Is this the end of the road for the Yamaha Montage?

The Yamaha Montage is quite an amazing keyboard. When it was launched back at the tail end of 2017 there was simply nothing like it on the market. Combining Yamaha’s familiar AWM2 with FM+X, an extended version of their FM synth architecture, it was and to a large extent, still is a powerhouse of a keyboard. But, that was 2017. Time and technology move on and although there is nothing wrong with Montage, the bods at Yamaha have obviously decided it is time for something new.

What that something new is, no one quite knows just yet. There is a lot of speculation of course and we have a thread on our forum that currently runs to 35 pages with people ruminating on what could possibly come next.

What we do know, although Yamaha has not yet confirmed it, is that whatever stock is left at dealers and warehouses is all there will ever be.

This is a similar situation to the one we saw when the MODX was discontinued. Stock levels steadily dropped, and lead times were increased from weeks to months to “uncertain”. Eventually, some dealers listed MODX as being discontinued. And then finally Yamaha confirmed what we already knew and announced the introduction of the new MODX+ a slightly reworked version of the old MODX.

We do have some very reliable sources who have confirmed to us that the Montage is no more and this has been backed up by many dealers we have contacted who have told us that this is indeed the case. Many have already removed Montage from their websites.

We did contact Yamaha for comment and this is the response they provided:

The Montage Series has not been discontinued and there is some availability in some cases through our dealer network. However, orders from Yamaha Music Europe are suspended until further notice.

It should be noted that when the MODX was discontinued Yamaha Music Europe told us that they were not aware of it being discontinued but that no further stock had been ordered. Also, Yamaha is a huge company. Regional divisions will often make announcements at different times to suit their own domestic market. In a global economy, this inevitably leads to some confusion. Certain regions are happy to release information whereas others will deny all knowledge of it.

The question is, should you buy a Yamaha Montage right now, assuming you can get hold of one? That really depends on why you are buying. If you are a professional musician who earns a living playing the keyboard, then there is absolutely no reason not to invest in a Montage right now. The power of AWM2 and FM+X cannot be underestimated and the build quality of Montage is second to none. The company will also continue to support Montage for several years to come. It is a keyboard with endless potential.

If on the other hand, you will only ever use Montage at home or in a home studio, you could perhaps afford to wait it out. As mentioned, we do not know if Yamaha will replace Montage with something else or just update what is already there. But it is hard to imagine the company leaving the “flagship” spot empty for long.

Whatever happens, Montage is still a superb keyboard and if you already own one, hold onto it. It may be getting on for almost 7 years old, but with that sort of power under the hood, you won’t run out of road anytime soon!