Buy PSR-SX700 or wait?

[Jcort154]

I have an old psr-s910 that has problems with multiple keys not sounding. It appears not to be a key problem as all the F# and G keys dont work except the highest ones. I called a local authorized yamaha service center and they couldnt promise me it could be fixed. So I looked at the current arrangers and I guess I would go for the SX700. But is it worth buying now or should I wait for the next models to come out. Id hate to buy and then in a year or so the new models come out.

[BogdanH]

hello Jcort and welcome to the forum.
See this thread.

Bogdan

[DrakeM]

Hello Jcort154

Well here is my experience with my past issue with my keyboard. The PSR-2000, I had I was 3 years old when I purchased off Ebay. I had it for 10 years and the screen went out on it. I took it to a dealer and it cost me $65 for them to tell me they could not get the parts to fix the keyboard.

I was lucky in 2013 that the S950 had just come out and I purchased one. But I would have purchased the S910 rather than be without a keyboard.

Your keyboard is S910 and is about 15 years old now.

I would take your monies and purchase the SX now, rather than be without a keyboard. The SX700 is going to cost less than what the next new SX keyboard is going to cost. So you will save money that way too, when you think about it.

Just remember there will always be something newer than what you have at some point. And I have always been able to get the NEW keyboard's styles to work just fine in my old keyboard. No Problem there man. 

Regards
Drake 

[Danny1972]

Hi Jcort154,

Welcome to the forum

I think in your situation, if you're going new/latest, an SX700 would be an absolutely perfect replacement for the S910. There is nothing from that model you'd miss in an SX-700 and you get much more as well.

Not sure if waiting is the best option, it's really hard to tell when the next updates to the SX series will be. I say that because Yamahas trajectory has changed a bit and haven't been as predictable as in the past, so it could be end of this year or end of next year? Who knows !

Another thing to maybe also consider, I suspect they must be looking at what Korg will do in with their mid ranges as well because Korg are also due a replacement of their Pa700/Pa1000 series which are about two years or so older than the SX series.

So personally, I would get an SX700 and enjoy it's beauty

[mikf]

Another thing to consider is that while the improvements add up over time, the step from one model to the next is seldom that big on Yamaha keyboards. So 910 to SX will be a nice step up, but SX to whatever comes next probably will probably not be that big. 
Mike

[Jcort154]

Thanks to all that replied. I guess the SX700 will be the best option right now. I really liked the music finder on the S910. Does the SX700 have a similar option?

[Divemaster]

You can convert most TOTL keyboard music finder databases to Playlists with mfd files found under the styles section.

https://psrtutorial.com/sty/OF/musicfinder.html

The SX series automatically converts mfd files to Playlist files and creates relevant registrations whilst doing so, and yes, your S910 files are there!

So you can have all of say, the Tyros files to play.
I think I've got about 15 Playlists on my SX700.

Lots of instructions in the SX 700/900 forum section.

The SX700 is a lovely keyboard. Hope you enjoy it.

Keith

[Jcort154]

Thanks Divemaster. I guess this will work. I will monitor the NAMM show to see if Yamaha announces any new keyboards.

[Brian 007]

Hi,

Bought a SX900 about 3 months ago here in the UK and personally I don't think you will get a better keyboard for the price right now,
the SX900 has gone up £100.00 here since I bought mine , and eventually there will be a newer model but I don't think there will be that much 
added to the the new model

Brian007

[Divemaster]

Hi,

Bought a SX900 about 3 months ago here in the UK and personally I don't think you will get a better keyboard for the price right now,
the SX900 has gone up £100.00 here since I bought mine , and eventually there will be a newer model but I don't think there will be that much 
added to the the new model

Brian007

I agree Brian. I think that the PSR SX700 and SX 900 are the best mid range keyboards on the market.
Price of the SX700 has also been increased by Yamaha, probably to reflect increased manufacturing and shipping costs.

Keith

[Jcort154]

Well today is day 2 of the NAMM show and I dont see any new SX models announced. I guess I should go for the SX700 then. Amazon can deliver it in 2 days if I order in the next 6 hours. 5 payments without interest.  Not bad. Local Guitar centers or Sam Ash stores dont have it in stock.

[Amwilburn]

I have an old psr-s910 that has problems with multiple keys not sounding. It appears not to be a key problem as all the F# and G keys dont work except the highest ones. I called a local authorized yamaha service center and they couldnt promise me it could be fixed. So I looked at the current arrangers and I guess I would go for the SX700. But is it worth buying now or should I wait for the next models to come out. Id hate to buy and then in a year or so the new models come out.

I'm a little late: unfortunately, i've seen this before; it usually means one of the 2 keyboard relay pcbs has failed. You could replace both, but it's not worth the labour at this point on a 16 year old keyboard.

The sx700 is better in every way, except for no vocal harmony.

Mark

[Jcort154]

Thanks for your response. I could replace the PCBs but where would I get them? I already ordered the SX700. Should get it tomorrow.

[Amwilburn]

You'd get them straight from Yamaha (and it has to be the *same* yamaha as your board; e.g if your psrs910 is from Yamaha USA, you'd have to contact Yamaha USA. Assuming they still had them; any generic (shared across the line) parts they'll still have, but generally speaking most manufacturers keep product *specific* parts for only about 5 years (but may have old stuck up to 10 years past). So for example, if your screen went, it's the same screen as PSRs950, which launched in 2013 and  was discontinued in 2015, so they would've kept stock for that screen up until 2020-2021, but very likely would have a couple of leftovers still now). On the other hand, the silver casing for the s910 (launched 2008, discontinued 2012) it's unlikely Yamaha had any casings left past 2018.

Mark

[Jcort154]

Thanks. Got my SX700 today. Maybe I can sell it for parts. Everything else except for those keys not working is still operating normally. I hate to just trash it.

[Enildo]

Hi Jcort154,

"There is nothing from that model you'd miss in an SX-700 and you get much more as well."

There is one thing that, depending on use, may be missing: "Vocal Harmony (VH)".
Although the s910 still uses VH1, which is terrible, it may still be missed by some players, as the sx700 does not have VH.
I mean that the SX700 accepts a microphone with various effects (reverb, chorus, delay, etc.), but it does not have VH.
Now if you don't use VH, you can go with the SX700 without fear.

Enildo

[Divemaster]

Thanks. Got my SX700 today. Maybe I can sell it for parts. Everything else except for those keys not working is still operating normally. I hate to just trash it.

Hope you get tremendous enjoyment from your SX700. It's a great keyboard.

As to Vocal Harmony, although it's not a feature on the SX700, you could quite easily use an add in program like "Wave Harmony" to enhance any recordings or playing.

As for your older keyboard, just keep your eyes open for a sensibly priced one in the 2nd hand markets online. Either working or parts.

But I agree with Danny... Once you get to know your SX, you won't be travelling back..
Keith

[Jcort154]

Thanks Guys. I didnt use the VH on the S910. Ive been playing with the SX700 and some apps. I tried Songbook but I cant see in the app where I connect it to the keyboard. I tried Yamahas chord tracker with my android tablet connected to the SX700 and that worked fine. Tried cakewalk from my PC too and that was able to play a midi file on the SX700 so I know the physical connection (cable) from the tablet to the keyboard is fine. What am I missing?

[Jcort154]

Oh. Im using Songbook pro with a samsung tab S7 tablet. Songbook doc says it support connecting to bluetooth midi devices for sending and receiving midi messages. Anyone out there have this working with usb?

[overover]

Oh. Im using Songbook pro with a samsung tab S7 tablet. Songbook doc says it support connecting to bluetooth midi devices for sending and receiving midi messages. Anyone out there have this working with usb?

Hi Jcort154,

Unfortunately, the MIDI setting options for sending MIDI commands in the Android app "SongbookPro" are quite rudimentary. You can currently only assign a single MIDI command to a song, which is sent when the song is opened, e.g. "Bank Select 0 (= MSB) with value 127 on Channel 1". Also, this only works over Bluetooth (BT), so not USB. And Yamaha keyboards only have BT audio, so they couldn't receive BT-MIDI at all (unless with an additional BT-MIDI adapter like the "CME WIDI Master").

To control the registrations on the SX600/700/900 and Genos1/2 via MIDI/USB-MIDI, Sy*** messages are used. However, "SongbookPro" currently does not support Sy***.

I recommend using the Android app "MobileSheets" by Zubersoft. There you set "Genos, PSR-SX600/700/900" in the MIDI Settings under MIDI Device. Important information about linking MobileSheets songs to the keyboard registrations can be found in the MobileSheets manual, which you can download and view directly in the app. (Search there for the term "genos".)


Hope this helps!

Best regards,
Chris

[Jcort154]

Thanks for all that info Chris. It looks like Songbook Pro on android is not going to do what Im seeing other users doing with the IOS version and IPAD. I did DL mobilesheets and took a quick look. It looks more cumbersome than songbook but I guess its my only option right now. Plus I dont have to get a BT wireless device. I will go through the user manual and hopefully I get it to do what I want.

[overover]

Thanks for all that info Chris. It looks like Songbook Pro on android is not going to do what Im seeing other users doing with the IOS version and IPAD. I did DL mobilesheets and took a quick look. It looks more cumbersome than songbook but I guess its my only option right now. Plus I dont have to get a BT wireless device. I will go through the user manual and hopefully I get it to do what I want.

Hi Jcort154,

"SongbookPro" for Android has nothing to do with "Songbook+" (also called SongbookPlus) by BauM-Software for iOS/iPadOS.

Originally, "Songbook+" was the only app that had an automatic linking function for Genos/SX Registrations. Songbook+ is still only available for Apple devices. It should also be noted that you have to buy the Songbook+ app again after 5 years. (Unless you don't update after this time, so you stay with the old version. However, the latter is not that easy with Apple devices.) It also happened to me recently that I had to buy Songbook+ again because after 5 years it suddenly became a demo version again and was therefore useless...

Currently I generally recommend "Mobile Sheets" by Zubersoft. This app is available for Android, Windows 10/11 and now also for iPad. The app is relatively inexpensive and there is very good support and ongoing free updates.


Best regards,
Chris

[Jcort154]

Thanks Chris. I m working with mobilesheets now and will use it going forward. It is inexpensive and has more functions than Songbook pro.

[metsasarv]

I have an old psr-s910 that has problems with multiple keys not sounding.

​

There are rubber pads under the keys. They are often available on ebay and aliexpress. You can replace them all and your instrument will be alive again. Another option - open the keyboard and before removing the rubberpads, number them and their locations with a marker. Then mark the dots on rubberpad blocks under the non-working keys. Now the rubberpad can be opened and both the pad contacts and the circuit board contacts can be cleaned with pure alcohol. It may not always be beneficial, especially with Yamaha, and the situation may even get worse. As another option, you can move the rubberpad blocks to different places, this can also be useful. After all, you have now numbered them before removing them and now you know the original locations in any case. But yes, it is best if you first look for new rubber pads on the Internet (or ask the dealer for availability and price)

[mikf]

A controller keyboard might be a work around, (maybe not, maybe the note still doesn't sound).  But a little messy, needs a different stand, and is it really worth it for such an old keyboard where maybe more will go wrong. And maybe the most important thing...you lose the excuse to buy a nice shiny new keyboard. 
Mike

[Amwilburn]

A controller keyboard might be a work around, (maybe not, maybe the note still doesn't sound).  But a little messy, needs a different stand, and is it really worth it for such an old keyboard where maybe more will go wrong. And maybe the most important thing...you lose the excuse to buy a nice shiny new keyboard. 
Mike

Correct, it might or might not even work: I forgot to mention, when the keyboard relay pcb failed? It wasn't just a single note; all the D's and F#'s for the top 3 octaves all failed (which could be traced back to a single point on one of the pcb's).

The point is it might not be just the rubber contact, if a pcb has a crack in it somewhere, there could be a host of other problems

Problems that don't matter because the OP already wisely purchased an sx700

[Jcort154]

Thanks for all who responded. Been learning a lot on my SX700. Got mobilesheets to call up a registration when a song is selected. Got Cakewalk, Band in a Box, yamaha midi to style.etc... Was surprised to find this sites gig disks I had for the S910 work on this keyboard. Since I retired in November, I have more time to play and learn. Now I want to try the audio link function and want to learn how to create a voice from wav files with YEM.