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#454484 - 07/10/18 01:14 PM First impression of my Roland BK9
Fran Carango Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 05/26/99
Posts: 9673
Loc: Levittown, Pa, USA
My first impression of my Roland BK9..

This is my opinion and I am going to compare it to other brands that I have played...
If my opinions bothers you... skip my post. grin

I purchased a Roland Juno Stage when they came out several years ago..because I liked the semi weighted keybed..

The BK9 is the identical keybed, and one of the strongest features to want a BK9..

The drawbar organ and Leslie simulation .. are tops in any arranger keyboard and most wanna be Hammond organ clones..

The BK9 edges out the G70 drawbar organ with added controls and superior Leslie source..
The G70 was easily the best of the bunch prior to the BK9.

The BK9 is feature packed with benefits not found on the G70 and collectively on any other keyboard..

Roland retained the 16 track sequencer (missing on the EA7)..
added the Chord sequencer (missing on the G70 and EA7).

The operating system is not bad on the BK9, although I think in some areas the EA7 has the edge..
The G70 still easily rules with the touch screen.

The sounds on the BK9 exceed the EA7, thanks to the Super Natural content...
but in my opinion there is a quality I hear in the G70,
that sounds better.. The EA7 and BK9 are among the best sound offerings today..
Korg don't match up, and you need to move up to Genos (Yamaha)
to compete... and the G70 is another step above..

With the Media player, and USB facilities, also the audio keys... it is hard not to like the BK9.

The mic and effects are great (phantom power)..

Pedal options are good, other common feature with the G70, D Beam,
assign pedals, performances (user programs) are there..

Six fills (3 up and 3 down) Missing from EA7.

G70 is still the best keybed, but the BK9 is a close second and very playable .. Better than Korg even the PA4x..

Even with the abundance of features on the BK9 there are more on the G70 that are missing on the BK9,
Like aftertouch, separate outs, singer key , guitar mode, covers and harmonizer..

I like the light weight of the BK9 (20 pounds).. and is a quality instrument..

If I could only have one instrument it will be the G70..

I am sure the BK9 will grow on me as I get familiar with it... as the EA7 did (Pads and sampling worked well).

There were a few quirks with the EA7, that don't seem to be on the BK9.

After my time on the Korg PA4x , PA900 and PA1000... I made the right choice with the BK9.

It is all about the sound and the BK9 delivers..in a light package..


The bummer...… Roland has something coming that most likely will make the BK9 available for sale..


I will continue my review after I spend more time with it..
_________________________
www.francarango.com



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#454487 - 07/10/18 02:00 PM Re: First impression of my Roland BK9 [Re: Fran Carango]
Dnj Online   content
Senior Member

Registered: 09/21/00
Posts: 43703
Fran... I'm so happy for you finally that you got a bk9 good luck with it I know you will really dig in and find all its attributes and what it could really do when you get the time keep us posted I'm really excited for you enjoy... Breakfast when I'm better!


Edited by Dnj (07/10/18 02:02 PM)

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#454489 - 07/10/18 02:23 PM Re: First impression of my Roland BK9 [Re: Dnj]
Eric, B Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 12/15/99
Posts: 2028
Loc: Ventura, Ca, USA
Hi Fran,
I know what you mean by missing aftertouch. wink
I played my S-970 for some gigs to lighten the load from my T4.
Aftertouch was a big thing for me missing.
I don't see a lot of players mentioning it .... ???
Now that I have a Genos, I am happy as can be.
Light weight compared to my old T4 and aftertouch :):):)
So much more expressive when you play ...

One of the major things I like about the Genos are the amps and real distortion for guitars. As a guitar player this is a must for me.
The PA4X is a very close one.

How does the BK9 stack up against the 2?
Enjoy and have fun playing.
Eric
_________________________
Genos, PSR-S970, TC Helicon VoiceLive3, Mackie 802-VLZ3 Mixer, 2 Bose L1 Pro16, Electro-Voice ZXA1 Subwoofer

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#454505 - 07/10/18 10:15 PM Re: First impression of my Roland BK9 [Re: Fran Carango]
TedS Offline
Member

Registered: 04/28/06
Posts: 805
Loc: North Texas, USA
"There were a few quirks with the EA7, that don't seem to be on the BK9."

Thansk for your review. I never tried a G-70 but messed around a lot with the BK-9. This comment intrigues me the most because I'm actually more interested in the E-A7. Would you be kind and give some examples?

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#454511 - 07/11/18 04:35 AM Re: First impression of my Roland BK9 [Re: Fran Carango]
Fran Carango Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 05/26/99
Posts: 9673
Loc: Levittown, Pa, USA
Ted here are a few quirks... when using the mic input, sound would only come out of the left speaker till you switched back and forth the gain switch on the back.. then it was fine.

When searching and selecting a file for playback on USB stick.. after selecting the current song it would return to the first page of content, instead of remaining on the selection location.


When recording a wave, sometimes on playback of new recording it would not play the first measure or so.


By no means are these deal breakers...the EA7 is a great keyboard and the best value on the market..
_________________________
www.francarango.com



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#454514 - 07/11/18 05:23 AM Re: First impression of my Roland BK9 [Re: Fran Carango]
Bill Lewis Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 11/12/08
Posts: 2441
Loc: Bluffton/Hilton Head SC USA
Fran
So glad your enjoying the BK9. I've been very happy with mine from the sound to the weight. Every time I get the urge to do and organ jam I'm amazed how good you can make it sound with some editing.
I've also been getting into the OTS for preformances and am finding it very quick and easy to set up 4 different setups for a Style. Gary got me doing that with the song he posted Baker Street. Guitar for the opening chords, Sax for the keynote riff, and piano for the VRS. Since I tend to use some Styles for numerous songs its nice to have variations to work with.
And again I'll ask if anyone can teach me how to get my Unrealbook songs on my Ipad to change preformances on the BK9 I will pay for the tutoring time.
BTW Tony Monaco is forming a new 5 week Blues class online. Two levels, beginner and intermediate/expert. If your into jazz organ this is the man to learn from.


Edited by Bill Lewis (07/11/18 05:25 AM)
_________________________
Bill in SC --- Roland BK9 (2) Roland BK7M, Roland PK5 Pedals, Roland FP90, Roland CM30 (2), JBL Eon Ones (2) JBL 610 Monitor, Behringer Sub, EV mics, Apple iPad (2) Behringer DJ mixer

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#454549 - 07/11/18 07:50 PM Re: First impression of my Roland BK9 [Re: Fran Carango]
Nick G Online   content
Senior Member

Registered: 11/16/05
Posts: 1107
Loc: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Hey Fran,

Just Curious what is the average street price of the BK9 over in the states?

I have only seen one for sale here on Ebay AU in the last 2 years. I would love to get my hands on one but may have to look into shipping out of the US... which is always costly..
_________________________
Yamaha PSR SX900 / Roland G70 / Roland BK9 / Korg PA700 / Roland GW-8L / Roland Fantom O6

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#454550 - 07/11/18 08:20 PM Re: First impression of my Roland BK9 [Re: Nick G]
Fran Carango Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 05/26/99
Posts: 9673
Loc: Levittown, Pa, USA
Originally Posted By Nick G
Hey Fran,

Just Curious what is the average street price of the BK9 over in the states?

I have only seen one for sale here on Ebay AU in the last 2 years. I would love to get my hands on one but may have to look into shipping out of the US... which is always costly..



Nick they are hard to find... it looks like the sales history shows about $1,500 average..
_________________________
www.francarango.com



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#454551 - 07/11/18 09:20 PM Re: First impression of my Roland BK9 [Re: Fran Carango]
Nick G Online   content
Senior Member

Registered: 11/16/05
Posts: 1107
Loc: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Originally Posted By Fran Carango
Originally Posted By Nick G
Hey Fran,

Just Curious what is the average street price of the BK9 over in the states?

I have only seen one for sale here on Ebay AU in the last 2 years. I would love to get my hands on one but may have to look into shipping out of the US... which is always costly..



Nick they are hard to find... it looks like the sales history shows about $1,500 average..


My Guess is no one wants to sell them because they are too good!
_________________________
Yamaha PSR SX900 / Roland G70 / Roland BK9 / Korg PA700 / Roland GW-8L / Roland Fantom O6

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#454552 - 07/11/18 09:26 PM Re: First impression of my Roland BK9 [Re: Fran Carango]
DonM Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 06/25/99
Posts: 16735
Loc: Benton, LA, USA
They didn't make that many of them. Die-hard Roland fans like them a lot.
Too many missing operational features for me. I liked the weight and the organ sounds. Guitars still dated, no vocal harmony, no break/fill, hated the screens. It depends on what you want and need in an arranger.
_________________________
DonM

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