What module DOES have a pitch wheel on it? D-Beam is useless as a pitch bender anyway (you'd know that if you used one), and most controllers have pitch wheels or levers. Those controlling things from a piano front end tend to be pianists, and aren't really into that (or why would Yamaha NOT put a pitch wheel on all its stage pianos? - they all have sounds in them that could use one).

This module is NOT meant JUST for use with a digital piano. It works pretty well with just about any type of MIDI controller, accordions, MIDI guitars, keyboards, you name it. Should you choose to use a controller that DOESN'T have a pitch bend capability, that's YOUR choice. Roland have NEVER provided pitch bend on any previous model. There's no 'one step back'...

Yep, putting it on a footpedal or a footswitch (be nice to use a couple of FC-7 switches for a pitch up/down capability) would be a step FORWARD, but few players will need it. I have rarely seen anyone using the footpedal pitch bends that Yamaha arrangers can do. Maybe it should be dropped, like the Chord Sequencer..?!

If you anticipate wanting to do a lot of pitchbends, yep, you are going to need a controller with one. Plenty of 88's with them. In fact, didn't Yamaha make one of the most successful (KX88)? Then they stopped making it...

One step back...