ArtMustel
Active member
Hello! Could you please tell me the approximate prices at this time for a brand new Roland FR-8XB, and for the Roland FR-4Xb, in the United States? I am unable to find this info online. Thank you.
Roland accordion prices in United States?
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JeffJetton
Prolific poster
I have always found this to be supremely annoying. You can go on the web and find out nearly every little detail and specification for some accordions... except how much it costs.
It's not just Roland that does it. ?
It's not just Roland that does it. ?
Alan Sharkis
Well-known member
I’ve noticed that prices for less expensive musical instruments are generally.posted, but more expensive musical instruments generally don’t get their prices posted. There are exceptions, of course. I’m guessing that posting the price of a relatively expensive instrument might scare potential buyers away, while attracting burglars. Could be?
Then, there’s the question of shopping price vs. shopping service, but that’s a whole other topic.
Then, there’s the question of shopping price vs. shopping service, but that’s a whole other topic.
Thomas N
Well-known member
When I purchased my FR-8X over 5 years ago I dealt with the same local music store that I had purchased several items from over the past couple of decades. They are an authorized Roland reseller. I told them exactly what I wanted to order and their price to me was $500 cheaper than any of the specialists that sell online. Their prices usually include things like customized sound sets, DVD instruction manuals, telephone support for setup, etc. None of those extras appealed to me because I am relatively technically savvy and getting it all working took about 10 minutes.
For somebody entering the digital realm for the first time and concerned over the learning curve I think those packages could well be worth it. For me it was easier to just purchase from a local authorized Roland reseller.
For somebody entering the digital realm for the first time and concerned over the learning curve I think those packages could well be worth it. For me it was easier to just purchase from a local authorized Roland reseller.
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I don't know about you folks, but I really miss Roxy's Music Store in NY.
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I've posted on this subject a few years back and it seems it needs a repeat.
Dealers are subject to MAPP prices from their franchises with products such as Yamaha, Roland and other electronic products.
What is a MAPP price ?? Well a Mapp price is the minimum price a product can be advertised for. Advertising a lower price
will result in a dealer loosing his or her franchise. There are some dealers out there that advertise an inflated price and take
what they can get. There also are dealers that sell grade B products and sell them for grade A products.
Fortunately THERE ARE reputable dealers here in the US that start with a minimum Mapp price and increase it with offers
such as Extended Warranty, Lessons, Added programing, and Accessories. This will require a customer to contact a few
reputable dealers to inquire on what they offer and weigh the offers & prices. These reputable dealers as a whole do not
offer these prices in adds and require a personal contact. In many cases a dealer will obtain or have a used model and
offer it with a new factory warranty. Also inquire if the dealer offers in house service a bonus as sending a "V" accordion
to Roland California is a horror.
I've already posted this and again recommend contacting Sam Falcetti of Falcetti Music for the "Straight Skinny" on Roland
prices in the US.
Sam's # is 1 (413) 204-5522 and tell him JIM D. sent you.
www.falcettimusic.com
Dealers are subject to MAPP prices from their franchises with products such as Yamaha, Roland and other electronic products.
What is a MAPP price ?? Well a Mapp price is the minimum price a product can be advertised for. Advertising a lower price
will result in a dealer loosing his or her franchise. There are some dealers out there that advertise an inflated price and take
what they can get. There also are dealers that sell grade B products and sell them for grade A products.
Fortunately THERE ARE reputable dealers here in the US that start with a minimum Mapp price and increase it with offers
such as Extended Warranty, Lessons, Added programing, and Accessories. This will require a customer to contact a few
reputable dealers to inquire on what they offer and weigh the offers & prices. These reputable dealers as a whole do not
offer these prices in adds and require a personal contact. In many cases a dealer will obtain or have a used model and
offer it with a new factory warranty. Also inquire if the dealer offers in house service a bonus as sending a "V" accordion
to Roland California is a horror.
I've already posted this and again recommend contacting Sam Falcetti of Falcetti Music for the "Straight Skinny" on Roland
prices in the US.
Sam's # is 1 (413) 204-5522 and tell him JIM D. sent you.
Falcetti Music - Roland V-ACCORDION - FR4X | FR8X | FR3X | FR1X | Roland FR8 FR-8XB
www.falcettimusic.com
Last edited:
JeffJetton
Prolific poster
That's just it... a customer shouldn't have to do that in this day and age. (And what if you're not necessarily a customer yet and just were curious what the latest Roland FRXYZ-4000z20 was going for?)
Anyway, why would the existence of MAP mean that reputable dealers wouldn't post what they sell the item for? If they sell it for the MAP, or for over MAP, or for MAP plus freebies, well just post that. Why make someone jump through hoops to find it out?
For that matter (and more to the original point) why would it prevent the manufacturer from posting the suggested retail price on their own website? How does it benefit anyone to keep it a big secret?
If there's negotiation room, well that's okay. Post the "starting point". After all, car manufacturers still post MSRPs on their websites, and car dealers still post sticker prices on theirs, despite the fact that hardly anyone actually pays that much.
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Contacting a dealer for their pricing is the norm here in the US for Auto & musical instrument pricing & information.
Dialing a phone may well seen to some a hassle but many times result in valuable information obtained.
Dialing a phone may well seen to some a hassle but many times result in valuable information obtained.
Thomas N
Well-known member
I did my entire transaction via email, but I knew the gentleman who sold it to me because I had purchased a few high-end keyboards and synthesizers from him in the past. It was a great opportunity for him - I gave him the part number, he gave me a price and he got the sale. I had done a ton of research online prior to purchasing the FR-8X and having previously owned a Petosa Millennium Reedless accordion I knew exactly what I didn't want...LOL...
I'm fortunate that I'm about 20 minutes from the Roland Repair Facility here in Southern California. I had to take in a keyboard once and it was pretty simple. If I was on the East Coast - no thank you.
Ventura
Been here for ages!
WELL
in the old fair minded capitalist days, we made a product, priced it based on our cost to make it, published a suggested retail price as a public guideline, then marketed and sold it and were successful based on speed and efficiency of manufacture...
today by contrast, no-one knows what stuff actually costs to make anymore, and 3rd party services are always trying to insert themselves in the product to consumer stream or "boutique" brands pop up that are mostly experts at marketing as opposed to making anything
in the American Music industry generally, a dealer recieved 40% off list price as the standard
this could be reduced further by several factors like %40 + %5 net 30
(pay the bill within 30 days)
or in a volume purchase (buy 1000 SM 58's and you get %40 + %20 + free shippind)
Jobbers (middlemen) bought in BULK received the deeper discounts and then
lived for a profit offering smaller dealers a slightly better deal than buying onesies
as well as the luxury of single source for multiple brands and products
(so a retail music store could order one Hohner Panther, a box of Standard D'Addario
strings, one pack of Dobro Strings, two 1/2 size student Violin kits, two SM58's
and a half dozen Marine Band harmonicas while saving a bit of money and headache)
or a dealer's year end total may entitle them to a retroactive 2% bonus applied
to the first order next year, if their overall volume reached a certain threshold.
also, service after the sale parameters were once also an established consumer protection,
but have been legally chipped away until current times where a manufacturer is
no longer obligated to have repair parts available for a set amount of time, and
as we know Roland does NOT HAVE SPECIFIC KEY REPAIR PARTS for any V-Accordion
except perhaps the FR4
in other words, they CANNOT repair even a so called "new" FR8 that is sent back in
the first week of ownership without possibly or probably butchering another "new"
FR8 from stock for the part.. this is why the California repair center actually no longer
does repair on V-Accordions, everything that's left in the Americas was
consolidated at the Canadian repair center
there are no spare circuit boards left for the original Pedal/charging board
there are no replacement viewscreens available from Roland (for years and years now)
and the list goes on... the original failure rate for the stepping motors was
close to 30%
please remember the FACTORY in Italy was CLOSED and deals were made with
other companies (like Fatar) to takeover the equipment and build basic assemblies
(ie: bodies and actions... nothing else) and of course the rather short lived FR8 with
a wooden keyboard from our other friends
so, although i do believe dealing with someone like Sam Falcetti is a reliable
option (he has decades and decades and generations of documented success in the Retail
Music Industry... mostly in Pianos and Organs, I also believe anyone
buying a Brand New Old Stock Roland FR8 or FR7x is a wealthy man from whom his
money is easily parted
ciao
Ventura
PS: @pentaprism i miss Rose too !
in the old fair minded capitalist days, we made a product, priced it based on our cost to make it, published a suggested retail price as a public guideline, then marketed and sold it and were successful based on speed and efficiency of manufacture...
today by contrast, no-one knows what stuff actually costs to make anymore, and 3rd party services are always trying to insert themselves in the product to consumer stream or "boutique" brands pop up that are mostly experts at marketing as opposed to making anything
in the American Music industry generally, a dealer recieved 40% off list price as the standard
this could be reduced further by several factors like %40 + %5 net 30
(pay the bill within 30 days)
or in a volume purchase (buy 1000 SM 58's and you get %40 + %20 + free shippind)
Jobbers (middlemen) bought in BULK received the deeper discounts and then
lived for a profit offering smaller dealers a slightly better deal than buying onesies
as well as the luxury of single source for multiple brands and products
(so a retail music store could order one Hohner Panther, a box of Standard D'Addario
strings, one pack of Dobro Strings, two 1/2 size student Violin kits, two SM58's
and a half dozen Marine Band harmonicas while saving a bit of money and headache)
or a dealer's year end total may entitle them to a retroactive 2% bonus applied
to the first order next year, if their overall volume reached a certain threshold.
also, service after the sale parameters were once also an established consumer protection,
but have been legally chipped away until current times where a manufacturer is
no longer obligated to have repair parts available for a set amount of time, and
as we know Roland does NOT HAVE SPECIFIC KEY REPAIR PARTS for any V-Accordion
except perhaps the FR4
in other words, they CANNOT repair even a so called "new" FR8 that is sent back in
the first week of ownership without possibly or probably butchering another "new"
FR8 from stock for the part.. this is why the California repair center actually no longer
does repair on V-Accordions, everything that's left in the Americas was
consolidated at the Canadian repair center
there are no spare circuit boards left for the original Pedal/charging board
there are no replacement viewscreens available from Roland (for years and years now)
and the list goes on... the original failure rate for the stepping motors was
close to 30%
please remember the FACTORY in Italy was CLOSED and deals were made with
other companies (like Fatar) to takeover the equipment and build basic assemblies
(ie: bodies and actions... nothing else) and of course the rather short lived FR8 with
a wooden keyboard from our other friends
so, although i do believe dealing with someone like Sam Falcetti is a reliable
option (he has decades and decades and generations of documented success in the Retail
Music Industry... mostly in Pianos and Organs, I also believe anyone
buying a Brand New Old Stock Roland FR8 or FR7x is a wealthy man from whom his
money is easily parted
ciao
Ventura
PS: @pentaprism i miss Rose too !
Few sellers will post their prices on line. You really have to call and talk to whoever is authorized to quote a final figure at the store.
My personal experience was finding the best price at Liberty Bellows when I purchased my FRX-4.
Yup, as I've noted, price depends on many things, who you are, your past relationships, how well off they think you are, even if it's been a bad month and they need to make payroll. It's a strange and beautiful world we live in!
Keymn
Prolific poster
Isn’t import products gone up? The Korg pa1000 increased 10% since November 2019.
I have a question on the "CANNOT repair". When you say FR8, is that the FR-8X? I thought this model is in current production. I would think parts would be available from the stock of parts that they are using to build the current model. Or is it out of production? I would appreciation some clarification.
Thanks,
John M.
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With the Coronavirus still quite present inquires to Roland US for replacement parts & service have sadly became futile.
However THERE ARE Roland dealers that are also offer Roland Factory Authorized Service & parts. These dealers
usually have repair shops that have stocked frequently needed replacement parts. Check your local Roland dealer
& inquire if they are Factory Authorized repair centers. Sadly if your "V" accordion was purchased online the dealer
will simply refer you to Roland US. In this case you will have to contact a local Authorized Service.
And 'YES' the term FR-8 refers to the FR-8x & FR-8xb.
To the members here thinking if a new or used "V" accordion purchase, look for a dealer that's also a Factory
Authorized Service center as they not only can service your complaints but in most cases offer discounted service
& also extended warranties.
However THERE ARE Roland dealers that are also offer Roland Factory Authorized Service & parts. These dealers
usually have repair shops that have stocked frequently needed replacement parts. Check your local Roland dealer
& inquire if they are Factory Authorized repair centers. Sadly if your "V" accordion was purchased online the dealer
will simply refer you to Roland US. In this case you will have to contact a local Authorized Service.
And 'YES' the term FR-8 refers to the FR-8x & FR-8xb.
To the members here thinking if a new or used "V" accordion purchase, look for a dealer that's also a Factory
Authorized Service center as they not only can service your complaints but in most cases offer discounted service
& also extended warranties.
Last edited:
Ventura
Been here for ages!
roland closed it's Italian Factory years ago and so ceased production
of the V-Accordion (this was originally the SIEL factory)
they disbanded their Italian Design Team for V-Accordions
(also their Drawbar Organ and one Synth/workstation line)
most of the team re-assembled as DEXIBEL and hinted at future
accordion related projects but turned to Piano's instead.. Roland
still pays Royalties on the Patents held by some DEXIBEL designers
they transferred certain Assembly and tooling items from the dissolved factory to FATAR,
which is a specialist house primarily producing OEM Keyboards
for various Music Instrument manufacturers in Europe and around the world
(they also have a small line of MIDI Piano (88 and 73) Controllers they market directly or sub-brand)
as far as i know, FATAR supplies all body/key components to everyone, period,
but does not assemble/manufacture any of the related electronics
the Bugari EVO was to be the successor to the FR8
... the cost of UL listing in the USA and ongoing royalty payments to Roland
being a stiff burden so the product was never offered in the USA.
God only knows where the Circuit boards were cut, but obviously this is now
a dead end issue... if they could still produce V-Accordion Circuit Boards, then
they would have replacement boards for the Power Supply ( and they don't)
and just as obvious there is no further R&D being done whatsoever... if there were
the FR4 series would have re-tooled the body and added metal threaded inserts
as is common in $ 20 dollar electronics devices...
the only reasonable conclusion is that there are still New "old stock" V-Accordions
available... i imagine Roxy's back room still has several unsold, red Chromatic FR7x
as she bought out the entire leftover stock from Roland a few years ago when they
closed the Factory and crossed the 7x series off their list completely in the USA
the FR4 may survive longer as it is just a variation and the boards are easily
reproduced... does the FR4 have a country of origin mark ?
Roland is almost a completely different company under it's new private ownership
than it was in the era of Mr Kakehashi
if anyone has any evidence of Roland re-investing in the Accordion line, please
point me in that direction
because of the absolute guarantee of obsolescense regarding V-Accordions,
my advise would be to NOT SPEND any higher a price that you can "write off"
as mad money, since the chance of it becoming a Doorstop at literally
any moment means it cannot be viewed as an investment, like a comparably
priced Acoustic can. THE US factory Warranty is one year and non transferrable
and ONLY is enforceable when purchased directly from an authorized dealer
(Euro warranty terms are different than USA)
Ciao
Ventura
of the V-Accordion (this was originally the SIEL factory)
they disbanded their Italian Design Team for V-Accordions
(also their Drawbar Organ and one Synth/workstation line)
most of the team re-assembled as DEXIBEL and hinted at future
accordion related projects but turned to Piano's instead.. Roland
still pays Royalties on the Patents held by some DEXIBEL designers
they transferred certain Assembly and tooling items from the dissolved factory to FATAR,
which is a specialist house primarily producing OEM Keyboards
for various Music Instrument manufacturers in Europe and around the world
(they also have a small line of MIDI Piano (88 and 73) Controllers they market directly or sub-brand)
as far as i know, FATAR supplies all body/key components to everyone, period,
but does not assemble/manufacture any of the related electronics
the Bugari EVO was to be the successor to the FR8
... the cost of UL listing in the USA and ongoing royalty payments to Roland
being a stiff burden so the product was never offered in the USA.
God only knows where the Circuit boards were cut, but obviously this is now
a dead end issue... if they could still produce V-Accordion Circuit Boards, then
they would have replacement boards for the Power Supply ( and they don't)
and just as obvious there is no further R&D being done whatsoever... if there were
the FR4 series would have re-tooled the body and added metal threaded inserts
as is common in $ 20 dollar electronics devices...
the only reasonable conclusion is that there are still New "old stock" V-Accordions
available... i imagine Roxy's back room still has several unsold, red Chromatic FR7x
as she bought out the entire leftover stock from Roland a few years ago when they
closed the Factory and crossed the 7x series off their list completely in the USA
the FR4 may survive longer as it is just a variation and the boards are easily
reproduced... does the FR4 have a country of origin mark ?
Roland is almost a completely different company under it's new private ownership
than it was in the era of Mr Kakehashi
if anyone has any evidence of Roland re-investing in the Accordion line, please
point me in that direction
because of the absolute guarantee of obsolescense regarding V-Accordions,
my advise would be to NOT SPEND any higher a price that you can "write off"
as mad money, since the chance of it becoming a Doorstop at literally
any moment means it cannot be viewed as an investment, like a comparably
priced Acoustic can. THE US factory Warranty is one year and non transferrable
and ONLY is enforceable when purchased directly from an authorized dealer
(Euro warranty terms are different than USA)
Ciao
Ventura
Thomas N
Well-known member
This is very interesting, Ventura, and something I was completely unaware of.
My FR-8X has served me well for over 5 years now - not a single problem. The battery is very limited at this point but I can always play with AC power if it comes to that.
I have several sources for electronics repairs - friends that are very skilled and repair everything from old pinball machines, slot machines, PC motherboards, you name it and they repair it. I always thought I'd just drive it over to the Roland factory but it appears that is no longer an option. At around $4500 new it has been tremendous value for money over the past 5 years.
My FR-8X has served me well for over 5 years now - not a single problem. The battery is very limited at this point but I can always play with AC power if it comes to that.
I have several sources for electronics repairs - friends that are very skilled and repair everything from old pinball machines, slot machines, PC motherboards, you name it and they repair it. I always thought I'd just drive it over to the Roland factory but it appears that is no longer an option. At around $4500 new it has been tremendous value for money over the past 5 years.
Ventura
Been here for ages!
ahh Thomas, you are lucky both with your reliable FR8
and your reliable Electronics friends !
i will further advise, however, that after the FR7, Roland stopped selling/
providing Printed Service manuals, and the manual for the FR8 (and FR4)
is ONLY available in network to the service centers, and then on screen.
pages may be printed, of course, but the general availability of
a "sams" type booklet is history
so if one of your friends can get his hands on the data bits while
they still have some connections among their colleagues, i would
do that in advance of the need
ciao
Ventura
ps: when i took the gig with Roland, i insisted they sell me a service
manual as a condition of our deal... i then took the FR7 they had given me
to work with completely apart to study it... then i reprogrammed it...
THEN when i was satisfied i understood the beast i took it out for Gigs and shows
and your reliable Electronics friends !
i will further advise, however, that after the FR7, Roland stopped selling/
providing Printed Service manuals, and the manual for the FR8 (and FR4)
is ONLY available in network to the service centers, and then on screen.
pages may be printed, of course, but the general availability of
a "sams" type booklet is history
so if one of your friends can get his hands on the data bits while
they still have some connections among their colleagues, i would
do that in advance of the need
ciao
Ventura
ps: when i took the gig with Roland, i insisted they sell me a service
manual as a condition of our deal... i then took the FR7 they had given me
to work with completely apart to study it... then i reprogrammed it...
THEN when i was satisfied i understood the beast i took it out for Gigs and shows
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