The GW-8 is definitely NOT a prototype, no matter what the "guys" at Roland said! It is a keyboard developed and manufactured by Roland in China and will be sold throughout the world, in 3 different versions (Latin, Eastern Europe & Asian). To be honest, I wouldn't put much stock in what Roland US says about their own company's arranger keyboards because they are just not that knowledgeable or even that interested (the European market is a whole different story). For an entry level keyboard, the GW-8 is one hell of a deal and I'm really looking forward to playing it!

Michael