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ROLAND RD250sThis sale is of my Roland RD250s electric piano.
SO what do you need to know about this item?
It sounds AMAZING! Beloved of Elton John enthusiasts and gospel players, I have been playing this, or something like it since about 1990. It has three pianos that really cut through a mix, 2 Electric pianos which sound great with the tremolo & chorus plus harpsichord, clav and vibes – which are fine if not spectacular.
Roland say, In the early days of synthesis, it was very difficult to produce a realistic piano sound. However, the release of the RD-1000 in 1986 overcame this barrier, with the introduction of Structured Adaptive Synthesis (SAS). By dividing the keyboard into 30 zones, the ability to focus closely on different pitches, brightness and harmonic string interactions (i.e., enharmonic relationships) increased. They did a great job. The first five sounds have 16 note polyphony, the last three 10 note polyphony but, maybe its my style, I really did not feel like I was ever running out of notes. And over MIDI it will output all 76 at once if you so need, (or receive all 88 if you want to go that way – but in receive mode, it will still have the polyphony limitation).It boots up instantly with no software routines to muck about with.
It feels great. It has a 76 note (E-G)) weighted keyboard and when they say the keyboard is weighted, they mean it has a lump of lead under each key. Its not springs or oil damping, its lead. It really suited my percussive style of playing and theres lots of resistance there, possibly a bit more than your normal acoustic piano, in fact, but it gives a real feedback to your playing. But they are lead weights.
So, it is really heavy! No, REALLY. So, its heavy both in terms of feel and in terms of lifting. Its weight is the main reason I am finally parting company with it. I am getting too old to cart even 29kgs (64lbs+) of piano around. Bear that in mind. Its elder brother clocks 33kgs but even this is getting too heavy for me.
But it has MIDI sockets (IN/OUT/THRU) and is fully velocity sensitive. I used it for years as a useful master keyboard because, as well as a volume slider and tone knob for the internal sounds, it has two sliders for MIDI channels (defaulted at 1 & 2, but reprogrammable) so I would use a multi-timbral module with it to add strings, pads or organs.You can set up an upper and lower split on the keyboard itself, if you so desire. I used to do it on the module. That way, I could a number of sounds split across MIDI channel 1 and a number across MIDI channel 2. Just beware that anything sharing the channel only has the one volume slider control for the whole split unless you do something on the module.
It has a sustain pedal socket (but no pedal).
Its old. I dont know how old. They came out in 1987 and they discontinued them in the early 90s. I have opened it up and hoovered inside.
A number of caveats then.
a) It does not have internal speakers. It does have a headphone socket but if you want to hear its gorgeousness out loud, you will need some external amplification.b) The brilliance slider has a non-standard cap. (see pics.)c) It does not have internal speakers. It does have a headphone socket but if you want to hear its gorgeousness out loud, you will need some external amplification.d) No sustain pedal or stand provided. e) Did I mention? Its heavy. So I won’t post it.
I will give it a clean up before you come to fetch it – getting rid of unsightly coffee mug stains. There is some writing on the top which helps me know where the rear sockets are. I will leave that but it should not be too hard to remove if you so desire.
Cash on collection very much preferred, though there is a Paypal option.
You will need to come and get it in something big enough to take a piano 124cm long X 46cm deep X 13cm high (approx). It currently lives in Barton upon Humber. DN18.And always remember to put the keys at the back of the seat if youre carrying it lengthways across the car, otherwise it has a tendency to leap onto the floor under the momentum of the lead under the keys. I have had a number of these (RD250s/300s) over the years and the first one I had, from new, I dumped on the floor on day one, breaking a key which Roland kindly replaced when I told them my plight. This is about the fourth or fifth one I have owned, giving them up for a while and then sourcing another one. Theyre that good! But nowadays, my back isnt.
I would suggest it would suit a studio (because of the sounds) or other static environment (‘cos of the weight). Would make a great practice keyboard for a serious musician who wants it set up handy to jump on when inspiration strikes.
Power lead provided (IEC-UK i.e. a kettle lead) but no other accessories.Theres a PDF manual available online or I can send you a link.If anything needs clarification or you want a picture from another angle, please ask away.
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Category: Musical Instruments:Keyboards and Pianos:Electronic Keyboards
Location: BARTON-UPON-HUMBER