For my production style, I don't miss the features the 1000 lacks (timestretch, namely) but I do take some issue with the lower note capacity (100,000). If that translates into 50,000 note ons and note offs, I will be disappointed somewhat, but that's my only gripe, feature-wise.

The OS, at this time, is pretty stable, but it is NOT rock solid. For live performances, this could be an issue, as there are bugs that cause samples to spontaneously not trigger, and sample files to get corrupted upon loading. These are admittedly very rare (in my experience) though. In use, the OS is excellent and intuitive.

The editing, including the effects, mixer and trim sections, are very nice, and the overall experience of sampling, sequencing, and editing is very enjoyable and fast. Excellent interface.

Most of all, I like the 128MB capacity, as it allows for great flexibility in pre-sequenced sampling (i.e., using it like a normal recorder almost). The file management, even without adding the PC friendliness, is easy and fast.

And of course, the famous MPC sequencer rocks. Though the step-editing is a tad slow and "squinty", it is still servicable enough, and the pads feel great, inviting endless hours of hands-on sequencing. The pads take a bit of breaking in, being a bit stiff at first, but adjusting the sensitivity in the meantime worked just fine for me.

Overall, the the MPC1000 is the best gear purchase I have ever made, easily. I currently use it with a few synths, a guitar rig, and a basic mixer as a main production tool for song-building and live synth-rock and hip-hop performances, and here it excels (aside from the infrequent but unacceptable sample triggering problem.)

4 out of 5, only because of the rare OS bugs.

Ok. . .Build-quality:

For me, I'm very impressed with the overall weight and seeming 'ruggedness' of the unit (the chassis-attached audio outs and ins certainly help in this assessment), as does the size of the backlit LCD (it's almost as large as the one on my A5000, and is just as easy to read). The buttons feel very strong (durable), and the Q-Link sliders. . .well, they aren't exactly what I'd find on a mixer (cheap caps, decent throw, though). My biggest gripe in the build-department is the knobs. The record and master volume gain knobs look (and feel) like cheap aspirin bottle-caps, and are set far too close to the surface of the device (I can easily see myself wearing the finish from my unit around these knobs, over time). My *biggest* gripe about the MPC-1000's build, though, is the data-entry wheel. I've owned two Akai samplers before this one, and there is simply no excuse for such a shoddy wheel. Although it looks like the one used in the Z-series samplers (and MPC-4000), I don't think it is. It's basically hollow, and feels very, *very* flimsy. Not something a data-entry wheel should be. I'm currently wondering if I can replace the supplied data-wheel with another one that is more sturdy (like the one from my former S2800i).

Gripes aside. . .

I've played the crap out of the pads, today, and even though they're a bit smaller (I've not had a problem with this) than those found on previous MPC instruments, they're still hella fun to hit. Double-triggering hasn't been a problem, so far (much to my suprise). The effects sound very good for an instrument at this price-point (even the reverb, which suprised me), and the OS, if you've used an Akai instrument before, shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

Updates later.