Chas, most of my body parts are shot to Hell, the lungs are significantly worse, and I cannot stay off nasal oxygen for more than 5 minutes without beginning to pass out. My daughter ran a separate oxygen line into my office so I could access the PC and mess with the keyboard, which helps a lot.

As for the weather, it was 88 here today, with 90 percent relative humidity, which is akin to stepping into a sauna when stepping outdoors. Plus, we still have some nasty air pollution from the forest fires burning in southern Canada. This is a nasty time of year for those of us that had bad lung disease, but I have to stay above ground so I can take care of Carol, which is almost a full time job. She has been wheelchair bound for more than 3 years now and can do very little for herself.

I can easily see your point about the cables running everywhere, especially when you are changing or shifting gear regularly, something I rarely do. I still have my ancient Yamaha S-950, it still does everything anyone could want to do with any arranger, and I know the OS like the back of my hand. All of the associated amps and mixers were sold about 4 years ago, but I still have my Rock and Roller cart, a few X stands, a mic stand, and my keyboard seat, all of which just sit here and collect dust.

Thanks for thinking of me, Chas,

Gary

Of course, Gary...and I'm not alone. Russ (Capt. Russ), who has this uncanny way of calling me when I'm out (usually at a Dr's appt.), always mentions you fondly, which always reminds me that a long-running forum like this one, with members who have grown old together, is more, MUCH MORE, than just a "Arranger forum". Along the way, some members have become close friends, even, in some cases, when they've never even met each other in person. Like any 'family', there have been some "fussin and fightin', breakups and makeups, and people from every region and every religious and political persuasion, but in the end the glue that holds us all together is MUSIC.

Anyhow, try to keep your spirits up and keep you head in the game.

chas

Ah thanks. My wife bought for some place (dunno), didn't like it and dumped it in my studio. It works.

My live is simple and just a few cords, not this mess with multiple needs. No one comes around, so it works. I change stuff way too much anyway.

here ya go: "It's not the cords, it's the Musician"

Product arrived today. Hot and tired after chores and a reunion and more drywall mudding. Lucky I got it moved indoors!

Well, as it turns out, the 3 pedalboard listed as an option DOES indeed work. I had GC call Roland to confirm this. The advertising on this is very unclear and confusing, not stating it is for the E50, specifically. Anyone interested in this package deal with the stand and pedalboard, like me, I will let you know when it arrives. The piano awaits all, still in the box.

Chas, there are indeed people here at least as smart as me! However, not one of them INCLUDING YOU have pointed out that there is no style import for the FP-E50 other than Roland’s commercial content.

Thousands of wonderful styles, completely unavailable. For the ‘average’ arranger user, this is a rather important factor. And it all seems so arbitrary. There is obviously a well hidden style import routine but nothing for the user to mess with.

Yamaha sell style packs. But they don’t orphan your existing collection. Yamaha arrangers have style import, but they didn’t choose to remove it for the DGX. What confuses and disappoints me mostly is, it must have taken considerable time effort and expense to redesign the style import procedures so that only curated, copyrighted and commercial styles can be imported…

I guess if you go into a purchase with no expectations, you’re never disappointed. But, as far as I can remember, there hasn’t been a keyboard with arranger features in this price range for thirty years that could not import the buyers style collection.

I just have to wonder… is there an unwritten rule at all the manufacturers that says ‘If you make an affordable 88, you must remove at least ONE basically essential arranger feature, preferably more’! Because that’s the story of 88 note arrangers in a nutshell..!

Diki, Diki, Diki. You need to take your concerns to ROLAND. This is just a wild guess but I'm thinking (one of) the reasons legacy styles aren't supported is because this instrument is based on a NEW SOUND ENGINE (Zen Core). Reading through all the hundreds of comments in the Demos, Reviews, and Forums, I haven't come across a single complaint about this EXCEPT YOURS. All I can say is, if you don't like it, don't buy it. Your requirements for all these 'arranger' features may, just may, be different from the person that's mainly interested in a good-sounding, affordable digital piano (and considers anything more a bonus). As I said before, if you want an arranger, get an arranger (or a DGX).

I hope you realize that your opinions carry slightly less weight than Roland's R&D and Marketing departments.

chas

As you might have by now gathered, Chas, I could not care less what YOU want. I will continue to put my opinions and viewpoint up here just as you do.

I am not going to stop you from saying what you feel like saying. And you aren’t going to stop me either. I guess it’s something we are just going to have to get used to.

Roland have only once, in my entire forty years of using them, ever responded to direct customer support. And that was about a disastrous update that was locking up arrangers. Our only route to let the manufacturers know of our opinions is forums like this. You may feel impotent, but I can assure you that Roland HAVE in the past responded to user feedback. And changed things.

So, while you might think it’s raining on your parade, trust me, if any of this gets addressed, you won’t be bitching about THAT, would you..? Or maybe you would… after all, you don’t really use arrangers much, do you?

Yeah, by getting out of the arranger market . I must say, the power of your complaints is absolutely astounding.



It may not "get addressed" because Roland designed it that way ON PURPOSE, not as an arranger (even if YOU keep insisting that it be one) but as a stage piano with a few arranger-like convenience features and a new sound engine. Apparently, their marketing dept. thought there was a market for this type of configuration. BUT....sounds like YOU want to make it into something else. Actually, I'm glad this board (FP-e50) showed up. Now that you've been able to show Ketron and Korg (PA5X) the error of their ways, you can now devote all your energy to demonizing another keyboard that you've never seen, much less played. Ahhh, your posts are SO uplifting....I think I'll just go throw my FP-e50 in the dumpster....I mean, what good is a PIANO without 4 variations, 4 intros, 4 endings, and some stuff in the middle.

chas