One of the under-appreciated advantages of arrangers, that few salesmen EVER demonstrate, is that they are VERY capable all-around, general purpose keyboards, not just arrangers.

Usually, the first thing a salesman will start doing is use the arranger section, and unless the buyer is of an older generation, or the salesman is VERY careful to not play any ballroom styles, OFF go the lights, and it's 'show me the Motif, Triton, etc..'

If only they would demonstrate the fact that, without starting loops up or anything else automatic, here's a keyboard that sounds just as good as any workstation, is usually FAR easier to call voices up to splits and layers, and usually has a FAR better selection of 'meat and potato' sounds than most workstations. Add to that a good set of sliders to control everything, and it's a no-brainer for the gigging musician.

I've been using Roland arrangers almost exclusively for live gigging for the last 10-12 years or so (one stint on Bourbon St. for a year with a K2500, but that was a house gig, and the owner wanted my K2500!) and currently am using a G70.

The combination of excellent action (best in the biz IMHO), excellent grand piano (ditto), excellent Hammond emulation (ditto [for arranger]), excellent choice of other sounds (OK, some nod goes to Tyros2, which may have some better sounds, some worse!) and unparalleled ease of mixing and calling up the sounds and effects make it (once again, IMHO) the BEST gigging keyboard on the planet! I kid you not........ I've played ALL the top workstations, and I wouldn't dare go out on a call to a strange band or engagement with any of them!

If you've got time to set them up in advance, OK, but if you've got to dive in with no preparation, they are hell! I have done many gigs on my G70 where I had no idea what they were going to play until they called the tune, and it took only a few seconds to dial in the right sounds and volumes and away we go!. Literally one User Program with a split (usually at Middle C, but you can alter it quickly) and just call the sounds up on the fly......... can't do THAT with my K2500!

Afterwards, they always come up and go 'how did you know which sounds you were going to use in advance?' and I just smile.........

Arranger's only weakness in the music stores comes from something I've been complaining about for a long time...... way too few modern hiphop and rap and pop styles with a contemporary US feel. Motifs and Tritons fly off the shelves courtesy of a few combi patches that include basic hiphop loops and arpeggiations, something that is child's play for most arrangers, but too often either there are way too few modern, hiphop style sounds, or even when there are, there are way too few styles that sound as contemporary as the loops in the Motifs, etc..

In the US, hiphop, rap and techno based styles rule. The one way to GUARANTEE it won't sell well in MI stores is to have a button labeled 'Ballroom' or 'Latin Swing'..... Given how easy it is to completely customize most top of the line arrangers, I think they would sell better if there were FEWER labels on the ROM styles, and then all the style buttons just on a number basis. That way, the display can show the names of the styles, NOT have them silk-screened to the front panel.

NOW, a store who's clientele tend to be young, urban players can load in a Program and Style set that is ALL modern styles, with names like 'Snoop Dog 1' and 'Kanye 3', etc.. and there is no stigma in the eyes of the buyer from seeing 'Pasadoble 3' or 'Glen Miller 2'. If an old couple walk in the store and want to try out the SAME arranger, the salesman simply hits 'Load Oldies Global' and voila! it's now a ballroom only machine, and the old geezer doesn't get his Depends in a wad when he accidentally hits 'Snoop Dog 1'!!

Now THAT might finally get the arranger some respect......!