Vintage Synth Explorer

Roland • JD-800

The JD-800 is Roland's answer to half a decade of hard-to-program synthesizers. Covered in sliders that act as dedicated editors just like a classic analog synth, the JD-800 is an extremely programmable and hands-on digital synthesizer. It is also an interesting and great sounding digital synth with incredible flexibility and control. Internal ROM based waveforms are combined to build your sounds. The sounds are based on Roland's D-50, but updated for the nineties with multimode filters - uncommon but welcome at the time. Unlike classic synths that came in wood cases, the JD-800 came in a somewhat cheap plastic case and wasn't very sexy. Programming is a little too scientific for most but once you know what you're doing with it, almost any sound you can dream up can be dialed in and stored. It's used by William Ørbit, Emerson Lake & Palmer, 808 State, Ken Ishii, Astral Projection, Rabbit in the Moon, Depeche Mode, Underworld, Tangerine Dream, LTJ Bukem, Apollo 440, Jean Michel Jarre, ATB, Vangelis, Pet Shop Boys, Faithless, Luke Vibert, Mouse on Mars, Laurent Garnier, MC Hammer, Bushflange, Genesis, and Eat Static.

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Posting Rules: Please keep your comments relevant! Do not post requests for help, do not use for sales, do not post unless you have something interesting to say about this instrument, or we may delete your post.

 

Mark in FL

Posted 16 days ago

I have bought and sold many synths over the past 20 years. I bought a pristine JD-800 4 or 5 years ago and love it! It will NEVER be sold. There are times I use it for analog sounding synth leads & stabs over my Oberheim OB-8. The JD-800 has a unique and killer fat sound that even the OB-8 can't always beat (although the Oberheim is awfully sweet for a lot of things that the JD doesn't do too!). I bought a D-50 after I had the JD-800. I re-sold the D-50 a few months after I bought it. I found it gave me nothing the JD-800 didn't already do (and do better). LOVE those knobs & sliders!!! This is a synth!

jimmy

Posted 29 days ago

the jd 800 is a fine synth. a bit twiddly but if you fiddle around enough you can get some reasonable results. dont know why people hear compare it to the d50 so much. the d50 is in a class of its own with the way that it sounds. to round it up i would say that the jd 800 is a ok synth but it is no d50.

mdma is your friend

Posted 38 days ago

absolutely ben. killer look with nice orange accents makes you just cream yourself. really cool. but the sound is what makes this really interesting. yes its architecture is different than the d50, but these d50 nipple-anxious boobs blind themselves to a truly great synth. try an init patch and see for yourself.

Ben

Posted 40 days ago

I have no idea why the JD800 always gets slated for its appearance. THIS IS THE MOST AWESOME LOOKING SYNTH EVER MADE. And the sound? I don't care.

aiden

Posted 42 days ago

the jd 800 is the d50s little brother! ! and sounds that way also.go for a d50 anyday over a jd 800. the d50 sounds mature and crystal fresh as the jd 800 sounds immature (cliched). i for sure say the d50 has stood the test of time better.

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