Vintage Synth Explorer

This is a great keyboard controller actually. Very nice keyboard feel,
and can do nice tricks like sending only program changes on a specific channel or control external functions using the embedded (eight) sliders.

Features Roland "controller" keyboards like the A30/33 are really missing... Has only 16 patch memories though.

I've had my Roland JV90 since 1994. Mostly it's been a studio animal. Worked wonderfully for several years. A few keys did eventually stop responding correctly (mind you, I wasn't using the keyboard every day - it was collecting dust for a long while, even though I tried to keep a dust cover on it), and there was a button that seemed to stick. Three years ago, Roland did a full cleaning job on it, replaced the keyboard, and the thing has worked like a charm ever since.

Overall, I'm glad I held on my JV-90. Having 76 pressure-sensitive keys is a bonus, and the pitch bender/modulator is easy to use. Lots of pedal and control jacks also make this unit extremely flexible for adding expression to your performance. (Keep in mind that you won't get as smooth of a glide with the filters using the pedal controls or the sliders on the JV-90 as you will with older analog machines.)

Let's just hope that Roland will service my unit again after ten more years...

I have a Roland JV-1000 Music Workstation. Did you guys forget about this board ?

I got a JV 80 ages ago and started to do some crazy sounds with it, I sold that one and got the JV 90. For my surprise the navigation was different up to the point to make it impossible to create a sound. Another problem was with midi "overflowing" deffect, every time I used Digital Performer the keyboard couldn't hold all that data and played back very slowly. Several years later I met a gilr who had a JV 90 and she told me the problem was the sequencer, I did the experiment using Logic Studio and it worket just fine! I got a second JV-90 off ebay for $100, the guy said the buttons didn't work. I bought it to canibalized it. For my surprise that keyboard was in perfect shape! never used, the LCD was bright clear. I sold mine last week for $500 and kept this one. The sliders are pretty much useless because they do not transmit midi data, there is no way to drive filters and resonance in a show, there is only one asignable CC controller beside the volume slider.

I am surprised that no one has done a review of the Roland JV1000 which came out in 1993 and was the full workstation version of the JV90 and had a powerful onboard sequencer. I have owner a JV1000 since 1993 and it is still going strong. The sequencer is very usable, and the keys still feel great. The look of the unit has not aged over the years. I midi mine up to a Roland JV1080 module and they work well together.