The May issue of Keyboard Magazine (www.keyboardmag.com) reviews the Roland G70 written by Stephen Fortner.

"Pros:
Full gamut of great sounds includes beautiful piano and killer organ mode. Great interface with brilliant housekeeping. Everything is tightly integrated. Vocal Harmonist rocks. Clearly-written manual.

Cons:
A few sounds and styles are oddly organized. Physically too deep for many standard 76-key cases. Harmonic bar and SRX sounds can't be put into Styles. Finder can't search factory ROM for tones and Styles."

And the Conclusion?

It's a rewarding experience to make music with this powerful machine. Everything is so tightly integrated with, and linkable to, everything else that there are often many routes to the same destination, and I've only scratched the surface here. This would be daunting if it weren't for the work Roland's done making the interface almost take you by the hand. Has it earned rights to the title "ultimate", and lived up to it's $5K price tag? For the market they're after, I think so. This is an intermediate-to-advaned player's arranger, as evidenced by the fact tht training wheel-like one finger chords and guide modes that wait for the right note are present but down played. The Tyros has those, too, and save for B-3 sounds, is sonically competitive, but the G takes the lead for Keyboard feel, interactivity, and real-time control. It's a very significant act of leapfrom in the arranger race."

Interesting Al. Thanks for the heads up.

The G70 is rousing my interest but there are a few things that are holding me back from getting one. At a little over 45 lbs. the G70 is on the heavy side, at least to me anyway. Roland did a fantastic job in making the Fantom X7 Workstation (76 keys) which weighs only 32 lbs. If they could have accomplished that with the G70 they would no doubt sell many more of them in my opinion. There is no Hard Drive option which is a shame. You can only load one SRX expansion Card at a time. The Fantom XR (Rack Module) can load up to six SRX cards at a time. Why only one for the G70? Only Roland knows for sure. The price is another concern with the G70 ranking as one of the most expensive Arrangers yet.

And I definitely want to wait and see if Yamaha relents and does indeed produce a 76 Key version of the Tyros 2. If not, I will hold on to my Tyros "I" and bide my time to see if they come out with a 76 key Arranger later on down the road. I won't hold my breath though and may eventually jump ship if the opportunity arises and the price is right. Roland and Korg are on the right path but they are still lacking in some areas for my playing needs and also because Yamaha has such great online user support with Styles, software, and an expansive owner/user help base. Something you just don't get with the other Brands in my opinion.

Best regards,
Mike

Mike,
The G70 may not have an internal hard drive, but you can use an external hard drive through the PCMCIA slot on the back. Also, there is 50MB of internal memory.
As for the Tyros with 76 keys........Not from what I hear from my friends at Yamaha.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

If I had the bucks, this review would sell the G70 for me. But at $4000 +/-, I'll be waiting until they hit the market on eBay, if ever. Thank God I haqve my VR760 (what a board!)

Cass

Thanks George. Yes, I meant an internal Hard Drive. Using an external Hard Drive is a plus but it's just one more item that has to be carried around, plugged in, unplugged, handled carefully, etc. With an internal you set it and forget it, which is optimal - at least for me anyway.

About the Tyros 2.. Even though initial indications point to only a 61 key version, it doesn't hurt to hope for a 76 key version. You never know. Yamaha could surprise us all.

Best regards,
Mike