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Hi Fellas,
Just thinking and asking out loud.
If you owned a Kronos 61, would you trade your M3 for the Jupiter 50 (not 80--too heavy)?

Might get more replies to this in the Kronos thread but then again it isn't directly a Kronos question. My question would be what does the M3 do the Kronos can't do? Seem like a a lot of guys like the way the Jupiter 80/50 pair with the Kronos.

Not if aftertouch is important to your playing style.

What was Roland thinking omitting it on a "performance" keyboard?

..Joe

The M3 doesn't really do anything that can't be done on the Kronos. Remember that the M3 was based on the OASYS. Even many of the combi's are the same or similar. There are a few minor differences like lack of pads and piano roll but if those things are not important then go for it.

As far as the Jupiter 50. I'd rather not have a crippled JP80.

I wouldn't trade for a Jupiter 50. Yes it IS a capable instrument, but if weight is the issue, I can tell you that the Jupiter 80 is not that heavy. Yeah, it's built like virtually all Roland instruments - it's a Sherman tank -but it's nowhere near as heavy as a Fantom or a Kurzweil.

Spec wise, Bertotti is right in that the 50 is a crippled Jupiter 80 and if you look at the specs it's rather obvious. So no, I wouldn't trade an M3 for a Jupiter 50. I would however trade it for a Jupiter 80 since as others have stated, the Kronos can do much more than the M3. If money however is an issue, and you want a Jupiter, then yes, the 50 is a really nice and quite powerful synth. But in Korgish terms, the Jupiter 50 is to the Jupiter 80 as Krome is to Kronos; Krome and Jupiter 50 are midrange boards and are damned good but not the level of the flagship elder siblings.

Bertotti stated also that a lot of musicians like the way Kronos and Jupiter pair. I am one of them. These two instruments from completely different companies really sound like they were made for each other.

Best,
Vlad

Bald Eagle caled it a crippled jp80. I just think people like the way they pair with a Kronos.

I doubt I would buy a jp80 myself but if money were no object it would certainly be on my list, as it is money is a valuable resource so I have my sights set on a sub phatty and possibly a little phatty. For today at least whims change day to day. Integra 7 is kind of appealing as is the prophet 12 or 8 or ....... Nord....... Or!

Bertotti wrote:Bald Eagle caled it a crippled jp80. I just think people like the way they pair with a Kronos.

I doubt I would buy a jp80 myself but if money were no object it would certainly be on my list, as it is money is a valuable resource so I have my sights set on a sub phatty and possibly a little phatty. For today at least whims change day to day. Integra 7 is kind of appealing as is the prophet 12 or 8 or ....... Nord....... Or!

I recently purchased a Sub Phatty and its amazing. It's great having all those knobs and of course it sounds fantastic. I was thinking about adding a Slim Phatty since I would likely play it from another keyboard anyway. I think you would also enjoy the P12.

Vlad_77 wrote:I wouldn't trade for a Jupiter 50. Yes it IS a capable instrument, but if weight is the issue, I can tell you that the Jupiter 80 is not that heavy. Yeah, it's built like virtually all Roland instruments - it's a Sherman tank -but it's nowhere near as heavy as a Fantom or a Kurzweil.

Sorry, I'm a little bit late here, but as a jp80 owner I have to say, you are wrong. Pretty much so. The jp80 is really heavy and difficult to handle because it's unnecessarily big. It has some 17 kilos. Ad at least 10-12 kilos for a hard case and you have the weight that is really difficult to handle. Early Kurzweils are heavy but not the modern ones. And I don't know to which Fantom models you are comparing it.
If we are talking about studio instruments, the weight doesn't matter. But for gigging purposes, the jp80 is not really a gig friendly instrument, unless you are 20 and a weight lifter.

sani wrote:

Vlad_77 wrote:I wouldn't trade for a Jupiter 50. Yes it IS a capable instrument, but if weight is the issue, I can tell you that the Jupiter 80 is not that heavy. Yeah, it's built like virtually all Roland instruments - it's a Sherman tank -but it's nowhere near as heavy as a Fantom or a Kurzweil.

Sorry, I'm a little bit late here, but as a jp80 owner I have to say, you are wrong. Pretty much so. The jp80 is really heavy and difficult to handle because it's unnecessarily big. It has some 17 kilos. Ad at least 10-12 kilos for a hard case and you have the weight that is really difficult to handle. Early Kurzweils are heavy but not the modern ones. And I don't know to which Fantom models you are comparing it.
If we are talking about studio instruments, the weight doesn't matter. But for gigging purposes, the jp80 is not really a gig friendly instrument, unless you are 20 and a weight lifter.

I am also a Jupiter 80 owner (see my sig) and I don't find it that bad to move and I am not a weight lifter; I am more the frontman rail thin, long haired type. As for the Fantoms, I am talking about the X8 and G8, these are much heavier. The G8 weighs 33 kg/74 lbs. and the Fantom X8 weighs 29 kg/65 lbs.

Jupiter 80: 17 kg/39 lbs. Even adding a hard case, the Jupiter 80 is still lighter than 88 key Fantoms.

Kurzweil PC3x: 24 kg/54 lbs.

The PC3 clocks in at 16 kg/37 lbs. Roughly two lbs. lighter than a Jupiter 80 and two pounds is not a noticeable difference. I gig with Kronos, Jupiter 80, and Kurzweil PC3. The Fantom and other stuff I have stays at home unless I am playing a gig with roadies, then I take the Fantom X8. That said, I can still move it. The problem is not so much the weight as the size! It's too long to fit in a car. I had to adjust to this when I moved here. I am considering a MOX8 because it will fit in my car and I miss 88 key action. I know 88 key MIDI controllers are light, but, I rather like the sounds in in the MOX, especially as a backup in case of failure - redundancy in live gigs is a must for me.

Anyhow, back to weight, I may be "wrong" but only wrong relative to you and Sani, I say that respectfully. I simply don't find the Jupiter 80 a back breaker. True at the end of a three hour gig it's sucks to move, but, as a very active frontman who also plays keys, I am so drained after that even a harmonica would seem to weigh a ton.

Best,
Vlad

PS: If you are talking about the VERY early Kurzweils, i.e, the K250, then yes, it is monstrously heavy. The K2000 however, when compared to any other keyboard I have owned present or past is the lightest I've ever owned except for a JP-8000.

Well, I actually know that you own a jp80 but you compared it generally to a fantom or a kurzweil. Sorry, I didn't look at your gear list and it was not clear to me which fantom or kurzweil are you comparing it to.
It's not such a big deal. I'm 40 now and I'm getting tired of moving anything heavier than 20 kg including a hardcase. And I actually replaced a fantom g8 with the jp80. So I know clearly the difference. However, I think that Roland could have made it lighter without sacrificing built quality. The jp80 is also quite bulky imho. Not really easy to handle it outside of a case because of its size and the buttons under the keybed.
The jp80 is my only gigging keyboard (I gig with just one keyboard). For those who have more keyboards, I'd rather take the jp50. It is definitely lighter and has a more compact form factor. Of course it is featurewise not the same as a jp80 but as a second keyboard I guess it wouldn't matter that much.