Thanks Diki.
I have already tried and rejected the PA2x, not from a sound POV (apart from the electric guitars) but from an operational POV. Some parts of its op sys are the same as the original PA1X op sys 1.00!!!
The Roland has things like markers and txt lyrics scroll, song make-up and style from midi, which seems on the surface to be a lot more user-friendly.
Your idea about maybe paying a guitarist for a few sessions to record some beds for various tunes has some merit, even to the point of saying oh duh!! why didn't I think of that...simple and easy.
So i might investigate that further.
Then the mp3 option works because the sound is never going to change, in which case I can look at the Kurzweil PC1se and it has a fully weighted keybed in 76 notes with good wraps from other players and only weighs about 20kgs...hmm lots to think about.

And @ Tin, yeah I had heard the same thing through my industry grapevine out here, but if the price of the original G-70 is anything to go by, it will be around the same price as the PA2xPro...($7000 RRP). It would have to be pretty special to really outdo the g70. And as per the case of the PA1xpro -v- PA2xPRo I don't think the difference in keyboard will justify the difference in price.
Probably the only new keyboard that is going to be markedly different is the Audya, but even that remains to be seen.
Cheers
Dennis