As many of us know, Vox announced their new Continental. And as many combo organ lovers will tell you, that name is a shameless marketing ploy. They've made it red, put it on a stand that is clearly evolved from the iconic Z-stand and included a Vox Continental sound...But after that, it's not all that different from a Nord. It's got pianos, electric pianos, synths and, yes, organs. (Three: Vox, Farfisa and Korg's own Wanna B, the CX-3.) Hell, Korg/Vox couldn't even be bothered to go with the reverse-color keys the Continental was known for.

OK...Time for my point: Yamaha, I know you don't like hearing this, but many of us think that you could really make a big play in this space. And you could likely do it a good bit cheaper.

Personally, in your place, I'd have three different boards, all three of which would come in full-size 61 and 73 key configurations:

Reface Synth Pro - Combines the Reface CS and DX lines;
Reface YCP Pro - Combines the organs and electric pianos;
Reface SuperPro - Combines all of the above in one.

Are there other things I'd do? Sure, I'd add at least one more preset organ: The Gibson G-101. Anyone who wants to do Doors stuff needs that and the Vox. And if it's not too expensive, I might even leave a spot or two open for downloads. (Yamaha could have a library that included an Elka Panther, a Rheem, a Philicorda and more. And yes, I'd be more than willing to pay a little extra for those.

I'd do the same thing with the electric pianos...Add a Pianet N, for instance. And probably something from the Wurlitzer 100 series. And yes, some unhidden real pianos.

You want to be able to charge a little bit more AND get people going Oooooh on the YCP Pro? Make the keys reverse color. Or at least give the option. And make the YCP Pro the same color as the current Reface YC.

I know the current argument: Just use a MIDI keyboard and hook the Reface. We've had this discussion before. It's an unwieldy solution. Some keyboardists may love having keyboards piled high in front of them, but some of us like things much cleaner. I don't like having to build up a big setup and feel like I'm locked in a tower. And throwing the Reface on top of another keyboard only works if you have a keyboard that has that kind of space...And it STILL means that you're hoping it doesn't fall off when the show gets crazy.

Sorry, but when I saw that Vox announcement, I groaned. I talked to a number of friends who know the Reface series and they all agreed that Yamaha should seize the day here. You guys have GREAT tech in the Reface. And I do love my Reface CP and YC...I just want more of it.

(Oh...And Yamaha still sells a stand that looks a good deal like the old Yamaha YC organ stands. And you do it for something like $20-$25 retail. You could throw that into the package and it would look far better than what Vox has put in the package.)