Hello all!

I have heard a “rumor” (is it?) that the Motif XF series is going to be discontinued.
I do know this is a normal thing with cars and so forth.  The new 2016’s come out and there are no longer the 2015’s.
However, in the case of a musical instrument as expensive and expressive as the Motif XF series, why would Yamaha discontinue it?
The Montage is coming out and they are saying it is the Motif XF’s replacement.  There has been enough discussion here on Motifator to prove that the Motif XF and the Montage are nearly apples to oranges.
I believe there will still be people wanting to purchase a new Motif XF in the future since it is not the same as the Montage.
We aren’t talking about some obscure synth that is 30 years old, the Motif XF isn’t even all that old and it sure does a lot that the Montage does not.
And then there is the subject of how long will it be supported by Yamaha?  There are a lot of Motf XF’s out there.  The last OS update was back in January 2014.  Being a software/hardware guy, I know that the one thing that Yamaha could have done to update the Motif (the one thing I wish it has that the Montage does) is replace firewire with USB.  I made the suggestion years ago that they should update the OS and come out with a hardware replacement for firewife.  Yamaha’s marketing team thought differently.
Yamaha should continue to support a huge and loyal fan base for an instrument that is simply put, incredible.
For Yamaha to discontinue the Motif XF and supporting it is of course for them a marketing play bowing to the almighty dollar, but it abandons an artistic, loyal fan base.
I for one, do not want to be abandoned with the best instrument I have ever purchased.  And the kicker is, for all of us Motif XF users, Yamaha already made their money on us!

Motif xf will probably follow same life cycle as Roland Fantom G extinction with the introduction of montage. But I am not selling mine.

Here in the UK our local dealer has a price reduction of £750 on the XF7 they have in stock. (That’s over $1000 of course). I think that might be giving out a clue as to what’s going to happen with the XF range?..

I have heard as well that some music stores here in the States are “clearancing” out the Motif XFs.  Not radically reducing the price, but just by a bit.
However, I still think it is a mistake on Yamaha’s part to do away with the line since the Montage is such a departure from the Motif XF.
At the very least as I mentioned, I would hope that since there are so many Motif XFs out there and such a big fan base, that Yamaha would continue to support and update such a glorious instrument.
I don’t plan on selling mine either, nor do I plan on getting a Montage.
I just think it is a big mistake that Yamaha does what they think is “good” for us by removing some major components.  The Montage to me would have been more exciting if they introduced the new features they did but retain what they already had in its entirety.
They already had the technology of the Motif XF in place, just add to it!  Don’t rip major stuff out and try to make us giddy that the new stuff is what we need.  The Motif XF is a beautiful instrument.  Please Yamaha, keep manufacturing it and supporting it!

Maintaining production and continuing support are two separate issues.

From Bad_Mister in a Forum far, far away:

“Yamaha is known for supporting products for literally decades after the product is discontinued, so you have no worries [about Yamaha support]. We recently just ended free support on the DX7 which was discontinued some thirty years ago! And it’s not they we don’t support DX7 still, it’s just now I believe they ask for a nominal fee. Legally, Yamaha will support the Motif XF with parts, and the like, until 2023.

So hurry, write down your questions :)
Congratulations on your Motif XF - there are still years of enjoyment in that instrument. Are you fully loaded? That is did you get the expansion boards (Flash and FireWire) those may disappear before too long.”

Hopefully Yamaha will continue to ‘support’ existing models for some time - although what that actually means in practice may not be all you hope for. I bought my MOX in 2011. Within a year or so, that model had been superseded by the MOXF.
Immediately of course that meant the MOX disappeared from the ‘current’ model listing on the forum, and became a ‘legacy’ instrument and there were to be no more updates. The message from the Yamaha online ‘reps’ was along the lines of ‘ keep up, you need to upgrade to the new super-duper MOXF -Your 18 month old MOX is now out of date’
So while you may (hopefully) be able to buy replacement hardware parts for the older instruments, you can bet your life there will be no more updates for these ‘discontinued’ models.
Understandably of course...Yamaha are out to create new business.
And the XF has been around for a while, so it’s had a good run…
The MOX to MOXF change was real quick - and quite a shock!

Yes, I heard about the MOX to MOXF bait and switch.  That one was even worse than the Motif XF!
However, software/hardware updates for these instruments shouldn’t leave the user base in the cold.
Of course I understand that every company wants to make a profit and it all comes down to the all mighty dollar.
However, does Yamaha really think that in this economy that the average person can just keep plunking down 4K plus the money for any accessories every few years?
The Motif series ran a long time, but the Motif XF has had only a little over 5 year run.  The last update was in January 2014.
As a software engineer, we create updates for legacy programs every week!
Even if it is simply a side project for Yamaha to work on updates, I’m sure all of us loyal Motif XF fans would be willing to wait.  We’ve waited over 2 years for an update already.
If the Motif is going away, I sure don’t see the accessories or libraries going down in price.
I’m not just being a snip, I’m rooting for all of the Motif XF users out there.  We plunked down our 4K, we should not be left in the cold.  Parts for repair, great!  At least if mine breaks down (God forbid) then I can get it fixed.  They better not jack up the prices of those parts to repair a discontinued item!  I heard the display alone is real pricy.
I guess I just love this instrument so much that I’d love to see Yamaha give us the same care that I give my Motif XF.

AMEN!