There were thousands of anguished Technics owners all over the world, including myself, when the news came out that Panasonic was dissolving that division.

I still find my KN7000 the easiest to program, and the best sounding big band music. I can't understand why someone hasn't procured the rights to the OS and modernized it with today's frills.

I still play mine after 12 years and thousands of gig hours, all without a hitch.

with Technics and general music leaving the arranger market, two of the most innovative brands left the buiseness.

Which is a pitty

So Bernie, what happened to that BK-9 review? Do you still have it? Do you enjoy it? What was the outcome?

Thanks!

Adimatis

I haven't done a BK-9 review because I have been too busy playing gigs to make a complete assessment. However, first impressions are very favorable,

I have it set up with my Yamaha S910 with the BK-9 on the bottom triggering the S910 accmp from my left hand whenever the sync is on and,of coarse playing the Roland styles with a choice of leads from both instruments. This is looking like a formidable combination.

As far as just the BK-9 is concerned, the keybed feels good, in between my old G70 and PSR's. It looks good, and feels pretty solid in spite of it's light weight.

It has a punchier and more live rhythms than Yamaha, but not like my Audya. This is not a detriment at all in smaller venues.

The voices are good, with some better and some not compared to the 910. It has a killer Hammond sound with the best Leslie sim yet, and with full controls. I had to tweak it some to get it perfect for me.

The SMF playback is better than any of my board, as is the mic.

The two small windows make it much easier to perform tasks and navigate; with my iPad apps, it is a breeze. It does have an internal lyrics/chords display with SMF playback which is readable, but opting for a 7 in monitor.

I like the amount of Yamaha styles better, and a lot of things about Yamaha are great also, but I have, by no means, learned all the parameters of my Roland yet

I like them both for different reason. One is not better than the other, just different.

More later

Nice to read that you appreciate the BK-9. I am observing BK-9 sales at Europe's largest dealer Thomann. They are incredibly low. There are only 4 customer reviews. Occasionally, there is a return/B-ware, but no new customer review for a year or so. Virtually no demand for it, which is sad.

No touch screen is a big issue with bk9..among a few other things.....
..I hope they regroup and design a whole new line arranger keyboards....or have thet given up for good.

Thanks, I am looking myself into getting a BK9, I don't know when will that be, but I am hopeful. So, your short review confirms my expectations and hopes. I've not tested one yet, but I am planning traveling to a near by city where they have one on display.

I am also very intrigued by the lack of interest. Indeed, not only Thomann but several other dealers report low sales.

That in itself is not a problem to me. I remember when E60 came out, I was among the first ones to get it, I think I was the first or the second on this forum to have bought it, untested before, from an online retailer. I trusted Roland enough and I was happy with it for a while. So nor problem, again I'd be one of the few to own and play an Roland arranger.

I have the feeling that G70 story might be BK9's too. A version 2 or 3 of the OS, with some improvements might give it the proper value...

I tend to agree, I think many people are turn down by no touchscreen, but also I think a Vocal Harmonizer was expected (against of what some user declare) and some user, me included, would've liked onboard speakers.

Anyway, I am looking forward for when I'll be able to get it.

Thanks again.

I guess the knowledge that Roland has dissolved its arranger division and subsidiary Roland Europe has also deterred customers from investing in a Roland arranger, in addition to terrible marketing and video presentations. If you look at sales of the BK-7m (released in 2011), there are over 20 (positive) customer reviews at Thomann. I really hope Roland will develop an updated module some time. The BK-9 has a complete BK-7m and many more sounds on board.
However, it is also Roland's own fault not sticking to their announcements to release expansion tones for the BK-9 and not providing any updates since October 2013.

That's probably true!

A friend of mine tells me he was very interested in a BK-9, especially because it has a Chord Sequencer, but upon learning that the latter can not be transposed while playing, made him put off buying until a fix was announced...so far, nothing from Roland about such a fix.

I think the concept of the BK-9 was brilliant, especially considering its portability (for a 76-note instrument) and excellent features (especially the organ sim), but I also believe that, due to recent changes, there are too many unanswered questions about the future of Roland arrangers to give people enough confidence to invest in one.

Ian