Sweetwater was here..

What is it about that kb that keeps it popping up all over, then disappearing, then popping up again? I'm sure you think Don will take it off your hands when you get tired of it ... this is a funny, funny place. You DO know you can buy tootsie rolls without getting a keyboard, right?

Hey! It is a great arranger. It has been a huge success for Roland overseas. That's where the market for arranger keyboards is the biggest. But it is also a fine option for those of us in the U.S.
It sounds great, has tons of features, is light weight and inexpensive.
I will consider getting another one as backup and for portability, but not right now. I want to spend all my time and effort on the SD7.

Who said touch screen is required for a great arranger? Yamaha didn't have this until the very latest generation, i.e., Genos. I don't think the Audya had a touch screen either. On many Ketron models the vocal harmony is optional.

The two things I wish the E-A7 had that it doesn't, are a 16-track sequencer (to ensure complete MIDI capture and quick editing), and maybe a chord looper- which would bring it near feature parity with the BK-9. I don't personally use the D-Beam or FC-7 (yet), so loss of those features isn't a big deal to me.

It's conceivable, although unlikely after 5 years, that Roland could bring out an E-A9 with these features. I don't mind the "Asia" designation. If making an instrument multi-cultural is what it takes for Roland to achieve its breakeven point, I'm fine with it. They even found a way to adapt the scale keyboard buttons to a "Western" purpose.

I'm afraid Roland's out of the arranger game for good. But if all I can scrounge years from now is an E-A7, that wouldn't be too terrible.

A touch screen is not a necessity, but having one for a while has won me over. It is just so much faster and easier to get around with. I would like to see Roland put out an E-A7 with a touch screen, harmony, at least a basic sequencer and maybe a looper. But I too fear they may be just about done with arrangers. Also, the life cycle of their arrangers seems to have increased. They are still selling the BK5 after 7 or 8 years.

Hey guys, I have the Prelude in my EA7 box... ready to ship out

I really don't need anything but the G70


Ted and Bill, you guys made good points.

Tracy I'm sure if we went to China we wouldn't see new BK-5's still coming off the line. I'm guessing they show it as a current product on their website to help dealers & distributors move unsold inventory. Until their current entry-level EX series surfaced (which IMO are just rebranded Yamaha, Medeli, etc.), it also gave them something at a lower price point. Still hoping...!

I agree Don...
Personally right now after having everything out their
2 or 3x each.....
I am in a self induced dedicated arranger KB holding pattern for now.
Nothing out there excites me at all.
But I will reserve myself to wait for what is to come in an arranger kb down the road hopefully before I buy again.
Meanwhile I have plenty here during this quarantine, etc,
to keep me busy playing musically at home in other ways..

That Fran's an old jokester ... had us all thinking he bought another EA7. HA!