Roland JX-3P

It is not hard if you know how to use an analog synthesizer, you just select the buttons there is a diagram on it which shows which parameters to change. Pretty easy without a PG-200 but would be very easy with a PG-200. You can modify it to accept any Midi CC controller and not have to use the PG-200.

It is a 6 voice 2 DCO analog synthesizer from 1983. Roland's first MIDI capable synth. Midi is just note on/off.

Well you know I have compared this with digital emulators like VSTs and other synths it doesn't sound a whole lot better but really I think the people who spend a fortune for analog synths are idiots. If you find it cheap why not buy it but it is not worth more than $100.

Save your money and let the idiots buy it and get yourself some nice VSTs. Analog is dead, digital can do it just as good and better.

IDK

It is 20+ years old forget it you could probably get it repaired for an arm and a leg

Save your money and buy VSTs they are just as good

I found it easy enough to program sounds even without the PG-200 controller. I had this keyboard for only a couple hours before I had a sound I was after. The manual helps, although just playing around with it teaches you pretty quick. I'm not using it with MIDI so no comment.

Good, basic synth features. The sequencer is old-school but works well. The on-board chorus sounds wild but is a bit over-bearing; it would be nice to be able to turn it down. Otherwise good adjustability of oscilation, filters, envelope, tuning, delay, etc. nice to have that quick adjust "brilliance" slider. The keys feel really good for unweighted. As mentioned I'm not using MIDI so no comment on that. 6/10 as the technology today has come so far, but 9/10 for it's time.

Well, you buy this for old-school, analogue synth sounds, and it sure delivers. Wicked, wicked, Synth Wah (a la Why Can't Thins Be Love), Juicy Funk, string sounds, jet, and sweep sounds. Really phat, drippy moist, and warm. Pretty quiet too running through a PA, although that chorus can bleed through. I use it for backing tracks on rock/grunge/alternative stuff and love it to death.

SO far I'd say it's a tank. Analogue stuff from that era - wow. A "better, banished time". Built for the road, stage ready. Not like this rinky-tink digital crap today. Just throw it in the van and go.

Good luck with something this old. I can tell you this - it's easy to get a manual off the internet. That and a nice-guy at your local music shop, that's probably all you need.

If you can find one of these at a good price (not hard, there's plenty out there and they last), but it. Why not? You could spend double that on some Casio kid's toy. However, for a few dollar's more a Juno-106 may be worth the money. I'd replace mine in a heartbeat just the same.

the presets are awsome, the strings sound almost real, editing is really easy with the PC 200? (i dont know what its called)

AWSOME

This is awsome, its great for Nu Metal and Goth sounds like korn or marilyn manson, it can also make those video game sounds like in the original mario. over all its a awsome synth.

its very durable and mine has never broken so i dont know

IT IS AWSOME my best keyboard

I think the JX-3P is easy to use as a Juno. You select a preset and start tweaking it via a 1 slider (aghhh!). I hear a lot of people saying that the JX-3P is difficult to program with out a PG-200. I totally disagree and think that its still very simple to tweak with no PG-200. Of course its easier and a lot more fun with the PG-200 but its not needed to program some stunnng sounds. I have the PG-200 attached to my JX-3P all the time but every so often i take it off and program by step. Its not so hard and can still be a lot of fun. I always have the PG-200 attached at live shows so that i can instantly tweak a sound if im not happy with it.

The JX-3P has loads of great features and is a very interesting synth indeed. Its a lot more fun to tweak than a Juno because there is so much more on offer. Sync, x-mod, dual DCO's, chorus, sequencer, 6 voice polyphony - all good stuff. I must mention the sequencer. Its absolutally brilliant. Its so simple to program and has more than enough note memory (128 notes) for what its good at. The sync is also a stand out feature that puts the JX-3P way above any Juno. It sounds almost as big as those big American monsters. I also have a Juno-60 and this little beasty has many more features.

I hear some websites saying that the JX-3P is inferior to a Juno. That is a load of crap. The JX-3P actually sounds just as good as a Juno and a lot of the time its kicks the Juno's ass. The JX-3P and Juno synths have a different sound. Its like compairing ARP and Moog really - The JX-3P has a sharp and more agressive sound while the Juno has a softer and fatter sound. My Juno-60 beats my JX-3P for bass (because it has PWM). The Pads on the JX-3P can really beat the classic Juno Pads. It has a similar chorus effect and is of course very warm. I much prefer the Brass on the JX-3P. Like i said its more sharp and agressive. I think the JX-3P is a good synth to use with the a Juno. It has the things that the Juno missed out on.

I gigg mine every week + take it to band rehearsals and it just keeps on going.Vintage Roland synths are the best built analogues.

Never needed it.

If you ever see a JX-3P, snap it up. With or Without a PG-200 its a fantastic underatted synth that kicks a Juno's ass anyday.

editing is via slider, which is not as good as having dedicated knobs but not overly complicated either. the presets cover a good range of starting points. strings and pads are roland-lush (95% like a juno), sequencer sounds are crisp and funky.

the sequencer imho puts this above the one osc junos, and you have more synthesis flexibility due to its 2 osc structure.

not super expressive ( no aftertouch), but can do those classic roland pads very respectably. i tried it next to a jupiter 8, a juno 106 and a juno 6. the jx3p may be the ugly duckling of mid-80's roland polydom, but it holds up very well next to the aforementioned legends.

i also used to own a jx (mks 70), and i prefer this machine for the sound of its filter resonance which is less harsh-sounding and more like the original juno series.

probably quite reliable, mine seems to have seen some action.

don't know

after i got this, i sold my juno. enough said. it's cheaper, has 2 oscs and a sequencer. and hey, i even like the trashy design...

Roland JX-3p (2) PG200 (1)
Very easy patch editing with pg200
good manual

I had 3 dead key! But fix it with a pencil! Work fine!
Simple chorus dut good
use only tape memory
use midi omni turn off

piano is like pianet! dance and movie

made a lot of my sounds good for dance and pop

no upgrade

i'm looking for some patches for ROLAND JX-3P
do you have any?
can send you my patches
Have a nice day

tony_ent@rambler.ru

The presets are surprisingly good: fat,searing leads / pads and some bizarre and funky X-mod sounds that I actually use quite often.
I use it without the programmer, and although I didn`t have a manual, it only took me half an hour to edit it. the silkscreened diagram shows the numbers you have to select, then editing is performed with a smooth data slider. Quite fast and efficient.

Very good features for its day and price range. Double VCO's, Cross modulation, comprehensive LFO. Between the Junos and Jupiters really, and its sound is nicer than on the JX 10.

Almost as expressive as a knob-infested analogue monster, and quite portable (lighter and smaller than a Juno). I bring it to gigs as a second or third keyboard, and it gives me that unmistakeble Roland quality that everybody loves to hear.

IMHO very reliable.

A very good substitute when you are on a budget and can't buy a Jupiter. It gives you 75 percent of the sound quality and much of the programmability for a fraction of the cost. One of the most ignorantly-bashed and underrated "sleepers" that you can (still) grab for decent prices.

This is an easy synth people. dont listen to anyone who says "if you dont have the pg-200 it sucks" you'll be fine, anyways, im sure you just bought it for the low price. Took me a little bit to figure out how to save the patches, but you'll get it :)

I loooove how they keys feel :) and the chorus sounds so NICE. The sequencer. well its kinda hard to get what's in your head onto it, but most of the stuff i do is from mistakes anyways. im not sure how many steps it will record, but hey, 8th rests! Im not really sure if the Mute button does anything or not. what does it do again?

well tell you the truth, i really like alot of the presets. and you can do tons of stuff with editing. truely, it's limitless. sure there's not really any real knobs or sliders there (subtractive synthesis) but whats really cool is holding down some note and taking the edit to "tune" (not fine-tune, TUNE) and going crazy with the Sens slider :D thats cool sounding.

It looks and feels pretty much like a brick, i'd depend on it and not bring backup.

dont know

I like it. and for the price it sells at, who wouldn't?? I really like the sounds it produces, and the chorus button. the pitchbend and lfo trigger could be more useful on the side instead of above the keyboard, nice planning there roland. i also own a korg poly-800, but the jx-3p sounds alot thicker and analog (though i still love the poly-800!)

Very easy if you have the external programmer. Time-consuming and annoying if you have to do it parameter by parameter on the little screen.

Keyboard action is typical unweighted synth fare. Roland's pitch/mod paddle is useless for modulation. 6 two-oscillator voices of real analog goodness. Not the same programming depth as a Jupiter 8, but better then a Juno 106 because of two (instead of only one) oscillators per voice. Very limited features otherwise--this was a budget synth back in the early 80s.

If you're looking for low-fi, 80s analog electronica, this is a great deal. Again, not a Jupiter, but great sounds at a great price. Is it the be-all end-all synth? No. Is it a great addition to your pallete of sounds? Yes.

I'm not sure what the reviewer below (the one who hasn't yet figured out how to save edited sounds) means by the presets sounding "gay." (I'm gay, so should I take that as a compliment? Hmmm...) Anyway, the presets are definitely from the 80s. (Were the 80s gay?) But you should not limit yourself to the presets.

Rating of 8 based on it being a 22-year-old budget synth, not compared to the V-Synth or Reaktor or something.

Roland has a great reputation in this regard.

Not from Roland, friends. They don't even like supporting thier current synths.

I think it sells for less than $400 today--I bought it 8 years ago or so. It's limited, but it's great. (Occasional limitations are good for artists, anyway. Sparks the creativity.) Should this be your only synth? Only if you can't afford anything else. Should you drop the money for it if you can? Absolutely. Should you worry about it being gay? No--gays are no better or worse to work with, although we often have a better sense of style. Not always, though. This is a gay synth that will bring you years of analog bliss.

With the pg200 it's a breeze... I still haven't figured out how to save presets I make..... but I guess it's cause I haven't played around alot...if anyone knows...email me at thefool.fool@gmail.com

polyphony is ok...it's about 7 notes at a time... built in chorus is a nice touch to alot of presets that sound quite harsh normally... a very small limited sequencer completely useless for live applications...but if you want to make some pink floyd synth sounds off dark side of the moon then it's great.... it's not touch sensitive.... kind of a bummer..... for it's time it was a very good synth... pitch bend is cool...

no instruments on this are realistic...I don't think that was rolands idea..... people say the string sounds are good on the device... well not if you expect them to sound like strings... but they are good compared to other synths at the time.... presets are gay..... mostly....I liked some of the organ sounds....

definately...

I've heard that the roland customer support is really good with roland stuff...but I haven't personally dealt with them.

Overally if you want a good 80's synth that's alot of fun to play with..then get one... check out my site...


www.thefool.co.nz

It's very easy to get the hang of and programming without the PG-200 is much easier than say a JX8P or JX10. Of course the PG is great to have, but definitely not necessary. I was comfortable editing this synth in a matter of minutes. I wish my MKS-70 was as easy to edit without the programmer. The interface is a great design.

The midi features are very limited. The keys aren't velocity sensitive. AFAIK it doesn't recieve sysex. The onboard sequencer is nice for basslines and arpeggios, but this is really a basic synth. Sound wise it has 2 oscs with sync, so the architecture is more advanced than the Juno. It also has the Roland chorus, a little noisy, but it warms it up nicely.

Compared to my MKS-70, the JX3P is quite different. It has more of a "dull" sound, without the clarity and definition of the MKS. Overall the JX3P sounds good, and I really like the bass sounds I can get from it. I can get some aggressive 303ish sounds, and I can get a pretty good fat bass, it does the "whomp" very well and I prefer this synth for bass over my MKS-70. It can sound very cheesy, but run it through a delay and it can sound very dark and mean.

I haven't owned this synth long, but it's in mint condition for a 20 year old keyboard. It's very well built, no doubt about it. I prefer the buttons on this synth to most others, seems like a good durable design.

Support on a 20 year old synth?

I'd snatch another one in a second if it were stolen, they are dirt cheap. You really can't beat them for the price. You can own a classic synth for cheaper than some softsynths.

It was my first synth back in 83 or 84. I remember reading the manual from time to time just for the editing tables and for saving and loading patches to tape ;( (yeah I really did that), but it's only 30 pages long and most of that is taken up by the editing table. I remember being totally mystified by the page that was dedicated to MIDI. I didn't think it was that difficult to use. But I don't think it took long to find it's limitations. I like some of the presets (Filter Flow!!) many are crap. Passed on the PG-200 and never really regretted it (maybe I wouldn't say that if I had one).

6 note Polyphony, no velocity, no aftertouch, no effects, no explantion. It does have cheesy plastic keys, but I started out on organ rather than piano so this was(is) just fine for me. MIDI is note on/off, hold, Program Change and bender info so it kinda sucks. OMNI is on by default which also kinda sucks, and it doesn't recieve an OMNI off (CC124). What you have to send is a POLY mode change, CC127.(this is frustratingly common in Rolands older synths). I remember using the step sequencer alot when I first got it. I don't think I have used it in at least 10 years, it's really not useful, now if the MIDI in read clock signals ...

Realistic instruments?? OK this is an analogue synth expect Dr. Who sounds and your in the ballpark.

As I said I have had this one forever, and it's still going. Though like any senior it's starting to have some issues, although I can attribute some of the problems to 1) smokey bars 2) some idiot stepped on it one really cold winter when it was in the back of the van 3) a girlfriends cat sprayed it and I lost a few keys in the lower register ;( . But it's still going. Made with 3/4 inch plywood on the bottom thick plastic sides and a metal top. Never had any issues with the buttons unlike some other Roland gear.

I have mixed reviews. Some people I've dealt with are useless. Some have been quite helpful. I guess it depends what day you call.

I have lots of other roland gear and have been playing for a while (I bought it in 83 right?). I love my JX-3P I still gig with it (although I am prepareing to retire it before it gets damaged any more). I love the architecture and the sound maybe a bit brittle for an analogue (OK! DCO ... purists) but it has never sounded harsh to me. The one area that could be better is the MIDI but at least it had it. (BTW there's someone from Denmark I beleive making a new OS similar to what Analog.no did for the MKS-30!! Cool !!)I'm sure I will enjoy playing this for another long, long while.

The presets sound OK, and form a good basis for tweaking.
Editing patches is simple, especially with the PG-200 programmer, although it's pretty easy without it. Some of the controls are VERY sensitive and can make a huge difference to the sound.
The manual is good for 1980s Roland - programming is well explained with and without the programmer.
Saving and loading patches to a PC (instead of tape) is straightforward and reliable.

Six-note polyphony and a non-velocity sensitive keyboard. Feels OK, though.
No effects except chorus, which can bring some sounds to life. Easy to overuse it, though.
Very early MIDI synth, extremely rudimentary implementation.
256-note polyphonic sequencer, but cannot be clocked via MIDI.
Pitch bender is excellent, and LFO trigger button is very useful.

The instruments cannot be characterised as realistic, but have a certain charm. The strings are warm and full, and the synth brasses have a huge punch. Bass is not the strongest.
No velocity or aftertouch, the keyboard is just a set of on-off switches.
Although I have more modern keyboards, the JX-3P still finds its way into many of my recordings. It has a distinctive sound of its own, especially with my user-defined patches.

I have had the machine from new and gigged it regularly in the early '80s. It still looks brand new and has never missed a beat.
I probably wouldn't take a 20-year-old synth to a gig, though.

Never needed any support.

If it were lost or stolen I doubt I'd replace it with another one - after all, it's 22 years old and I could emulate its sounds on a more modern keyboard.
I have had this machine from new in 1983 and now it sits in my home studio with several other vintage Roland keyboards and a Yamaha Motif ES8.
In 1983, I'd have loved a Jupiter-8 but couldn't afford it. This was the next best thing.
I really wish it had an arpeggiator - although the sequencer can be used as a surrogate.
And I do still find myself drifting back to the JX-3P to add a certain sound to my recordings. It's been a good friend.

Ease of use? depends if you have the programmer - which I don't, but even without it this ain't rocket science. I've tried editing with synths that are difficult to program (wavestation SR anyone?) and believe me, this is straightforward and simple.
Refer to diagram on the right - it's even number referenced - and move slider. How hard is that?

6-voice poly (2 DCO's per voice). Keyboard's nowt flash.
Built-in effects on an analogue? Nah, does have roland chorus, which can sound nice on some patches.
Limited MIDI, very basic sequencer.
Very nice, solid pitch bender!

Some people rate the string sounds, but I wouldn't say they're that good. Basically this is you're typical roland analogue. I've got a Juno 106 and I think they have a fairly similar sound.
You can get some nice movement with the oscillators and envelopes.
Oh yeah, no-one seems to think it's that good for bass, but you try down the lower keys on some of the presets (e.g. brass 1) and tell me it ain't fat.

It's fairly sturdy, can't foresee many problems.

From what I've read, I wouldn't like to have to rely on Roland for any of their discontinued lines. I probably wouldn't bother anyway, just go to a synth servicing specialist.

I wouldn't buy it again, 'cos I'd just use the Juno and get something else, but if anything happened to the Juno and I couldn't afford another I'd definately go for this as a cheaper alternative.
Good for anyone starting with synths, they often have more patience when it comes to lack of knobs and sliders.

This is an earlier version JX-3P without the MIDI thru jack, but as to what software version it is, who knows? Doesn't really matter, the MIDI is very limited, although, as far as vintage analog synths go having *any* MIDI at all is an advantage.

The presets are pretty cool as long as you look at them as starting points for your own patches. The strings are very good, so is Pulsar, Juicy Funk, Filter Flow, Fat Fifth; basically the last 9 or 10 presets are really good at demonstrating what you can do.

As far as creating your own patches go, this thing is a breeze. All you have to do is reference the illustration on the right side of the buttons and you're set. Very easy, so easy that I don't understand why people complain about how hard it is, or that a PG200 is *necessary* to program this. A JX-8P is different, you could really stand to have the PG800 for that, but this, the JX-3P, is easy once you start to flow with it. It's so easy to do real-time contolling as well: all you have to do is select the parameter and adjust the slider while playing. This makes resonance and filter tweaks/sweeps on-the-fly a snap.

The manual is typical Roland.

6 voice, 12 oscillators with a built in chorus. The parameter list is rather fundamental except for "metal" and the sync option. This is fine, however, because you can really get a nice variety of sounds out of the JX-3P. Much more so than a Juno. Now don't freak; I'm not saying a JX-3P is better than a Juno, but I *am* saying you can get a wider variety of sounds of a JX-3P. There are just enough parameters to make it interesting, but not too many where programming becomes frustrating.

I already mentioned MIDI, and so have others: it has it, which to me is a plus considering this is a vintage analog.

It has a dinky 128 step sequencer built in that I never really used, but it could come in handy to start a loop during a performance.

This isn't about realistic sounds. It's a vintage analog synth and as such it sounds great. It doesn't have the low end "umph" of a JX-8P, but it does have a nice mid-range sound that the JX-8P lacks. Someone said this is murky sounding compared to a Super JX and I will disagree. The JX-8P and Super JX are missing a lower-mid to mid range, while the JX-3P has a very present lower-mid to mid range. The former two do seem to have more "detail" in their sound, but I wouldn't call the difference with the latter "murky."

Anyway, the JX-3P has a very nice vintage analog sound. The filter is great and with the "metal" and "sync" settings you can easily coax a lot of sounds out of this you'd have a hard time doing with other synths. The chorus is a Roland chorus, not much to add to that if you know what an old Roland chorus sounds like. It definitely can make a sound more lush, but you don't need it for every patch on the JX-3P. This synth sounds lush without the chorus.

The keys are typical synth action keys with no velocity or aftertouch. I never really considered that an issue because between proper programming and playing technique you can get a lot of expression out of this or any similar synth.

Very well built. The keys feel tough, the case is all metal expect for the thick plastic sides. This is a 20 year old synth and it has survived the years very well. It only looks a few years old. I would definitely gig this without a back up.

I've called Roland Customer Service a few times and they're pretty helpful. They still have parts for most of the old synths and the prices for these parts are good. Otherwise, I wouldn't expect much from them in terms of support.

Very underrated synth as far as I'm concerned. It has a lot of vintage vibe going for it and makes a great pad synth. It also does bleeps, bloops, and other funky sounds involving filters and such very well.

Did you know the JX-3P uses some of the same voice components as the Juno 60 and Jupiters? Aye, it does! That says a lot about how this sounds. Coming up with great sounds is so easy which is what it's all about: it's fun to play and it does inspire.

I would buy one again for sure. No VA can touch the vintage analog vibe here and they're usually a bargain on Ebay.

I give it an 8 because of the strange way you have to activate the Midi poly mode. Otherwise it would have been a 9. With knobs it would be a 10, but believe me it is very easy to use even without the programmer. These programmers are FAR too expensive for what they will do.
Presets are ok, some are quite useful (strings, leads, "pulsar", ...), others are funny.
The manual is fun, too, at least my German translation. This guy deserves the nobel prize for literature.

Not too much features. Only one ADSR, one LFO, no velocity, no aftertouch. So you could say it's limited, but this contributes to easy handling. Everything important is there.

It sounds great! Not as fat as some other Analogs perhaps, but it's this wonderful Roland analog sound. It has Sync and Cross-Mod, which I use very often.
But, due to the fact that there is little realtime control, it's not really "expressive".

No problems so far. Got mine in mint condition.

Once I had a question which was answered quickly and in a satisfying way by Roland Germany.

For the price, this is unbeatable!

The editing is very easy, even without pg-200. Just select a parameter and move the slider. With pg-200 it could not get any easier.

The presets are pretty much useless. Who cares anyway?

This is very simple analog-digital hybrid polysynth. Two oscillators per voice, no velocity, one ADSR and LFO, simple sequencer, polyphony of 6. But it has everything that is needed for simple analog poly-synth sounds.

It does not have a mono mode or portamento. I miss those features.

As said, this is a hybrid polysynth. The sound is decent. It produces better analog sounds than most of the virtual analogs, but it will not beat Jupiters or Oberheims, that's for sure. The sound is different than in JX-10, I would describe it more murky. Not bad, anyway, considering the price of the unit.

Well built, this unit seems very reliable considering the age and analogueness.

Overall, this is a decent synth in it's category. It is cheap and lacks all cool features but it sounds OK. If you can not afford anything better, this is a pretty good choice. It is not too valuable and it seems reliable so I can gig with it easily.

~ 1983 September
Soft version n/a
Preset Section:
Bank A (1 to 16)
String I, String II, Organ I, Organ II, Organ III, Brass I, Brass II, Elecric Piano I, Electric Piano II, Clavi, Harpsicord, Vibraphone, Chime, Celesta, Accordion, Voice.
Bank B (1 to 16)
Violin, Flute, Oboe, Song Whistle, Synth Brass I, Synth Brass II, Dist Guitar, Juicy Funk, Filter Flow, Fat Fifth, Sync Sweep, Funcky Clavi, Pulser, Planet, Jet.
Preset sound are 6 good, 2 good+, rest banal.
Memory selection: 32 Pach Programmable and battery Back-up Bank C,D.
Editing patches are simple. If you use PG 200 simply turn the button left or right and you optain the sound you need. If you dont't have a pg 200 just you dont't have an suplimentary sound (PG 200 can be used like extra user preset just simple push the button "Manual") but the patches editor is in the right side at sinth like map or something like that. Don't forget to swich the behind button to programmer position (exist in the left side) if you want to modify you're personal presets (can be memory protect on). Also the same button action like midi on or off. A friend of mine try to conect midi this synth 1 year and don't discover the swich and have a large music studio.

6 Voice Polyphonic.
Polyphony is acceptable for actual non proffesional user. 61 Keys, 5 octaves, C scale. Keyboard action well but is very old you know - don't have dynamic and aftertouch (may be an advantage for non expresive or beginer user).
Bilt in effects Chorus, easy to use (press one pannel button exist on the Pg 200 too).If you want more chorus try JX-10 but don't try JX-8p . Expansion N/A except Programmer PG 200 (DIN6P). MIDI is simple to use have IN/OUT/THRU (DIN5P) one activation button behind in the left . First Roland midi synth. You can conected with 3p maximum 10 midi devices if you combine out and thru.

I stunning many people with my personal Strings Sound Developed on this Synth. Personal i prefer JX-3p Strings. I don't optain an similar String on Oberheim (excluding from the start Korg or Yamaha). For more expresiveness you can use a JX-10 but not JX-8p.
Types of music: Rock, Electronic.
Effects are simple and only Chorus.
React keyboard good no velocity and aftertouch.

ok

The most durable Synt Roland ever made.
No need to repair. Just clean dust.

Lost, stolen or sale ? I have two in the past not for now.
I playing a long time to lots gear. Gear: Roland, Oberheim, Casio, Technics, Korg, Ensoniq, Yamaha - Synth, Sound Module and Master Keb and others ocasionaly keboards.
I will not compare. I prefere the JX-10 SuperJX (maybe the best stings machine ever made)- who cares ? Maybe Australia or Foreigner!
Yes help the beginner musicians in performance but not like computers.

i have both original manual for JX-3p and for PG-200
Best Regards

this thing rox. just plug and play.

i think its only up to 6 notes but you can plug just about any controller into it and it works fantastic. its basic note on/off setup is fun as hell and fyi its the same platform as the gr-77 (the original synth box for use with the g-707)

the strings sound is pretty pimp,and the filter flow has a nice moog style. if you know your way around the programming(or the pg-200) you can make some nice weird sounds of some fat octave-layered basses.the rest of the presets are pretty hokey pokey now though(im sure they were sooo cool in 1983)and if you try to play a bunch of notes with your presets it gets kinda muddy,especially in mono

it craps out oncein a while and its really touchy about other electronic stuff, those who own one know what i mean. Its not as bad as it may sound though, sometimes all you gotta do it give it a quick slap on the side of turn it off for a few seconds and it as right as rain. i have 2 just in case(there so cheap now its ok to have 2) plus i get more settings that way.

no need. its a real workhorse and its just so comfortable that i never felt i needed to have it 'fixed'. i did do some mods but everybody gets tempted, right? :P

if they got stolen id flip
i think they should re-issue them for a nice reasonable price. wouldnt that be cool! 'Roland Vintage Series' itd would be nice competition for older moog model reissues.

presets suck, totally outdated and unusable..but whats all this talk of PG200's..this baby is a cinch to programme without one.
hit write,select a perimeter and whack up the slider..job done.

chorus fattens up the sound,basic MIDI,cool little sequencer that you can overdub..

presets are bad,no velocity/aftertouch (who needs it?)
crazy sounds can be wrenched froM the 3p..

100% ROLAND,100% RELIABLE

never had to use it

had one nearly 20 years ago,with pg200..got nothing out of it as I
knew nothing about synthesis..would not get rid of it again..a classic!!

Editing pads with this piece of analog pussy is quite an enjoyable experience. (assuming you have the PG200) Although I never had a manual, it took me about one day to fully get a hang of the jx-3p.

The keys are ok to me, I've never actually needed velocity or aftertouch for my music. MIDI is crappy, though. But what can you do.. The chorus isn't very expressive.

PG200 is a very nice add, though it could have a bit bigger pots.

les fattos maximos!!!

The JX3P is a nice and handy synth.eventhough without the programmer
PG200 sounds can be edited really fast.The PG200 is more an ergonomic
helping tool.Not a must,but speeding up editing a bit.

The presets are of its time.It is wasted air to talk about their
usability nowadays.

This mashine was one of the first with MIDI.Of course a rudimentary
MIDI Implementation,but it has MIDI.
Also it has a kind of one track sequencer.More an arpegiator as a
sequencer.Really a simple sequncer,but also really simple to use.
A nice tool.Also it has a build in Chorus.Well,this Chorus sounds good
but is lousy in Parameters.At least you have only an ON/OFF Switch.

The rest is historical anlog synthesis.With good filters,Crossmod. and
Sync option.

This is na hybridsynth.Analogsound controled by Digital.Not a bad
symbiosis.But the Parametersteps are a little to rough.But this was
in any synth of this league of that time.
The sound itself is fat and very flexible for a two Osc.device.
It can produce some weird sounds via Crossmodulation and SYnc.
So it is a kind of anlog two operator FM synth.
As FM synths live a lot about their EGs,so it must be said,that the
FM has with Crossmodulation the right label,because the EGs of the
JX3P are typical anlog and to limitated for real FM.

Nevertheless a quite good sounding synth,not only analog,as we know it,but also a kind of stoneage of FM.Very flexible in its borders.

Still in good order.

Roland has usually always a good support.Also when the machines are
20 years old,they try to help the best.

Interesting synth,not a knob diddler,like the JP8 or JP6.
Nevertheless a very valuable tool.
It sounds a little thinner as the JP8/6,but this is no limitation.
I myslef prefer more a linear synth,because each synth will pass a
mixing console and there I form their "fatness".
So I prefer a synth,wich is "fat" linear ovr the whole freq,bandwidth.
This means at least,less work on the console.
If lost,I would try to get a similiar one.
Only for pure nostagica I would try to get a JX3P again.

Im not using any software for this keyboard...but the presets rip it up for what I do. Ambient, autechre, eno-esque rock, organ type music... The Planet patch sounds like some low-rent VanHalen 1984. I don't have the PG-200, It dont matter. Id like one of course. you need one if you are going to create yer own patches. The manual is thin, but still good to reference from time to time...

polyphony=6.. I kinda dig the keyboard action. Its not too springy yet not like a digital piano. The chorus is okay on some stuff. The LFO trigger rules! The mute thing is somewhat useless, but again, it depends on what you use it for...if you want to accentuate the melody, there you go. There's upgrades and tricks...search the web. MIDI..havent tried. Get something else for midi. I dont care what the heck anyone else says...THE SEQUENCER IS EFFING COOL! Again, you gotta just use it for the right applications..I like to hit the write key... play a phrase and have it play and then play something over that in harmony. its awesome if you want to get some sped up delay, weird moog ARP sounds. I use it mainly as a noise maker..Like some Tandy Commodore 64 spitting out data....the sixty dollars and 8 hours of soldering was worth it just for that!

FAT BASSES!!! ANALOG FAT! Some stuff on here is thick. Blizzow! The instruments arent that realistic, like accordian or whatever...yet, Pulsar is realistic to me...and planet. AND THATS GOOD! If you want reality get a newer roland or a triton and then refinance yer mortgage, the prices on those are ridiculous. I read that the singer from Crap Bizkut (..ZzzZzz) bought the Triton. and that guy who played on Eminenya...Why would you want the same keyboard as those fools? Fuck that go buy a car with 2grand..buy a tube mic pre or sumpin...Chorus is okay. It works on some things like strings or whatnot. No Velocity ...Like I said look for something else that does that. I want it to blip beep and well...Bleep,

Can I Depend on it?? hmm sort-of.. When I got it nothing really worked on it. My friend (who is alot better at electronics) went thru it and soldered all kinds of sh!t. It had a crack in the circuit board. So we voided the warranty (ha-ha) and rigged some stuff... It works great! The pitch bender doesnt work, Im not much of pitch bending guy...But I want to fix it when I have more time. Ive never called on Roland for anythin' so I dont know. Id really on it. Cause its like an Atari inside. I could probably put it back together...Id use it as a backup...If it broke down Id grab the mic and Michael Winslow it.

Ive never called roland and theyve never called me...I dont think they have my number...Im not in the phone book. Upgrade? why bother. I try to fix everything myself...dont be too afraid with this thing. GET A SCHEMATIC! Its tough to work on without it...Luckily though, the circuit board is printed, so you can kind-of make out what each thing is. Don't shock yerself!

If is got stolen I would be madder than a muh-fukka... Life goes on...but it would be tuff without it. I would definitely get another. Probably not as cheap. I own another Roland, Yamaha dx7, Casio. Chord Organ...rhythm ace...a mountain of other stuff. Why do you ask?...Do you want to borrow it? I love the JX3P cause it simplistic, it does its job well and with ease. If you are like me, looking to add textures to your Numan rip-off song...pick this up. Im serious. If I want to play serious piano...you know rag-time... that sort of thing..I turn on my other roland for that special aftertouch. MAN the effin Moog Cookbook Roger Manning Jr uses it. So just buy the damn thingg! Anthing else I wish it had?? Wooden sides would be cool. I wish the chorus was more control-able. I wish you could store sequencer presets on-board. I wish mine would pay its share of the rent, the slouch.

I have also a Juno-60 but this is easyer to handle. Press only one button and you have directeley a sound.

For a board from this age it's a normal thing. The effects are on stage whitout pg-200 difficult to handle

very fat sounds !!!!!

I can trust my jx3p. it's a good one.

It is a good company I have also a roland juno 60 roland jsq60 roland jx1 roland xp10 >>> so i think it's a good company. Good sounds and easy handling.

I shure don't want to miss it. It is a nice one. It's my little friend. I am playing now about 13 years.

I'm going to talk about my experience with the JX-3P coupled with it's programmer the PG-200. Put the two of them together and it's a 10. Keep them apart and it's the 3 in the result.....

Only two osc, but great env, lfo, filter, sync features. Spenf the time with it and it can spaz out 100%. Not good for pad sounds, not great for lead sounds, FANTASTIC for crazy JX-3P only sounds. You need the PG-200 to really do this.

Presets=bad. Some are funny, but only the electric pianos make me happy. But the mod sections (PG-200 please) can make some fantastic sunc based sounds. The filter is thin, nasty, yelpy, squelchy, zappy, just great. It's different to the Juno filter, the 303 filter, it's a unique JX-3P filter that sounds great.

I beat the crap out of mine. Dodgy keys can be fixed usually by sticking cereal box cardboard under the keys. right now the power supply is half connected to the base from when it fell off it's stand. Other bits have fallen off to, but it still goes.

no problems here........

If you get it cheap with it's programmer it's a great sounding unique quirky little synth. I nearly bought a second one. But GET IT CHEAP!!!!!!! And you need the programmer, without it I'd probably never bother.

If you don't have the programmer,which I don't, It's not a hands on analog expierience. you are limited to editing one parameter at a time,not a problem for me! but might be for others. but is simple anyway and getting good souns does'nt take half a brain(I have a quarter)