No No No Bill, Wooden cabinet, wooden head who designed it, no one does wood anymore, and the sounds are for very old men, I suppose someone will buy one, Bontempi sold a few with imitation wood, mind you that was 30 years back. Even Wersi don't do wood, the guy was really proud it was in wood!

Regards

Tony

Great demos. I wish all the manufacturers would do something like this.
DonM

I ran these demos through my Bose L1 Compacts and the sounds are
outstanding. If you are listening only on your PC or laptop there is no way you can hear what is really being played. The spec sheet said it weighs 42.8 pounds. At 3999 British Pounds it would be just over $6,200.00.

Deane

Hammer,

You would need two people to carry it and two people to buy it, am I going nuts, is there a market for such a thing.

Tony

It's not for me, but for an organist who wants good arranger features and a fairly small footprint it would be good. And not everybody is as poor as we are Tony!
DonM

Very good demo, players and sounds.

“The spec sheet said it weighs 42.8 pounds. At 3999 British Pounds it would be just over $6,200.00.”
Years back I had a Wersi organ that that allowed me to dismantle the pedals and the stand so that I could use it as a portable. Two 61 note keyboards – wood exterior similar to the Orla. Great sound but to classy for the job; it was quality, clean sound and too heavy. If you listen to some of the demoes of the Orla and close your eyes you can picture an Organ.
My assumption is that keyboards that come from an organ based company are basically the top part of the organ with some extras. They certainly sound like they do. So at a weight of 42.8 pounds and a price of 3999 British Pounds -- $6,200.00 USA I feel they are right on the money. Think organ and then the Orla keyboard; you cannot compare it to a Tyros 4 or a Pa3x they are different animals. Personally, the Orla or Wersi keyboards and a set of base pedals is enough organ for me. I hate pedals -- I tried them with my guitar; press the base pedal with the left foot and with your right foot you turned right for major – left for minor and I forgot the rest.
I was a one man band with my guitar and the auto guitar unit; the guitar and microphone were wireless. The owner of the club asked me if I could do the wireless thing and cover the bar and the main room. I said I would at twice the price; the conversation was over.
Just sharing, John C.

Hi Deane

I ran it through high end equipment but fail to see what is so special about these sounds.
It honestly sounds like my PSR 9000 thats collecting dust. The styles sound very Yamaha-ish. Sounds are also pretty dated.
Im all for new keyboards coming out, but sound wise this keyboard takes a few steps back.

David

10 out of 10 David, you’re on the money, everything you said is spot on. There is no one left in the UK old enough to buy one. How these people do their marketing is beyond me, that why the price is so high, they are only likely to sell a few.

A little man in a garden shed making them also keeps to cost down.

Regards

David,
What kind of "high end" equipment did you use?
Deane

Don,
Can't imagine anyone taking it out gigging, wood, boats are made out of wood, the Lowrey Holiday and the Conn were made of wood, suppose it's environmentally friendly, so is plastic and metal now. Like you say here's two that won't be buying one, maybe Bill's got his eye on one, ditch the Wersi. Not certain there's a pier near Bill he could play it on to the old folks.


Regards

Tony

See you got your reply from TWD about the Ketron battery, I knew he would reply to you and give you some advice, is a good guy, he's pretty hot on Ketron.

I lugged around a HUGE Yamaha FS500 organ, leslie, speakers and pa for a long time. The organ DOLLY probably weighed more than my entire setup does now! Before that there was Lowry Holiday and Hammond B3.
I don't miss the good old days at all!
DonM

Sorry, but I just had to laugh at those demos but, giving the benefit of the doubt on this, I assume that Orla did some market research. Amazingly, they've been around for ever, and should know their marketing practices by now.

Unfortunately, this keyboard would also seem to have been around for as long as the company. It looks and sounds like everything a modern keyboard isn't. Definitely in the 'what were they thinking' category. Fail.

If I might be allowed a mature comment .....

Is it possible that Orla HAVE done a lot of research and come to the conclusion that the largest market out there for keyboards consists mainly of mature players? Have you ever noticed that videos of demo meetings has an average visitor age of , let's say, seniors?
They not only have a little more disposable income but also have a penchant towards the more traditional music and sounds, which come from a single unit and stays where it is from the day it was delivered and forms part of the room decor.

Being among the latter, I certainly think that Orla has a winner here.

Go on Eddie give to them!!!

You must have more disposable income than most, or as they say in the UK, a fool and his money are easily separated, $6000, not for one moment would I think you a fool Eddie, BTW you never rang me. Eddie you wouldn’t by any chance have any cork tiles in your house would you. Wooden keyboards, what will they think of next, no don’t tell me I’m much too old like DonM

Regards

Tony

OK Tony I surrender!
As soon as I have come to understand your ramblings, I'll try to give some sort of assessment of your gist (in the meantime you can tell me what juice you are on

BTW, I rang Orla's UK director this afternoon and gave me a price of £3350.......where dod you get the $6000 from?

BTW, I rang you a couple of times without getting any connection............
cheers
Eddie

Here's the thing, though, Eddie. You're quite right with your assessment of Orla's target market, maybe older folks have the disposable moolah ('cept for that pauper Tony obviously :-)), but I'll be at the delicate age of soixante-neuf soon and you wouldn't (er, WOODn't?) catch me within a mile of that keyboard. To those who do like and buy one, all power to them. If it makes you, collectively speaking, happy, then go for it and jam like there's no tomorrow.

And while I'm here a very Happy Christmas and New Year to you all!

Folks must have forgot about the good old days......they complain about a 46 pound G70...now!!!

Orla has the look of a 31 year old Casio (with more buttons, of course) and it sounds like a 20 year old instrument.

If that's what you're looking for, then it's a keeper, but I think that kind of money would be better spent buying a second hand Roland Atelier...you'd get the wood look, plus a far more contemporary sound (and pedals too), and since the Orla is pretty heavy, I doubt if anyone is interested in a "portable" instrument if they are considering it.

Anything over 40 lbs is just way too heavy for gigging, especially when you add the weight of a decent road case.

Ian

PS...I love the "wood" look on a keyboard, but, I'm afraid it just comes across as cheap looking on the Orla.

Hi Eddie,

I stopped drinking 8 years back, not certain it did me any good, do you think a few stiff drinks might straighten me out again, BTW the $6000 came from someone in the states not guilty as charged. The price makes not one jot of different I won't be going down the Orla shop. You sound like you are interesed in buying one, that will be two in the Uk you and Bill Abacus, pity there is no pier in Rotherham, the only thing that looks new on that Orla is the two wheels, there are off and old Ketron that locked up.

Look forward to a chat Eddie you sound like you like a good laugh.

If I don't speak before Christmas have a nice one.

Best Wishes

Tony

Soixante neuf eh! (I will now give you a rendition of Cliff's "Young Ones" you need another 'onze' of his "Summer Holiday's to catch me up!)
Maybe your last three words are not far from the wonderful truth?
No. I won't be buying the Orla myself, I was just pointing out that Orla have a market for it.
If I were to splash out with my disposables, I would go for the T4.
cheers

Now Eddie buying a T4 makes sense.

Cheers

Well, more sense than that Orla, anyway.

124, is that an Orla your playing?

Well spotted, Tony. It's lucky I've got my good side towards the camera.

124,

The only reason I said it was an Orla it looks like wood.

Happy Days

Tony

Tony Hughes. ORLA Prices are so high because this enables them to give silly very high part exchange offers the customers can't refuse.
Unfortunately once you are hooked into Orla the only way to sell it is to part exchange for a more expensive model.

Yes I understand that Graham, still to exchange one for my Audya they would need to cross my palm with gold, and lots of it.

Regards

Tony

Orla on YouTube http://www.organfax.co.uk/news/view/598/