I think it came out in 1996. It is a very sturdy board too. The body is metal, and has the usual plastic end caps like on most synths The only thing I've heard about was a couple users complained that after years of owning them and gigging with them 5 days a week for years noticed the weights under the keys were begining to come loose. Roland said the problem was only limited to a few of the synths (due to a problem in the manufacturing plant). From what I was told the fix is really easy and if they fall out can easily be reglued by the user. I don't know the name of the glue, but I was told it can be bought in department stores. The OS might be a little confusing at first if you're not used to Roland synths though, but once you get the hang of it navigating the board is a breeze.

Squeak