Well, it’s still got way more sounds than the BK-9, and available used for less than half the new price of the BK-9 when in production. The Fantom Rack was no cheapie either.

Let’s face it, Yamaha or Korg aren’t going to pack every sound from a $5k TOTL arranger into a few hundred dollar module. The Super Canvas that had the G1000 soundset wasn’t exactly peanuts!

Yes, a cheap module will give you a bit of the ‘flava’ of another brand, but if you want the best sounds with good quality D/A converters for the same rich sound, you ARE going to have to open your wallet a little wider.

In the end, it’s not so much the cost, it’s the convenience. A rack module (or free standing one), if it can be run totally from your main keyboard, that saves you lugging around multi-tier keyboard stands, pedals, peripherals, and stops you being buried behind a pyramid of keyboards in front of you!

IMHO, the Roland BK7-m was a breakthrough product that few really understood or appreciated, leading to no copycat products. But in its way, it was EXACTLY what you want. Not just the sounds, but the full arranger engine in a tiny compact form factor.

Sadly Roland never took the new capabilities of the BK9 (the SN guitars, the chord sequencer, the HB Hammond section and mic input etc.) and crammed it in the same form factor. That would be a serious piece of kit, worthy of running alongside any modern flagship keyboard, including synth workstations…

Another in the long line of ‘Missed it by THAT much!’ Roland gaffes. 🙄🎹