was my first arranger keyboard.I gigged with a saxophone player on week-ends and after retiring in 2003 we played senior centers in and around the greater Seattle. I found a studio recording we made and was surprised how good the styles were on the EM25. Now I'm regretting I sold it in 2005 and I'm curious if someone on this forum may still have one they are willing to sell for a reasonable price.I still have the floppies. PM OK

Gerry

Hey Dnj, thanks for posting a link.

Wow, that's a real oldie! IMO it's the disk drive and the floppy disks themselves that are the achilles heels of these older models. The disk drive makes the keyboard bulky, heavy, and contains moving parts that will eventually wear out. Some companies make a kit that replaces the floppy drive with a USB socket, and fools the main board into thinking that your USB stick is a series of floppy disks. But by the time you've spent the money for that, you could have bought a newer model. So I personally wouldn't consider anything that doesn't have USB.

Another thing: Although they increased from two to four variations per style at some point, Roland never changed their style data format. So if you liked the EM-25's styles and those on your disks, they will play on any newer model! If you really want an on-board floppy drive, I would look for a used E-50 with it's nice touch screen interface. Or just jump straight to a BK-5 (good) or E-A7 (better). For the money, there's a world of extra features and a huge improvement in sound quality. My $.02.

Teds: Thanks for the points well taken. Too much time on my hands and getting nostalgic for the fun I had with that keyboard. I should quit cleaning up my music room and deal with the present and future.

Gerry

Sent you pm

You are very welcome ...

Sparky,sent a reply to your pm. Thanks