New here - From Portugal

[joaquimjssoares]

Hi Guys,
My name is Joaquim and I have studied the accordion during 10 years - I started when I was 6 years old. I was not bad back then... but since then I may have played the accordion 5 times max... I'm now 50. Last week, during some cleanings, I opened the old accordion box and gave it a try... memories came back and now I'm kind of enthusiastic about it. The old accordion though needs a lot of maintenance - to the point where it's probably better to invest on a "new" one. I went to my second hand market website (ebay alike) and I found a Roland FR 2B which would give me the benefit to play without annoying the family. What's your opinion? I know it's an old model, but what are the cons of this model?
Thank you very much for accepting me in this group, and I hope to learn a lot with you.

Regards,

Joaquim

 

[dunlustin]

Welcome.
I think buying a Roland is (can be) a good compromise.
However, the 'X' series are much more useful than the earlier ones.
There will be little/no support for a FR2B - must be around 15 years old - electronics move on.
The FR3X has also been replaced (by the 4X) so can be found at a good price.
If you are happy with 72 bass and 3 octaves then a FR1X button will also be a possibility.

 

[joaquimjssoares]

Thanks for your response Richard. The price difference between the FR2B and a used F3XB is quite steep - 700 EUR for the FR2B and 1500 EUR for a used F3X. What support would be required that you are mentioning? In terms of sounds, will it be equivalent? Could I load the same sound banks to both accordions, or there are some incompatibilities?

Thanks once again.

Joaquim

 

[dunlustin]

Re: "The price difference...." I'd say that this is because the FR3x is still desirable because it is part of the 3X, 1X, 8X, 4X group
"What support..." Well, parts fail - for example there are known supply issues with replacement screens for the FR7
" the sounds" My experience begins with the FR1XB, so I don't know, but the X instruments are usually seen to be a move forward and share some aspects
I believe the early FR's are not compatible with the later ones.
Does the FR2 have speakers - not always the case before the X series. If not you will need an amp/speaker

 

[Tom]

Welcome Joachim!

 

[joaquimjssoares]

Re: "The price difference...." I'd say that this is because the FR3x is still desirable because it is part of the 3X, 1X, 8X, 4X group
"What support..." Well, parts fail - for example there are known supply issues with replacement screens for the FR7
" the sounds" My experience begins with the FR1XB, so I don't know, but the X instruments are usually seen to be a move forward and share some aspects
I believe the early FR's are not compatible with the later ones.
Does the FR2 have speakers - not always the case before the X series. If not you will need an amp/speaker

No the FR2 has no speakers, in fact that is one of the main differences. But that is not a problem as well as the goal is to use it with headphones for night training. And I do have a guitar amp that I should be able to use. My main doubt is if the sound quality is not good... I watched some youtube videos and it seems ok, but have no experience to be able to compare. Also I know that with the X series you can update the sound library, not sure if the same can be done with the FR2...
Thanks once again for your input Richard. I think I will wait a bit more for a better deal on a X series in the used market.

Cheers,

Joaquim

 

[joaquimjssoares]

Welcome Joachim!

Thanks Tom