action is very impressive for a non-weighted keys. Effects are basic and well layed out.. This machine has midi in, out and thru and a disk drive to load midi files, styles ect.

Instrument sounds are very realistic and the main reason I bought it. Tried so manyothers but in the end, I loved the sounds on this so much more. It is very reactive to my playing. The after touch and velocity react the way they should. I was very impressed at how expressive I can be on this keyboard.

I had a DX 7 for years and I believe in the Yamaha products. I have had problems with other equipment breaking down. Roland (three times), ensoniq, and quasmidi all gave me problems

I have never had any dealing with them. I have always gotten things through the net or just ordered directly. I don't know how to rate them and be fair.

Check out the DGX Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YamahaDGX/

I would replace this in a heartbeat. I love this mahcine for what it is. I didn't need a workstation and in my opinion this was the best value and bang for your buck out there. The instrument sounds are great. The guitar sounds are ok but I have yet to hear a keybaord with great guitar sounds. I also considered a Roland XP 30, Yamaha PSR 740, Korg i30 about 10 others that didn't make the final cut and some crappy casio thing because it was cheap. In the End this was the best way to go!!

The preset sounds are very goodand there are lots of them. The piano sounds are crisp and very realistic. Among the best I have heard. The strings, pads and winds are also very good. Wasn't to happy with the wierd type of sounds. Overall this keyboard is very easy to use and understand. Manual is very easy to use and very easy to read.

The polyphony is 32 but it sounds as good as many of the 64 note. Keyboard action is very very good for non weighted keys. Effects are limited, but you have the essential ones there. An arrpegiator would have been nice. It does have midi compatibility and a disk drive to upload styles, midi files ect. Not a true sequncer but decent for an arranger

This is where this keyboard shines. The sounds are very good for the most part and this keyboard is very responsive. It reacts very realistically to the touch and pedal. Only down side is the lack of more effects but you can't complain for the price.

Since this is a new keyboard it is hard to say. Generally Yamaha products are very reliable

I personally have not dealt with them. I have heard some bad things about their customer service, but again I have no personal experience.

I would definately buy this again if I lost it. I actually downsized having owned many workstations in the past. Although this is not a pro keyboard it is still an amazing keyboard for the price. I would recommend this keyboard to anyone not looking specifically for a pro keyboard. Anyone looking for a great keyboard on a budget, you should strongly consider this

This is a good board for a beginner of even someone who who
wants styles to play with. Editing is fairly easy and the manual is easy to use. Patch editing is more of an advanced issue but it is easy with
this board. This board is a great deal for the $. I have had many other top of the line synths on the past. This one ranks right up there in terms
of what you get for the $.

32 Polyphony. The action is good, 88 keys non weighted. Average effects, not much expansion options, does have midi compatabilities and
disk drive for floppies. This board comes with software that will play along and teach you how to play. don't mistake this feature for a cheap
feature as on other baords. This one is nice. It also comes with a stand, and sustain pedal included.

The piano sounds are incredible!! Ohter sounds are good, some better than others. Strings are good and drum kits are good. It reacts very
well to the touch and is touch sensitive.

Since I have a new one and this board has only been out a few months, I can't accurately rate it

See Above

If you want a great sounding keyboard, don't care about all the combi pre set sounds (ie Roland, Korg) but still has all the sounds you would
need, has 88 keys, awesome piano sounds, good action, easy to use, midi compatible w/ disk drive and is very reasonable priced for what you
get than I highly recommend this. i also very highly recommend this board if you are someone learning to play that wants lots of bells and
whistles. I have been playing for years and I got this because of the value and it ghas everything I need. Keep in mind this is not a pro board
but you could use it in a pro set up, especially for the piano sounds.