Yamaha PSR Keyboards: The beast has many forms!

[@8-biternie944]

I have a Yamaha PSR 330 and a PSR 225 that I got at a garage sale in 2011 for $15 each, and they both have amazing sound quality, I've been gigging with those two keyboards ever since I got them, I'll take those two over a Roland or a Korg any day

[@michaelaurelius8507]

I don’t know that I’d take those PSRs over a Roland or Korg. I’m a Huge Korg guy and 4 out of my 6 keyboards are all top notch 88-Key workstations that NO Yamaha PSR keyboard can match unless it’s a flagship PSR Model like the PSR-8000 or 9000 or a 5700/6700, But even then, when you use MIDI and the styles are playing off the Korg, the difference in sound quality is astronomically better. There’s really zero comparison in sound quality between the Korg Workstations specifically and the Yamaha PSRs. The PSRs are incredibly versatile keyboards with incredible features at modest prices especially with the older1990s to mid 2000s models. After the PSR-3000 in 2004, the entire like was completely revamped with the weird PSR-E series and the PSR-S series and they were never the same again. That said I’ve always loved the PSR-S700 and S900 range especially for style creation, but the preset styles were not the same or as musical sounding as the the older PSRs. I’ll never forget how much I LOVED the PSR-8000 and PSR-740 at the time! When the 9000 came out, I was seriously mind blown! That keyboard was something else and I I even had one for years that I REALLY miss! But they are NO match to ANY Korg or Roland keyboard, ESPECIALLY their arrangers from the same era. Roland Arrangers were truly state of the art in the 90s and 2000s. Korg was even BETTER in EVERY sense going back to the i30 up to the PA3X. WOW!

[@Sedyon]

*You managed to do concerts with a PSR-330 and a PSR-225?* O_o

[@wowman542]

Thank you so much for this video! I've had such a hard time identifying which model keyboard I had since I've had it since I was a kid. This video helped me figure it out.

[@michaelaurelius8507]

The PSR-400/500 and the 600 were amazing keyboards! They were TRUE FM preset synthesizers with basic custom accompaniment recording and song recording features!

[@gearfacts]

Yes, I recently found a PSR400 in great condition, might be time for a new review!

[@michaelaurelius8507]

The PSR-500 sounds better though because of the DSP reverb. They’re otherwise identical, though.

[@FrankBruce]

Nice video, recently due to changes in the job market, had finally the time to take apart, clean, and restore my old PSR70. Had two FM ICs to be honest before thinking on new more flashy keyboards I'm enjoying mine now, finding many internet resources like this one, and enjoying its quirky sounds, expression pedal, sustain pedal, and touch tone keyboard :) thank you for shareing

[@gearfacts]

Glad you liked the video Frank, thanks for watching :)

[@kimthompson5871]

I have a number of these as stated before and each has its own charm .

[@gearfacts]

It certainly is a broad spectrum

[@tomvalusek]

PSR300 is from early '90s, I had my PSR400 bought in January 1992

[@sunahamanagai9039]

I wrote so many songs using a PSR-400. Good times.

[@gearfacts]

It was a high point for Yamaha, I think. Obsolete now of course, but really good in its time :)

[@NorthEastEntertainmentChannel]

Just picked up a psr - 520 for £25 for my daughters to learn on. Its better than I thought and very close to the psr530 which started had the xg range. Out of all the psr's I've had over the years and there has been plenty, my favourite was the psr 740 and it still sells well even now.

[@gearfacts]

Nice bargain there :)

[@nachom1971]

I just got a Psr 16. I love it. Also have a psr 36 waiting for a new main board. It turns on but the buttons nor the keys do anything.

[@gearfacts]

New main board for the PSR36? Hard to find, but worth the wait :)

[@nachom1971]

Gearfacts I just managed to find one! Hopefully will get the bad one repaired to have a spare.

[@MorrisChannel4]

I kinda liked that you had some fun sounds that seemed pulled from the Sega Genesis

[@gearfacts]

Yeah I think it's similar audio tech from tech same era :) gf

[@cindygroves5804]

I Googled DAS system, and it means the keyboard has both 2-operator FM and AWM sounds.

[@gearfacts]

ahhhh that makes sense ....I should have done that (unprofessional!!) Gearfacts

[@AtticusStount]

Dass means 'the lav' in Swedish. I owned a PSR 300, which I found amongst the recycling (!) despite having 4 broken keys, it played like a dream. Can't help but notice how few of these are being sold on Ebay.

[@gearfacts]

Ha, cool bit of trivia there! And yes, these are a bit sought-after so they still get good prices when they appear on ebay etc :) #Gearfacts

[@edsknife]

I continue to be surprised by the production value of my PSR, even though it comes off as a toy. The important part is that it's fun.

[@gearfacts]

Totally agree with that last statement!

[@Pianuto]

i had psr-500 and i thing im gonna buy me again this one because of the touch response keys

[@pianokeyjoe]

I have some of these for sure! The PSR41 is like the PSR36 but I think the 36 has more auto accomp variations where the 41 has more drum sounds. I do have a PSR 22 and a DASS system PSR48. The DASS system is a mix of FM and PCM samples to create a hybrid sound set and layered tones. I prefer the FM sounds over the sampled these days frankly. I have a Korg PA 600 pro arranger for my sampled sound thankyou very much lol!

[@gearfacts]

I have the option of buying a PA600 very cheap atm ...tempted

[@moortje26]

@pianokeyjoe how do you like the psr48? Is it like the psr50? Just saw some secondhand online, is there a loop/reverb/delay option?

[@pianokeyjoe]

@@moortje26 The PSR48 is nice, I like it. It has 100 sounds you can layer and is a mix of sampled realistic like sounds and FM synthetic classic sounds from older Yamahas. The PSR50 IS a vintage 80s home keyboard with about 16 or so preset FM sounds(synthetic sounds only). The PSR50 is much older by 10 or 13 years from the PSR48. I would buy both if you can cheap as collecting classic keyboards has become a thing and prices are going up really high on every thing

[@moortje26]

@@pianokeyjoe hey thanks for your reply! Been seeing so many vintage keyboards, but I have so little space to live in 😂 so I'm just going down the rabbithole trying to learn more about all these different keyboards and features xd

[@pianokeyjoe]

@@moortje26 if you are asking which if these 2 models would I buy if I can only buy ONE? I would get the PSR50.. It has many limitations but it is built much much better and has midi in and out like the PSR48. If you want modern sounds, you can do far better than a vintage 90s PSR48 but that true vintage early 80s PSR50 is a better buy even if you were to sell it later, you would get a better return since vintage gear costs more, limitations and all! So to recap, get the PSR50 if it is cheap and WORKING! Merry Christmas

[@jaquesteddyruxpin932]

The PSR 225 is undoubtedly the best of the PSR series, when at full volume, the sound quality of the on board speakers is unmatched

[@radstorm]

Agree..I actually like it more than the GM one

[@michaelaurelius8507]

@@radstorm the GM version was a downgraded PSR-225, I think. It didn’t sound as good as result.

[@radstorm]

@@michaelaurelius8507 I agree. The GM one was definitely lacking the better sounds all round

[@gefthetalkingmongoose]

Song spot - 13:03 Nobody Home by Pink Floyd

[@gearfacts]

First song I ever learned on piano and I still can't really play it :( gf

[@torbenanschau6641]

@@gearfacts As long as you've got nikotin stains on your fingers it's all right...

[@johnduffy7108]

They all sound Superb, i myself have a...wait for it....a Casiotone CT102. a Yamaha YPT 210 and a Yamaha DJX....lol

[@gefthetalkingmongoose]

"That's a very nice smooth organ" - Gearfacts, 2018

[@gearfacts]

Yeah sounds like something I'd say.

[@audiodood]

lmao

[@JVCRV-DP]

Which one was it that had the circle button in the middle that you could move it around and it would light up and play sounds

[@heroknaderi]

Amazing 😉

[@gearfacts]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@ohiorichkidbeats]

DAMN,I LOVE OLD KEYBOARDS....ARE YOU ADDICTED LIKE ME?

[@gearfacts]

Totally. I'm always snooping around junk shops for them! Gearfacts

[@ohiorichkidbeats]

@@gearfacts same here..thrift stores and garage sale are awesome

[@jordanlivesey4715]

I enjoyed this.I especially liked the psr 160 and the psr 172 as they were made around 2000, the same year as the psr 260 and the psr 170.the psr 400 and 500 are the same but the only difference between them is the fact that the psr 500 has reverb and multi pad functionality while the psr 400 had drum pads.the psr 75 and the psr 130 borrow a lot from each other and the psr 78 which came out in 1996, also has the same samples.interesting fact.when the psr 170 and pstr 172 wwere discontinued back in 2003 the psr 175 entered stores as people enjoyed the psr 170's dj functions.the psr 262 also came out round about the time of the psr 175.I still keep the psr 260 and the psr 200 i';; very soon be doing a comparison with the psr 260 and the psr 78

[@gearfacts]

Excellent :) Gearfacts

[@michaelaurelius8507]

Yeah that’s right! I forgot that the 400 had drum pads and the 500 had multi pads. That’s a big difference!

[@jackcimino8822]

The PSR 15 and 40 were the first PSRs. They used waveforms similar to what the Mk-100 used. Edit: I also want to add that the PSR 2 came out in like 1991.

[@gearfacts]

Really? How weird :) GF

[@torbenanschau6641]

@@gearfacts Not really weird. Watching your evolution series, maybe there's a little misconception about the numbers. You seem to think that the higher number always is the better better model, which isn't the case at all. Both the PSS and the PSR reach over several decades with new models each year. And before that there also was the PS-Line which contained both mini and normal sized Keys, plus the PCR series which added a playing card system. So for some time the PS 55 was the top range keyboard, along with the PCR1000 and the 800 until the real big one the PS61 came along. There was 10, 20 and 30 as midrange with normal keys and the little ones 1,2,3 and I think 200 with mini keys. Then the line was split into PSS and PSR. The latter started with 15 and 40. And these made branches, the 0er, 10er, 20ers being the lesser models, then the 30ers which were usually 61 keys (31, 32,36,37,38) and then the 50, 60, 70 which were rather sophisticated upper class models with Midi. On the Top now there was the PSR 6300 as a decessor of the 61 which looks very similar. Now when these lines were updated they needed new numbers. Like there was a PSR 11, then 12 then 16 along with the 21 and 22. So sometimes the next numbers were already taken and there are interruptions like the 15, so the follow up to the 12 was the 16; as it was sold at the same time like the 6. However that line below the 10 was new in 89; it practically was a PSS-270 with bigger keys. There obviously was a demand for even lower priced normal keys as the other models improved technically (DASS). So sometimes it's actually the second digit that tells something. The next line was the DASS-Series which were sold as PSR 7, 27, 37 and 47. The ladder was a significant step forward and similar to the Pss 680 with samples but no synth options. There were no decessors to the PSR 80 and 90, neither to the DSR 500, 1000 and 2000 which were also quite impressive gear. Instead the new big boy now was the 4500 with the smaller versions 3500 and 2500. One or 2 years later the line up was increased by one so PSR 8, 28, 38, 48 and 4600. Main difference being the different colors of the buttons (similar to the pss 680/780).

[@torbenanschau6641]

The PSR 2 and the PSR 18 were at the very lowest end of there range having only FM when the others already had DASS, the 3 and the 19 were just cosmetic improvements; there were actually crap for the time. 1991 they changed the whole series again. They tossed DASS out of the window and the sounds were pure AWM (samples). Maybe to mark this change the range now went like PSR 100 (was the 19 in a new design, so FM), 200, 300, 400, 500 and one year later the 600. Especially the 500 and 600 are good to this day and I still like their sound. But if you compare them the 300 was the 200 with some goodies (both midrange), the 500 was the 400 with goodies (upper range) and the 600 added a floppy disk drive. As the FM really was outdated, a new low level range was created starting with the 75 and the 150. So the PSR75 was a cheezy little thing and had nothing in common with the PSR 70 8 years earlier. Top Model then was the 6700, a monster with 76 keys; a mix inbetween was the PSR SQ 16 with its 16 track sequencer. When this series was renewed, it was 1 up on the second number again: 210, 310, 410, 510. No 610 but a 1700 and a 2700 instead. Top Model was the 5700. Basically it was continued like that to this day with some exceptions. But they ran out of numbers so they had to divide it once again

[@tomvalusek]

Pity you didn't show PSR 600/700 series models, they were quite advanced for their time

[@gearfacts]

Yes. I've never owned those models so I had nothing to show :) Gearfacts

[@michaelaurelius8507]

Yeah the PSR-730 and 740 were unbelievable keyboards when they came out and they still are today! When they released the 1000/2000 Series PSRs, I was mad blown away because they were true flagships at breakthrough price points and they never offered that value again after the PSR-S series took over.

[@markomedjugorac3121]

Which of them have a touch response? I m planing to buy psr 172 or 160.GREAT VIDEO!!!

[@krakapoww]

Im lookin to buy a psr to have around the house to mess with , especially for my daughter. She cant touch my synths yet. I either want a old Nice fm-y one or a up to date rompler with a good sound set, and preferably a sequencer. Quite a few on the second hand market , im lookin to spend about 100$/€ . Can you guys recommend some psr models that fit the bill ?

[@gearfacts]

Personally I'd let her loose on the synths. My daughter loves getting into the Deepmind. But anyway, for $100 or under I'd really look for a Panasonic keyboard if you can. They sell for peanuts and have great sounds. Other than that - any Yamaha PSR is industry-standard really.

[@radstorm]

I have 2 of the PSR keyboards..and I still use them at times,, One is the 225 the other 225 GM.. Some of the styles are still usable..and well others sound like they were created by a 5 year old.. lol The main thing is it still uses the old school midi connections..which I prefer over the usb stuff.. and let's face it..hook up midi and you can make any keyboard sound good via VST :o)

[@gearfacts]

So true!

[@brianlarsen6211]

Thanks for this overview. I think you are in Brisbane, I have a few keyboards available for review if you'd like. A Realistic Concertmate-670, a Casio MT-400V, a Casio LK-215 and a Yamaha PRS-37. Hit me up.

[@gearfacts]

Ah that's really nice of you Brian, but I'm actually in Canberra. I'll check in next time I'm in town! Cheers mate :) Gearfacts (Glynn)

[@axelpettersson522]

Picked up a PSR-75 from a thrift store for 138 sek (11£ or 14$). Tried using it for recording but it has a horrible sound bussing when I plug it in :/. same thing with the more recent PSR keyboard my family has owned since before I was born.

[@gearfacts]

Bummer, that would have been a good deal :) #gearfacts

[@JackstandJohnny]

Could be a ground hum. Try different wall outlets or running off batteries/a car battery and power inverter to seenif it goes away.

[@brendandelaney255]

Forgot to mention the psr 6

[@gearfacts]

Ahhh yes I think I’ve seen a PSR-6 at some time over the years

[@jacameronbussey7348]

Do you have the psr 38

[@gearfacts]

No.. I've reviewed the PSR-36 though

[@ReneeNme]

3:59 Shinyyyy !!!

[@gearfacts]

:) Gearfacts

[@profanity9]

I love psr 6

[@gearfacts]

Really? (Not mocking just genuinely curious) why?

[@Silvergoat72]

man forgot the PSR-195

[@gearfacts]

Ahhh there are soo many

[@profanity9]

No psr 6

[@thierryrault3951]

I have a Psr 600 but the sound is very very "Pourri" !!! I prefer my Yamaha MX 49, my Korg MS 20, my Roland SH 201, etc etc... nothing to see...

[@gearfacts]

I can relate to that :) #gearfacts