One of the reasons I have allowed myself to jump in so aggressively on negative posting against the G70 in its' defense is that Roland's marketing strategy (at least in the USA) has resulted in it's arranger line being transferred from the MI division (regular Roland Fantom and Juno, etc. stores) with knowledgeable sales staff (sometimes!!) and aggressive sales pricing, online availability and good corporate support (OS updates, new styles, good demonstrators), to it's CK division, that handles Atelier organs and the home digital pianos.

Most of these stores (few and far between, compared to the MI division's stores) are ill equipped to promote the keyboard - they are mostly real piano stores that take on a digital line to get sales from folks that can't afford a real piano - they rarely have an experienced sales force (after all, these guys make their money selling Steinways and Baldwins, the profit margin on an arranger is hardly worth their time).

As a result, Roland have gone from the G1000 being one of the strongest arrangers on the US market to the near invisibility of the G70/E80.........

And so......... when a member here posts with negative information and opinion here, few have the ability to pop into their local store and check out the validity of said information for themselves. All to often, the poster themselves has either not heard and played one, has spent very little time on one, or played one when they first came out and discovered the voicing problems that were rectified in OS2. (Roland also share the blame here in releasing the G70 before the voicing team got some US ears on it - you know those Italians and their love of reverb!)

But why am I jumping in to defend it - I don't work for Roland, after all? Well...........

Poor reviews and misinformation about a product that is difficult to find are going to result in fewer sales, fewer players making the effort to find and play one, and consequently less support from Roland than we are already getting (hard to imagine, I'm sure!).

I think the G70 to be one of the best all around keyboards in existence...... not just as an arranger, but as a all purpose gigging machine. You can do anything with one of these, from solo all arranger mode, to SMF mode, to real band mode (watch their jaws drop as you play the VK organ section or the GrandX stereo piano!)........

BUT................ if it withers on the vine of Roland's indifference and the misinformation here, I'm not likely to get too many more OS updates and new styles for it, so self interest is the true reason I post in reply to some of the asinine comments this forum has devolved into making!

I really don't give a rat's a*se whether anyone thinks that 'Yamaha sh*ts on Roland' or some of the other, equally well-reasoned opinions spewed forth here lately. But I DO care that someone, faced with a long trip to see a very expensive arranger, chooses not to based on the Tyros proselytizing that goes on here.

GO SEE ONE, GO TRY ONE, MAKE YOUR OWN MIND UP.....

Also make sure that if you DO find one, it's the UPDATED OS and not the original. If I remember correctly the original was less than favorable--which resulted in some poor reviews.

Squeak

Great post Diki......thanx for your thoughts on the subject!

So they don't like the G70 - so what? What's a big deal?

Especially if someone makes up their mind having tried the instrument, albeit for only 10 minutes.

Just let them be. Defend the G70, do not offend the other guy. And if they chose another instrument, let it be their problem. You know your G70 is the best - let them choose another brand, it will be less competition to you. After all, if you know your board is the best, why do you need others to tell you that?

BTW, feel free to substitute any make/model of any product for "G70"

I have yet to understand why some plastic casing with wiring in it that makes noises can create such hot tempers an harsh words. Surely the G70 either rings your bell or it doesnt ?

I've never owned one but i have spent some time in a music shop playing it and left uninspired and actually quite disappointed but clearly others have done exactly the same and left the shop with one in tow. I say good for them ! now lets just make great music and stop bitching like a bunch of girls ! agreed ??????

I too played it in the store. The store owner tried to convince me to buy it but i would not pay a large amount of cash for a keyboard whose sounds sucked..well to me anyway...so lets not kid ourselves because there ARE people who have tried it and had a sour experience.

And there are people who've tried it and loved it........

Jeez, don't any of you actually read the post, or do you just see 'G70' and go 'Hmmmmmm better say it sucks'? All this post was about was why I allow myself to get involved in the bitch-slapping that has been going on here lately, something I don't feel good about. It wasn't a review of the keyboard (well, not much!), but an indictment of the attitude of Roland towards marketing it.

WAY too many people have never seen or tried one, and if all they have to go on is SynthZone, it's going to die. But witness a few who USED to be nay-sayers who finally got up and went to play one, and lo and behold, they actually like it! (or don't like it, but at least they went.......)

I have never said the Tyros sucks (except as a joke/example on the Yamaha Forum!), it just doesn't work FOR ME, but I would be the last guy to say 'don't bother trying one, they suck'. Every last one of us should be encouraging any newbies or curious potential buyers to try out EVERYTHING, and not be so egotistical as to assume that THEIR opinion is the only correct one.

By the way, if you've read my posts here, you will (hopefully) see that I am NOT one who tries to offend the other guy, despite their lack of any effort to do the same, I just try to explain, as well as I can, WHY I think the way I do........ Not enough people here follow the dictum of 'if you wouldn't say it to his/her face, don't post it'.

Find a politer way to express yourself, and people will (hopefully) spend a bit more time thinking about what you wrote......... (even if they DON'T agree with it, it won't get their backs up)

If not........ well, there's always that gig at the Beirut Hilton......

Ok i am going to re live the day i tried the g70. The things that impressed me were the keyfeel, harmoniser, 16 track sequencer, make up tools, srx board expansion, good looks. The things that i was a little disappointed with were the lack of dedicated buttons for each fill in, and the continued use of a touch screen...although it is lightyears better than the pa1x touch screen. I felt the styles generally disappointed me...however they sounded better than my va5. But is most of the sounds that were the biggest let down to my ear. The pianos (incl grandx),strings,saxes,guitars,flutes,brass all disappointed me and sounded a notch below my va5. However the accordions,trumpets and choir sounds were fantastic...

Can u record a short song using some of the sounds i didnt like? i want to see if v2 sounds different. Thanks.

Every top arranger keyboard made has value. The fact is they are all great, it is only us that differ or do not have the ability to understand what the manufacturer has created. None of them SUCKS. What a terrible expression.

IMHO, John C.