At the NAMM show in January, I had my first look at the E80. I've been selling the G70's for two years and at first glance, I thought the E80 was very large (deep from front to back).
I've been reading some posts here at the Synthzone about Bebop deciding to purchase an E80 and I gave a call to the Roland CK district manger and asked who in my Los Angeles area were selling the E80. Not to my surprise, not a single store is selling them and so after much thought I decided to bring a couple into my store for my evaluation and to sell.
There are more buttons on the E80 than on the G70 and although the products are the same accept for 61 keys and built in speakers, I like the way Roland has laid the front panel controls and buttons on this instrument. As I've said before, this is a very large instrument from front to back. I've not carried the Technics models, but I've been told it is closer to the size of the KN7000.
I like that there is a dedicated speaker on and off button directly on the front of the keyboard. I also installed two SRX expansion boards and it's nice to have two available instead of only one on the G70.
There are several new styles and some new drum sets not found on the G70.
I've heard many of you say that you've been disappointed with the internal speakers. I find them to be OK, loud, but without playing with the EQ, I didn't think they did the keyboard justice. However, when I plugged it into my Yamaha StagePas 500, WOW! it sounded great. My district manager is coming in a few weeks and I will find out if there is a secret to programming the internal EQ (perhaps I'll find it myself on Monday when I have more time).
Just like the G70, this keyboard is a dream to edit and setup the way you want it. If you are in the LA area and want to test drive this model, please stop bye. I also have the E50's and E60's in as well.
The list price of the E80 is $4995.00 and it can be purchased for a much better price. Roland does not allow dealers to advertise anything but retail prices unless a potential customer contacts the dealer directly.


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George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com