Here is a video showcasing the G70 and styles... Listen to detail in drums and bass...

The decade old G70 is on par with current models..

Overall the sound quality of all instruments is evident..

I ran across this video and decided to share it..

Epic instrument, I have bought, sold, used roughly 20 arranger keyboards and synths in the last 18 years and The G70 is hands down my favorite, along with my motif XS. It is pure quality...

It is my main go to keyboard day to day for free piano playing, split arranger playing and also sequencing MIDIs using my computer DAW software (I use Sonar and Logic).

Some of the sounds still blow me away including the Grand X and about 4 or 5 other acoustic piano sounds alone. and thats before going into EPs, Brass, Electric Guitars, basses Woodwind, Drums, synth, world / ethnic instruments, etc

If I was to give it one critique when comparing the G70 to current arrangers my biggest complaint would be the solo acoustic guitar voices and acoustic strumming are not that great.
Honestly theres not much else except features that weren't around back in the day such as USB device connectivity, widescreen bright TFT LED displays and maybe one or two other things but not much else comes to mind..

I am not a gigging musician so the weight doesn't bother me and I understand it would be highly inconvenient carrying it around so I would chose something else (wisely)... a BK9 perhaps?

Another interesting observation from experience is that the G70 is a keyboard that actually sounds WAY better in the flesh than from demos... the expressiveness of the keybed just makes it such a more rewarding and satisfying musical instrument to play.

Of ALL keyboards I would strongly say that one of the largest downfalls of the G70 is the online demo and recorded content that's out there today... Its extremely hard to find proper professionally recorded live demos of a ROLAND rep in HD due the the age of the board... all that really exists is like what Fran has posted along with some camcorder clips of live demos from NAMM music shows at very best...

One other big reason that paints an impression that the G70 is "dated", or "old fashion" is that the styles were programmed 10+ years ago so there are very little content from the G70 that resembles current modern music genres like EDM, trance and other famous pop / rock songs... the styles resemble more towards a live band generic... not a direct copy of a real song with stripped vocals, which is a method currently used to market and sell a lot of modern keyboards.

In saying all this - the tools are there in the G70 to make whatever you want.. its just a matter of how much are you willing to put into it to get the most from it.

I have no doubts that the likes of Peter Bartmans, Martin Harris or other well known quality demonstrators could be very capable of producing a demo of this keyboard and showing how current top end arrangers are actually not that far ahead in a lot of aspects...

I also own a regularly play a PSR S970 which sits above the G70 in the 2 tier keyboard rack. I love the PSR too, it has some great, fun aspects. it is what it is, but to and to me, the PSR is a fun "toy" compared to the G70.

I was so proud of my G70 when I bought it, with the flashing colored lights that looked like an airplane cockpit. Many times I have regretted selling it, but it was a monster to carry around, and quality, all quality.

An Epic instrument..
The best Roland ever made, when you put it in its time frame
Still a good instrument

However, i also remember a lot of criticism when it first released.
Most criticism however watered down after some updates and totally disappeared in the end

Lots of innovations to be found with the G70
Altough not all of them as usefull.

It was the last TOTL arranger from Roland
Also at the same time Roland produced its last TOTL arranger
Roland went a different direction from here.



I dissagree however that the G70 is on par with current model arrangers.

Its getting dated, and PA4x, Genos and SD9 in many many ways are way ahead now of the G70. Soundquallity of the individual sounds and the styles, Functionallity and interface... have improved quite a lot since then with all the other brands.

I think Roland has left the building where it comes to TOTL arrangers. And the EA7 is not aimed at europe, but mostly at south east asia.. Thast a sad conclusion for a company that was once the absolute marketleader.

I disagree,......I would bet in a blind test the average person could hardly tell the difference with a pro playing each...sound wise the G70 certainly can hold its own & that is an amazing feat for an arranger product years older then what we have today,.....and people spending exorbitant amounts of money for close to the same thing.
It's getting out of hand and the manufacturers just love the HYPE Frenzy if you allow yourself to fall into the trap. Just sit back and really think of what your doing & why your doing it?...
Fran knows what hes talking about he always has. The Roland G70 will always be one of the Greatest Arranger KB's that every was and ever will be !!

Hey Bernie - did I sell my G70 to you? I cannot remember, other than it cost me $300 to ship it somewhere to Florida.

I regret I sold my G-70 as well as SD-1 and KN's too.
Came across a BK7-m at "give away price". Midi to Korg MA,
and all that sudden my Roland stuff is playable again.
Almost forgotten how good it sounds.

Btw,
I have a SD3 and a KN2600 in sight as well, so maybe other
old styles and stuff can be for any use again.
Hobbies for a retired guy brings back musical memories..

Hey Bernie - did I sell my G70 to you? I cannot remember, other than it cost me $300 to ship it somewhere to Florida.
_________________________

You sure did, and I traded in my Pa800

Does these g70 styles also work on a BK 7m?

yes

Yes they do.

Thanks. Maby a good partner for my Privia I like those styles from the g70.

Plus BK7m has styles that are not on the G70.

Yes many song related styles I hear in demos. But I like the general styles in the video from the g70.

I agree with all of you the G70 Was a great board I loved mine

I do wish I still had mine but dont regret playing Tyros and now Genos

I still have a gig bin of floppys with songs on them lol

Fran was gracious and generous enough to send me the G70 (and many more) styles for my BK7m. I basically use it as a drum machine but some of the G70 drum patterns are some of my favorites.

chas

Offcourse you can disagree..

When i sold the T5 last year, i played the G70 for about a week till i got the pa4x...

Thats was the first time, i really realized the G70 was dated.
Sounds and styles just didn’t live up to what i was used to..
File managament was a real burden..
And more and more...

Getting the pa4x seemed to comfir, this even more...


Yet i still advise beginning keyboard players to get a G70
Sounds are still okay...
operation os acceptabel
And it has an incredible good keybed.


But then, i would like to hear a live comparrison of what a great player can do with the G70 and then compare that to their performance on the Genos and pa4x..

I almost went for a G70 years ago but it was too much money for me at the time. I saw one a little while ago on Kijiji for $2,000. I was tempted, but these days lugging one around would be too much. So I'm a happy chappie with my Pa3x-61.

My current setup.

Fran that looks amazing....awesome setup wow!

Good luck..

Congrats Donny...the ea7 is a great sounding board. Here is a link to Dynamix drums which you might enjoy listening to. The demonstrator shows them with the ea7.

Good luck!
jingleman

https://youtu.be/eSkkqrYnj6E

other than acoustic guitars, nearly ALL instrument sounds on the G70 are just as good if not BETTER than most TOTL arrangers today - including drums.

new arrangers have samples from modern chart music but thats about it.

A piano is still a piano, an organ still an organ.. and the G70 Grand X is just as good as the "best" pianos from any other keyboard out there today.. to be honest u dont really get "better" than the G70 Grand X voice.. just "different"...

and the same goes for most other bread and butter instruments from the EP category to organs, Telecaster and Stratocaster elec guitars, strings, choirs, Scats voices, brass, woodwind, drums, ethnic and even the pads... synth basses and synth lead voices are still very usable though it lacks samples from more modern music.

From my point of view as I stated originally the biggest weaknesses in the voices of the G70 are the acoustic guitars (still OK but not as good as the PA4x nylon guitar and the SA Concert guitar from Yamaha), synth leads suit more 80s and 90s music... forget it if you are looking to do more EDM, Trance and House stuff from 2000 onwards.

File system - yes its dated and could be re hauled (corrected on the BK9), Multipads non existent - always work arounds for that. a few other drawbacks due to the era of the G70 buttttt.... it has alot more pluses which in my opinion outweigh the negative...

- Best Keybed of any portable arranger 76 or less note keyboard
- most expressive velocity range in the drums, pianos and various other voices.
- Style make up tools are just so well done and ahead of the pack for its time and even still to today...
- song and style sequencer blows away anything ive seen on an arranger keyboard. technics KN 6000-7000 is also a good contender in that department.
- Applying effects and editing the parameters are laid out so easy and yet still go very deep and effective. they do the job and Ive never been left "needing" anything else.
- You dont need to go into the style sequencer to edit a style... again make up tools on the fly is all you need.

I can go on but im sure now im starting to sound like Fran :-)
The G70 is one of the best kept hidden gems for me.

Donny - Just curious why would you choose an EA7 knowing the BK9 is out there? im sure u have your reason but would be good to know why.

Cheers

Oh and must I add - I havent even touched the vocal harmoniser which is supposed to be up there and im sure others can vouch for.

Hi Nick,...The BK9 was on my radar as it was on Frans radar also but it's sought of non existent to try to find one to try or buy at this point. That must mean people love them and aren't selling them.....that said at this time as I only have the EA7 less then a day here that so far I am more then surprised and excited at the same time at what this arranger KB can do and has included inside it wow!
I usually can tell within a few hours if it's a keeper and let me say I honestly stayed away from Roland for whatever reasons for years after have many of their products for a while, mainly saying to myself how can a keyboard at this price range be up to MY needs?....well with Fran always giving me great advice and touting the attributes of the EA7 I have to say at this point he was totally right in so many ways!!,.....this arranger KB is really a hidden gem flying under the "Big Boys" radar but can certainly hold it's own against any of them. I need more time playing with it but I'll tell you I has rejuvenated my excitement to play and enjoy music.I will reserve my more in depth reviews as I go along for sure...
to be continued..................

I found this video... a jazz lounge act...It opened with this guy playing a piano... I was surprised how he pulled off the quartet act..

Bear in mind, THIS IS MY OPINION ONLY.

CAN'T PLAY, CAN'T SING. Worst rendition of Georgia I've ever heard. Again, JMO. Would love to hear Uncle Dave's opinion.

chas

It was not my intention to rate the player... but the fact that I thought it was a piano act that turned into electronics..

I can't imagine dragging my songs out to 7 minutes..

I don't get the whole faux piano shell thing it seems so fake & weird to me whenever I see it what are they trying to prove? nobody's fooled so why use it?

I built a huge piano bar that looked like a piano some years ago. It was for the atmosphere and so the customers could sit up close and personal. It stayed in place for a couple of months then the establishment was sold and I had to take it apart and take it home. Had no place to store it so eventually we took it apart and used the wood for other projects.
It did look really nice though, had candelabra on it even. It had a nice shelf for the arranger and a slightly tilted rack for music or laptop. At that time it was music I think.
Funny, people would get there an hour before I started so they could be sure and get a seat at the "piano" bar. As I recall there was room for about a dozen bar stools. Lots of times the ladies would sit and the guys stand up behind them. Somewhere I have photos...

I look at it this was if I want to be at a piano bar I want a real piano player not a fake one sorry....

Never called it a piano bar myself. Most everything we do on arrangers is sort of fake.

I played for a year + in the 'piano lounge' of an upscale Italian restaurant ... had to set my keyboard up over the keybed of a baby grand because people wanted to sit at the 'piano bar' ...
I had a lot of good nights in that place -Jerry Vale and his family one night, ... a young guy asking me to play "Unchained Melody" while he proposed to his girl friend another night ... lots of fun times ...

Lots of pretty lights, and your name in lights on the top board ... just like on Broadway !!!

see the difference

I played at a real piano bar for about 4 weeks in Baltimore, Delenote's Restaurant. I had to wear a tux, which I didn't mind at all, mainly because it made me look good to the ladies. In the summer, the tux consisted of a white tuxedo jacket and black tuxedo slacks, satin shirt, bow tie - damned I looked good back then.

The piano was a monster Steinway that had about 7 bar stools set up around it, and there were a couple dozen tables in the club area, each with 6 chairs. I played my PSR3000, which was concealed over the keybed of the the Steinway, on an X-stand and perched just a few inches above the piano keys. No one knew the difference, which was a good thing because I was, and still am, a lousy piano player.

After 4 weeks, they fired me because I kept the patrons in the lounge area, where they were sipping $2 draft beers and eating free snacks, while no one was in the restaurant where the food and booze was incredibly expensive. They loved my performances, but the restaurant was losing money every night I performed. It was a fun job and I made lots of money in tips. Sure miss this business.

Hi Nick,...The BK9 was on my radar as it was on Frans radar also but it's sought of non existent to try to find one to try or buy at this point. That must mean people love them and aren't selling them.....that said at this time as I only have the EA7 less then a day here that so far I am more then surprised and excited at the same time at what this arranger KB can do and has included inside it wow!
I usually can tell within a few hours if it's a keeper and let me say I honestly stayed away from Roland for whatever reasons for years after have many of their products for a while, mainly saying to myself how can a keyboard at this price range be up to MY needs?....well with Fran always giving me great advice and touting the attributes of the EA7 I have to say at this point he was totally right in so many ways!!,.....this arranger KB is really a hidden gem flying under the "Big Boys" radar but can certainly hold it's own against any of them. I need more time playing with it but I'll tell you I has rejuvenated my excitement to play and enjoy music.I will reserve my more in depth reviews as I go along for sure...
to be continued..................



I have two BK9s and they do everything I need. Plus the built in VK8 organ which I don't really need for OMB but great if I hook up with a band again.
BTW not selling either, I'm set for,the long haul. Fran told me to get,a,G70 but the weight put me,off coming from the G1000 but he also told me to hang in as something was coming down the pike. Turned out to be th BK-9 Thanks Fran

Bill How is the keybed / key feel on the bk9 compared to the G70? does it come close? I especially love the black keys on the G70 how they have a "wooden" or "ivory" feel instead of plastic as well as having nice slightly curved / smoothed edges.. and they are extra long and can be pressed easily right at the top of them where they start.

There is a BK9 for sale locally that is in brand new condition for about $1500 USD and I have been very tempted.

Never played the G70 but the BK9 has a very decent keybed. Full size 76 keys. I prefer a real piano keyboard but for doing organ type things the BK9 is just right. I'm very happy with mine.
That price isn't bad so do some bargaining and good luck

Bill your G1000 had the same keybed as the G70.

I think the BK9 uses the same keybed as the E60.

Good Lord ... another ancient history lesson. Sigh

A history lesson once in a while is always for the good, as it puts into perspective just how lucky we are with the instruments available today. (Should also cut down on the moaning)

Bill

many players still use a Fender Rhodes on stage & a Hammond B3 sure its old technology but it's timeless.....whats the history lesson there that's my point?

That just may be the best real world demo video of any instrument... It shows a quality instrument with great features and a very good player to demonstrate ... without all the factory tricks you get from the current Korg and Yamaha camps..
Piano, organ, sax, guitar, they are all realistically demonstrated..
He even showed a bit of the harmonizer in action (underrated)..

BTW: the reason I passed over the BK9.... I couldn't find one to try or buy sight unseen , when it came time to buy one..

I did purposely pass over the PA4x after comparing to the G70 and even the E-A7...

pot stirred. Point made.

You are being mean today....

I know, I know. The stirring job is usually YOURS!

When you are cooking with gas... you have to stir the pot, once in a while, for best results..

You're so weird