This is really a question for G-70 owners..I want to ask about the quality and reality of the electric guitar (overdrive and distortion) and the basses on the G-70? I cannot get much from the demos, and thought I would ask some people who have used them in live situations.
Thanks
Dennis

Needed to edit because I forgot one...Also how would you compare the harmoniser to either the SD1 or the Yamaha? I have used both of those so I can get an idea of what the g-70 one is like.

[This message has been edited by miden (edited 01-04-2008).]

Dennis, I think the guitars are very realistic ( they still need to be played correctly], and as for the distortion..don't forget you have insert effects available...and who has better guitar effects than Boss/Roland..

I have heard and played all of the harmonisers..and the Roland is in a class of it's own...both quality and flexibility..not Ketron, not Yamaha. not Korg..not Gem, not Digitech..and not TC Electronics...Some of these are good..but Roland is still the best..

Besides where are you going to find a "Scat" sound other than the Roland..

Forgot about the basses...Some of the best...I have great musician friends that grew up loving the Moog for bass...guess what brand they use for bass today even though they play Korg PA1X Pro..yep that's right..XV5080 to be precise..

Thanks Fran
Thats pretty much what I had heard from people out here..Operationally it seems a lot better in what it can do than either the Ketron or the Korg..Things that I need in a board, and were not present in the pa2.
Cheers
Dennis

A counter opinion from someone that DOES own a G70...

Yes, the G70 guitars are very good, and the amp sim can make them even better, BUT... compared with a T2 or S900, if electric rock guitars are going to be your main thing, and you want to have great electric parts IN THE STYLE, and great basses too, Yamaha's guitars are better, IMO (plenty of user demos and factory stuff out there for you to make your own decision, in fact).

This is not to say they are necessarily better arrangers, but in that particular area, I'll definitely give the nod to Yamaha. The Mega voices in their styles have much better articulations. Me, I use a guitarist, so it isn't the deciding factor in an arranger, but I have to admit, were I solo all the time, the T2 would be a much more competitive arranger even with the lack of a 76. Not necessarily my final choice, but it WOULD get more of a consideration than it gets now...

The harmonizer universally gets the nod over Yamaha and Ketron, matched only by the Korg's.

Thanks Diki,
Actually about 65-70% of what I do is via midi and soon, my own recorded MP3's, with me playing all the keyboard and synth parts and the occasional left-hand bass+keyboard for variety. So the guitars in styles are not really critical, and not being a guitarist and playing solo, and playing a lot of what we call "Pub-Rock" I need excellent electric guitars.
The yamaha motif ES series has excellent guitars but I don't own the motif anymore so I guess it's that standard I am looking to get close to.
Roland do make excellent smf players..and you have given the G-70 such big wraps in the past and I reckon you know a bit about what you are talking about . I did get a brief play of an early G70 and the keyboard feel is the best I have played outside weighted keybeds.
The PA2x wasn't in the groove for me, but the G70 might be.
I am trying to get as much info as I can.
BTW Diki have you used the harmoniser on the G70 and if so can I ask your thoughts on it?
thanks
Dennis

Diki (or others),
sorry another one...What have you made of the Song Make-Up Tools? do they work as well as they sound in the manual in real terms?
Thanks
Dennis

PS..I should have mentioned this earlier, as an apology to Diki, sorry m8, I didn't mean to disregard your views on the Tyros, and I do agree, it certainly sounds exceptional, but the 61 keys is a certain deal-breaker!!!..Now, if they put one of their excellent weighted keybeds, or even a decent 76 note keybed, that's a whole new ballgame!!

[This message has been edited by miden (edited 01-06-2008).]

Well, if you MUST have a 76, your choices are limited...

G70, E60 (but a little limited, especially in the guitars - no insert effects), PAX or Ketron (and I'm sure abacus will point you to several others that cost $7k+, but you don't sound like cost is of no concern!!)...

Ketron does have the mp3 player, but some sounds are a little long in the tooth. Korg's new PA2Xpro sounds like a good one, good Guitar Mode (Korg's can be used in Style Mode, Roland is live play only) but limited fills (3 compared to Y's 6 and R's 7). G70 is heavy, in many senses of the word! Brilliant piano, B3 and drums, but no mp3 player.

For what you sound like you need, I'd give the PA2Xpro and the G70 most of my attention.

And forget the harmonizer. No matter HOW good, they ALL make you sound like cheese! I haven't heard a demo on ANY keyboard yet that I thought the vocals were realistic with the harmonizer. A pretty sick gimmick, IMO (but I'm not trying to cheese out like some here). Once again, try before you buy. This 'feature', once you realize it's limitations and uninspiring sound, may not turn out to be so important as you think it is.

For me, my priorities are inspiring drums first, inspiring piano second, and inspiring B3 third. This makes the G70, despite it's weight and no mp3 player the perfect choice FOR ME... It's not perfect for many, but my priorities are mostly sonic and tactile, rather than convenience, so it works great as an arranger AND a 'live band' main keyboard.

BTW, you REALLY want to tie yourself down to audio files that will probably stay with you LONG after you've moved on to better keyboards? Most don't bother with completely re-doing ALL their mp3's EVERY time they move to another arranger, so 75% of what your audience hears is the old arranger you got rid of. (But if you DO go the MP3 route, why not hire a REAL guitarist to play on the recordings, and make the arranger's guitar sounds moot?)

Bottom line.... ALL of your choices are FAR too expensive to purchase without a good trying out. Don't make the mistake many make and end up with buyer's remorse (and a hefty re-stocking fee!). PLAY it, and LOVE it before you buy.

Hi Miden

Roland are releasing a new top arranger this year (Winter Namm or Frankfurt) with better sounds than the G-70 and some new futures.

Tin

Thanks Diki.
I have already tried and rejected the PA2x, not from a sound POV (apart from the electric guitars) but from an operational POV. Some parts of its op sys are the same as the original PA1X op sys 1.00!!!
The Roland has things like markers and txt lyrics scroll, song make-up and style from midi, which seems on the surface to be a lot more user-friendly.
Your idea about maybe paying a guitarist for a few sessions to record some beds for various tunes has some merit, even to the point of saying oh duh!! why didn't I think of that...simple and easy.
So i might investigate that further.
Then the mp3 option works because the sound is never going to change, in which case I can look at the Kurzweil PC1se and it has a fully weighted keybed in 76 notes with good wraps from other players and only weighs about 20kgs...hmm lots to think about.

And @ Tin, yeah I had heard the same thing through my industry grapevine out here, but if the price of the original G-70 is anything to go by, it will be around the same price as the PA2xPro...($7000 RRP). It would have to be pretty special to really outdo the g70. And as per the case of the PA1xpro -v- PA2xPRo I don't think the difference in keyboard will justify the difference in price.
Probably the only new keyboard that is going to be markedly different is the Audya, but even that remains to be seen.
Cheers
Dennis