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Always wanted a Roland JD-800, even since I first played one in a music shop shortly after its launch in 1991. It sounded warm, fat and powerful. Rightly or wrongly, for every synth and keyboard I played after that time, I used the JD as a yard-stick.
Now I have bought a 2nd hand mint example, and I have not changed my mind. The interface is instant and really well-designed. You don't really need a manual (I've found my way around it quite easily), but be warned that the second user manual is massive; there's a lot of hidden MIDI functionality should you need it!
Those who comment on the D/A filters are not wrong; the sound the JD produces has an expansive, deep, shiny quality. In short: it has presence. And in a mix, that's a bonus.
The JD can be both subtle and obvious; whatever you want it to be. That's a great quality of any synth. I concur that we don't want it to try and synthesise acoustic instruments (I have my PC and Korg N5ex to play samples of them anyway!).
It's quite heavy to gig at 15kg, but the build quality is substantial, as you would expect from Roland. The keyboard action is great (but the aftertouch is perhaps not as sensitive as it could be).
64 patches are perhaps a little meagre. But there are ways around this: get a RAM card and double the amount to 128... overwrite the weaker presets... use Sysex from your sequencer...
The synth even makes an impact visually (not an important consideration with music gear); players and non-players alike still say "wow" when they see one!
You can hear the JD on many popular tracks of the 90s, and you can still hear it today.
The JD-800 is alive. It's unique. It commands reverence. And it has been a classic since Day 1.
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