Reasons why I am not interested in replacing the Roland G70.

Yes I have tried other keyboards...just about all of them,
and there are always things I will not give up..

I will firstly re affirm why I think an Arranger keyboard is
the only way to go.
Work flow and flexibility out performs any workstation..

For me the benefits I get with the G70...Still the best semi weighted
key pad...
6 Tones available at all times, and 3 split zones..all with velocity
switching or pedal control..

One touch settings are like mini performances..you can
actually set up all 6 tones and effects for each of the
four, one touch settings..

I prefer not to use one touch settings..because I like using
the 16 category buttons to select different tones( like having 16 tones
instead of the standard 4...).

I have no doubt, many G70 owners, have not realized the many features
they have at their finger tips..Making some real bargain prices on used G70's.

Here are a few more things that the G70 does, that are not well known...

You can edit/change all the preset styles, including separate eq..save all the edits on a
external memory..keep the exact names of the styles and save as a rom file..
Now you can replace the ROM styles internally..with all your selections and edits..

If you like to use performances (User programs)..You are not limited to 144 slots,
in the user program, but you can select from any user program on your external
memory...limited only by the size of your memory source..

The tone edits in a style or SMF, are the best..I like to change the velocity of drums..
this allows the velocity switching of the drums to come alive..
Also changing eq live is easy..want to deepen that bass..bingo , easy to do..
Make up tools are super..with the touchscreen..

If you want to switch to another gear while playing dance music..
Use your covers..select bass and pick a synth bass tab, or drums and select a hip hop
kit..it takes a few seconds..all in real time..

If you are looking for a different overall feel of a style..an example, you are playing
a style or SMF, with a lot of brass..switch to guitar tab in covers, and you have that
Elvis sound..

Speaking of Elvis, there is a great Elvis trio selection in the harmonizer (vocal)..

Add this to your Elvis cover change...perfect..

The G70 harmonizer is the most mis understood feature...There are so many edits to make it
just right, and easily saved..I have seen my pro friends listen to a default setting for a
few seconds, and say nay...then take 3 months trying to set up their own keyboard..

G70 has a vocoder in vocal harmony...and it is not your old Korg vocoder..
most folks pass over this, and it is the best harmonizer I have found..if you play your
own voicing...
Edit wise you have 4 voice zones with it's own editable options including degree of gender..

If you haven't tried it..you missed the boat...Don't forget to select "your voice"..

I have mentioned many times about the G70 vocal harmonizer being smart..reading
chords from all the sources, automatically..No switch a SMF track for a chord, or selecting
another choice for style play..All of the different selections in harmony are active
with front panel buttons and touch screen...
All the settings are easily saved in user program..

I love using arranger keyboards, but use differently than most folks..
over done busy styles..scream fake to me..they leave no room to play, and take away
respect you could obtain via playing..

I like to strip down a style, resulting in more believable, and realistic sound...
I also retain the same players....like if it was a real band...

I like to link a style and a SMF together...the G70 can switch between style a SMF smoothly.
Keep the tempo the same..also the one touch settings are available with this concept.
Four markers allow for added flexibility..
I also assign buttons to switch off arranger and play left hand bass(or just auto bass
with drums)..

Another great feature, the singer key, sets your vocal range and will automatically select
the key for you SMF...works great,,

Hopefully this post enlightens G70 players and also give you some ideas to use with
your keyboard choice..

I agree with most of what you are saying. Korg also does most of these things very well.
Too bad Roland doesn't see a need for Break/fills! Because I certainly do and don't want to have to rewrite every style.

If the G70 works for you why get a new keyboard?
I have been a KORG supporter for 35 years and they let me down many times, for example, my Pa800 cpu board died and is discontinued, forced to buy new?

I liked My G70. Did so many things great.... But at 49lbs was a bit to much to gig in/out every day and 76 keys long.

I am teaching my two nefews on a G70, i advised my sister to buy it for the high quallity keybed..

I can understand Frans enthousiasme because its true, there are so many things of the G70 that still rock. But compared to my T5 its clearly showing its age when it comes to totall sound quallity...

Fran I too have always loved Roland products. I still have an RD700 that feels and almost sounds like my real grand. Any more the weight factor jumps in there. And I have had great success with Yamaha products.

Joe

The G70 weighs 46 pounds,,,the E80 weighs 49 pounds..

I like most things about the G70, I have mine since 2008 bought used (demo model) in the UK.

1) The build is top class,the weight should not be an issue.
(The B3 is about 450 pounds and I never hear much criticism of it's weight)

2) The sounds are all top class, effects are good.

3) The key feel is excellent

I probably could go on for awhile with more pluses but to cut to the chase, I am not happy about the supply of good usuable styles that are available,

Most of the styles I obtain are rehashes of other Roland products. I do have a BK 7 and yes I have transferred styles to the G70, whilst most work ok, some have "gremlins" which I cant resolve.

That said, I would appreciate if members (Roland lovers) could point me in the direction of a good suppler of decent G70 styles....END OF RANT...

Frank

A smaller G70 could put Roland on top again today ...

... isn't there an "antique arranger" forum you could post in? There are a lot of deaf ears here when ever you start a sentence with "My G-70 ..."

Hehe, if we take a look into the mirror, I think we will find more than arrangers who should move to "antique" areas.

Any body who praise G70 is either using the KB as SMF player or using it as a live KB with the band.Not as a full blown arranger user for main act.

The facts are - styles are less dynamic with poor bass programming ( does nt come close
to Ketron
- no multi pads
- great hardware and keys
- good piano/drums and some ok sounds but bad ac guitars/ sax (
even
with SRX)- same old 90's sounds and styles
- dead style support compared to Yamaha
- patch editing not as extensive as Korg ( not real workstation like editing)
or sample editing
- Styles get old quickly and no way to get fresh ones because no one is
writing them compared to others- unless for poor conversion. ( bass sounds are linear and monotonous without
expression due to lack of DNC or Megavoice like tech . Even with limited
Srx bass n drums.


So yes, perfect for GM/ GS SMF edit player/ live KBdist within a band .but not great for OMB with full arranger play.

G70 sounds are old and obsolete

Nothing wrong with vintage,...........
many people still playing Hammond B3's & DX7's out there!
Just sayin..

They are old... But many still compete with more modern sounds because of the huge sample rom memmory of the G70.... Sure there are better sounds available these days... But these sounds are far from obsolete and make a fine instrument in the hands of a good player.

Very well said !!!!!!!!

I loved all 3 of my G70's and I thank Fran for leading me in that direction. I had three because I couldn't then or now find anything as complete or satisfying for me. The s950 comes close, but if the G70 could lose 10-15 lbs, I'd still have a least one. And don't say I should get a BK 9 because it's not the same.

I swore I would not buy another G 70; please don't tempt me. Please. :-)

Cassp just go with your heart....if you love the G70 go for it prices are low as ever now ......I understand why you love it, players that use SMf......there is no better KB for that with so many amazing options, makeup tools, great VH, killer keybed,
touch screen etc, etc, ....
and nice sliders too it's a no brainer...

Cassp, I have all the G70 styles converted to Yamaha format, and to be perfectly honest, those styles, IMO, sound better in the S-950 than they did in the G-70. Now, I've never owned a G-70, but I did own a G-800. It was brutal to lug that thing around, and for me, those days of lugging God awful heavy gear to a job are long since gone.

So, don't "go with your heart", but instead, listen to your body talking to you when you try to heft a monster speaker on a pole, or lift a 46-pound keyboard housed in a 12-pound case out of the van an on to your R&R cart. That's insane.

Fran can rave all he wants about the build quality of his G-70, but in reality, the weight of the keyboard has absolutely nothing to do with the quality, unless, maybe, you're a real clumsy person that is constantly dropping your keyboard. In fact, some of the newer polycarbonate plastics are much stronger than steel, and far more durable, yet they weigh less than half as much as steel.

The first and only time I picked up a G-70 in a rigid case, I thought there was a dead body in the case - Damned that was heavy. I'm guessing the case weighed about 20 pounds with the cables and mics stored in it as well. That made a total of 66 pounds, almost as heavy as my old Peavey SP5G speakers.

Stick with the S-950, more styles, fantastic voices, easy to work with format, incredible product support, and light weight. Your tired, old body will thank you many times over.

All the best,

Gary

As far as top arranger keyboards go, Roland will NEVER be back again

My response to some comments made in this post..

Roland fan...obsolete sounds..Did you know that the most
desired Steinway piano sample is from the 30's..
The most desired sample Rhodes are from the early seventies..
The best sounding saxes are from the seventies..
The best sampled organs are from late 50's..

These are your obsolete dated sounds..that are still trying to duplicate
today..

Here is another tidbit..Roland's sampling technic (factory) has been unsurpassed..
Not even 2015 efforts out date a 10 year old sampling from Roland..

The SRX samples easily compete with competitors offerings..

Gary, weight does matter in most situations..You will never convince
me that quality does not shake hands with weight...
Look at any brand that has a low line and a top line..

Korg PA 300/600/900 vs PA2x/3x..
Roland BK3/5 maybe even 9 vs G70..
Yamaha any PSR vs Tyros4/5..

Common difference ..is weight..why..
quality conponents..

Open up a Yamaha PSR s950, or a Korg PA900, or Roland BK5..
What you will find is cheaply made components, and design..

Open up a Korg PA2x, Roland G70 or a Ketron Audya...and
you will find night and day quality differences with the
lightweight offerings..

Not just the cases..but circuit boards, design, buttons, switches, screens,
and hardware..and key beds..

Donny, the G70 is 10 years old, not 20..
Gary, my G70 in a Gator wheeled case and pocket full of accessories..
weighs 80 pounds ...It was a breeze loading into my Plymouth Voyager.
a nightmare loading into my Ford explorers,,,and a bit awkward loading
into my current Buick sedan..

Don't forget use it or lose it..this goes for muscles too..

Also don't forget..I always have a standing offer, to do a side by side against any
keyboard, new or old...Cream will always come to the top..

I have always A, B'd keyboards (over 30 years)..this is the best comparison..

I noticed just about all negative comments are from folks that never seen, played or owned
a Roland G70....or spent so little time with the instrument,
that you didn't touch the keyboards abilities..

Some comments are from folks that never out grown the entry level keyboards..

1988- Roland E-20 Synthesizer: Roland's first entry into the auto-accompaniment keyboard market, going head to head with Yamaha and Casio. The E-20's descendants include the E-70, E-86, G-800, G-1000, G-70 and the current E-80.

Such a strong statement and definitive oppinion should only be based on facts! Which obviously it is not, as you do not know the future. As I am concerned not only Roland could be *back again* but hack, even Casio could be back again. Why not? Anything stopping it, how?

If you meant Roland team that was once on top and not anymore, well then is different, most likely they will not make it again. But Roland as brand is way to valuable to be burried. Sold, transferred, yes it could be, but I think Roland will be around for another good while, even in arranger market. There will always be investors that see beyond our likes and dislikes and can appreciate the potential for development.

Anyway, you're entitled to your own oppinion, but I think it's slightly exagerated to be so... sure about what you've just said.

Fran, I wouldn't even try to convince you of anything - you already know everything there is to know about keyboards. We're all just dumb-asses that don't know Jack-shite about anything musical.

Enjoy your antiques,

Gary

MINE is better than YOURS ... na-na-na-na-na-nah !!!
Or to put it another way - 1-2 cha cha cha

I can't believe we are still going through this stuff ... SHEEEESH ... but I guess it was to be expected once a new board came on the market ...

if YOU like what YOU play, what do you care what ANYONE ELSE thinks?!? ... if you DON'T like what YOU play, get something else ... if you CAN'T get something else, just think about the poor people who can't play ANYTHING !!!

I STILL think my technics kn6000 was the BEST AKB EVER made ...

Tony....not at all..Read the title of my post..read my initial post..It was about the G70..tips and ideas, with suggestions for those interested in G70..Also explanation why I still use it..

The typical negatives come about from the folks that know they have inferior product..

I never mentioned or compared to any brand or model...

Other folks comments..out of line or off topic caused me to respond...believe me I was as gentle as I could be

Gary, yes I know a lot about keyboards, owned or played them all..always with open mind..(almost all)..

I gave specifics on my comments about quality to weight...and would suggest checking with real repair centers and get their view..instead of raising your blood pressure

If you guys can't handle a G70 whipping..don't read the G70 title post.....just kidding

I did, and when I told him what you said about weight and quality he couldn't stop laughing. This guy owns the largest, factory authorized repair center in the mid-Atlantic region. He repairs more arranger keyboards and synths in a week than most centers repair in a year. I think I'll take his word for it, Fran. And, I'll match my blood pressure against yours any day!

All the best,

Gary

Gary, how many of those heavy boards I mentioned, has he repaired? Not many, I bet,and I know why,

And how many of his repairs were PSR models? Lots!!!

Why does the better Tyros weigh more than a PSR?
Why does the better Pax3 weigh more than a Pa900/600/300 ?
Common sense tells me!!!
Ps. I don't have the same confidence in your repair guy,,
Or was it a big fish story?

I agree with Fran on TOTL arranger having quality components/ better sounding facts. It's already known.