Roland Juno DS61 or 88 ?

[MadMike62]

Well...
After a couple of days trying it, really couldn't get a good feel for the keybed, so I sadly returned it. The shop didn't have a DS-88. which was my 1st replacement choice, so I walked out with a Yamaha MX88. In the end, I liked everything about the Juno, except touching it.

From the start, I saw those 2 lines as similar (Juno DS-61/88 and Yamaha MX61/88), so the Yamaha is not that big a stretch. I love the MX88's feel and the pianos seem a little better sounding than the Juno, but that's me. They offer overall similar functionnalities, so I'm still where I want to be.

 

[Joe03]

Well...
After a couple of days trying it, really couldn't get a good feel for the keybed, so I sadly returned it. The shop didn't have a DS-88. which was my 1st replacement choice, so I walked out with a Yamaha MX88. In the end, I liked everything about the Juno, except touching it.

From the start, I saw those 2 lines as similar (Juno DS-61/88 and Yamaha MX61/88), so the Yamaha is not that big a stretch. I love the MX88's feel and the pianos seem a little better sounding than the Juno, but that's me. They offer overall similar functionnalities, so I'm still where I want to be.

LOL.LOL. Mike I returned the MX61 for the DS. There were a few things I didn't like about it, small things. Other than that, in our price range, they were my 2 picks also. Anywho, enjoy the MX.

 

[RobG]

LOL.LOL. Mike I returned the MX61 for the DS. There were a few things I didn't like about it, small things. Other than that, in our price range, they were my 2 picks also. Anywho, enjoy the MX.

I think I kind of agree with you. Unless the MX88 has different pianos than the MX49, I personally would not agree that the pianos are better on the MX. My main board is Roland DS88, but I recently got a Yamaha MX49 to use as a secondary board and haven't been happy with it at all. However, that's why there's lots of choices out there, so everyone can get what they like.

 

[anotherscott]

I personally would not agree that the pianos are better on the MX. My main board is Roland DS88, but I recently got a Yamaha MX49 to use as a secondary board and haven't been happy with it at all.

A big part of how satisfying a piano is to play is how the sound responds to the feel. Try running a MIDI cable from the DS88 MIDI Out to the MX49 MIDI In, and see how the Yamaha's piano sounds/feels when played from a hammer action. It is possible that you might then think the Yamaha piano is better after all!

I think the MX and DS are both strong boards. Both are bad for piano playing unless you have the weighted actions. Overall, I'd say the DS is the more flexible instrument, but in many cases, the Yamaha is the better sounding one. But that's subjective, and also depends on which sounds you compare.

 

[Eli_Kyiv]

And now...
https://www.roland.com/global/products/juno-ds/juno-ds76/

 

[happyrat1]

I just upgraded my DS61 to a DS88 today. I found a guy selling his 6 month old DS88 on craigslist and offered him my 18 month old DS61 plus $500 cash for it.

We both made out well in the deal. He downsized to a lighter keyboard and I upgraded to a full 88 key hammer action board. We'd both have lost money if we'd sold privately and bought again new.

We're both happy with the deal.

Now I've ordered a dustcover for it and an Onstage Z Stand cause I don't trust my crappy X stand with a significantly heavier board.

The DS61 weighs in about 12 pounds while the DS88 weighs in at a whopping 34 pounds.

Better safe than sorry.

Pics in the gear thread coming soon.

Gary

 

[Biggles]

Great deal you seem to have there Gary.

At easy keeping with the same model your patches and other files should be fully transferable.

 

[happyrat1]

I have all the libraries and firmware updates on a thumb drive. I've even updated the firmware on the new one to the latest already.

As simple as unplugging it from one and moving it to the new one

Likewise we didn't even swap power supplies or manuals. They were electrically identical.

I didn't even have to unplug from the outlet

We fully tested both keyboards before the swap, but right now I have it resting on my guest bed. I REALLY don't trust the X Stand with that much weight so I'll wait a few days for the Z stand to ship in.

I also ordered in a Gator Gig Bag model G-PG-88SLIMXL just in case I ever have the need to transport it.

I already own a Gator TSA case for my Kurzweil, but if I ever have to move to a new address I don't trust the gorillas to move them without a properly padded case.

Gary

 

[carl aylward]

'Evening. New member, just registered, 1st post .

Last spring, I finally gave into my long-standing wish of getting into keys and am totally into it, so much that I hardly played anything else in the last 3 months.

Been playing guitar for 42 years and bass for the last 10 (semi-pro level for the last 2-3 years). So I bought a Roland GoKeys and been taking piano lessons for the last 2 months on a bi-monthly basis. I currently play in an 80's rock covers band which already has a part-time keyboardist and I also have an acoustic-guitar duo with a ladyfriend singer. Planning to integrate keyboards in the duo sometime next year and who knows, maybe it'll serve in the band as well.

I can see myself upgrading the GoKeys to something else in the next few months and my original target was the Roland Juno DS 61 (after looking and trying some others in same product bracket): seems like a decent jack-of-all-trades (piano, organ and others) and tweakable enough synth for what I would use it for and I like how intuitive they are.

Now here's my dilemna: my piano teacher has Roland stage piano (don't remember which one) and the more I play on it, the more I enjoy playing on a full bed of weighted keys, so now the DS88 in creeping up on my list. I'm seeing myself using more the piano sounds (for my duo) so the DS88 seems like a shoe-in. But I do plan to integrate organ and synth (band and duo), so I'm wondering: is it best to play synth and organ on weighted keys or does it work out better to play piano on non-weighted keys ? Or am I looking at this debate from the wrong angle ?

 

[carl aylward]

i personaly would go for the DS88 i myself have one and its great for piano and a huge range of organ/synth/strings/brass/solos etc. the reason i would go fo wieghted action as it rearly can improve your playing by strenthening your fingers, though if you wish to use organ sounds, because most of its stock organ sounds have velocity which real organs dont have, and to prevent sloppy sounding playing i would recogmend copying the organ sounds to an editable location [ memory] and edit such as to remove the velocity, i remove the velocity on a lot of sounds , not just organs, other wise a lot of playin might sound sloppy, perticuarly lead solo sounds i personaly cant think of any reason to have velocity on a solo sounds, [ and organ ] and dont know why manufactorers always put velocity on absolutly every thing , when its clear that a hughe no of sounds rearly dont benifiet from velocity. ie original old style anologe solos never had velocity so why add velocity to thoses solo sounds now. the manufactorers seem to have the erronous idea if a synth has some extra facility then it must be used,wethear its an actuarl improvement or not, which for me is faulty thinking .well thats mho. cheers

 

[funkyman]

'Evening. New member, just registered, 1st post .

Last spring, I finally gave into my long-standing wish of getting into keys and am totally into it, so much that I hardly played anything else in the last 3 months.

Been playing guitar for 42 years and bass for the last 10 (semi-pro level for the last 2-3 years). So I bought a Roland GoKeys and been taking piano lessons for the last 2 months on a bi-monthly basis. I currently play in an 80's rock covers band which already has a part-time keyboardist and I also have an acoustic-guitar duo with a ladyfriend singer. Planning to integrate keyboards in the duo sometime next year and who knows, maybe it'll serve in the band as well.

I can see myself upgrading the GoKeys to something else in the next few months and my original target was the Roland Juno DS 61 (after looking and trying some others in same product bracket): seems like a decent jack-of-all-trades (piano, organ and others) and tweakable enough synth for what I would use it for and I like how intuitive they are.

Now here's my dilemna: my piano teacher has Roland stage piano (don't remember which one) and the more I play on it, the more I enjoy playing on a full bed of weighted keys, so now the DS88 in creeping up on my list. I'm seeing myself using more the piano sounds (for my duo) so the DS88 seems like a shoe-in. But I do plan to integrate organ and synth (band and duo), so I'm wondering: is it best to play synth and organ on weighted keys or does it work out better to play piano on non-weighted keys ? Or am I looking at this debate from the wrong angle ?

I sold a mint almost brand-new ds88 for 5:50 and the chair and the stand