Roland VK-7

Very intuitive, easy to use. I'm "technologically challenged" and there is nothing I cannot do in terms of editing with this board. The editing is easy, and because of that, you can customize your ideal organ sound in seconds.

Fantastic features. None of the new clones offer such a variety of amp types that the vk-7 has. Classic 122-147 rotary type amps, marshall stack type amps, combos of a stack through a rotary..i.e. .all of the "historical" hammond setups that have existed over the years are here and can be tweaked as needed. Great control of the rotary specs, chorus/vib, keyclick, leakage. Here is why the vk-7 (to me) is a much better clone than the new xk-3c. The vk-7 offers you just enough tweakbility without causing you to have a headache wheras the xk-3c offers way too many parameters with far too much detail. "Dammit Jim I'm a keyboard player, not a sound engineer!!!" I prefer the diving board "synth" keys. (like an L100) I am a very melodic "notey" type lead player (i.e. Hudson style) Sure, palm sweeps and glisses are a bit different with these keys, but the action and shape open up a whole world of melodic possibilities that are actually much more difficult to realize with waterfall keys.

The best, and still the best sounding clone out there for rock music. I'm sure many jazz organists will prefer the newer clones, (there is a world beyond Jimmy Smith's registrations!) but for rock and roll organ, there is no better keyboard. (i.e. ELP, deep purple, Bloomfiedl/Kooper, Uriah heep etc.) The "screaming" upper octaves which have been critiqued by some is precisely the reason why so many rock keyboard players still prefer this board. Bottom line: it cuts. The amp simulations are natural, warm and gritty. They drive in just the same way a b-3/leslie combo does with the pedal. I have done major label organ sessions with the internal leslie sim and have never once been questioned as to whether I used a real leslie. Best sounding clone. In 12 years of clone technology we have moved in circles, but not necessarily forward. I think it's great that there are so many manufacturers in the game, but Roland (once called Acetone) actually have the longest history making hammond substitutes. It's no mystery why this is still the best clone. The vk-8 was a major flop. Roland should go back to making this keyboard. BTW Here is my clone history: started with a vk-7 back in 1997; moved to a hammond xk-2; moved to a nord electro; moved to a korg cx-3 (digital); then to a bx-3 (digital) then to a nord c-1; then to a hammond xk-3c I did a tour where the only backline available was a vk-7. After the show, I realized how great this organ was. My soundtech said that this was the best he had heard of all of my previous boards. As soon as we got back, I started the frantic search on craigslist. (ended up grabbbng a vk-77 as well) So I finally went back to where it all started.... and the bottom line is that the roland vk-7 was, and still is, the organ that really started the whole "clonewheel" market. In time, it will be recognized as a classic keyboard. Please be aware though that you need to spend time tweaking it to get it sounding at it's best. Do not expect to be blown away with the presets. To anyone who has worked with vintage hammonds, you know that you need to put in alot of foreplay before you get laid.

unfortunately, the unit I bought on craigslist had a power problem. (rebooted itself arbitrarily every so often...) Brought it to a roland tech and they fixed it no problem. Tech said it had something to do with microscopic tears in the internal power source? It works like a charm now. I've never had a problem with a Roland product previously. Regardless, I will continue to service both my vk-7, and my vk-77 as long as needed as I now consider these keyboards to be vintage instruments.

The roland service department in my home town is top notch.

I adore these instruments as if they were vintage. I cherish them and would be sincerely heartbroken if they were lost or damaged. They are integral parts of my sound.

To be fair, I am not a real keyboard player. I play guitar primarily; I just love the Hammond sound and enjoy "knocking around" on it. Therefore, talk all my comments in context...

I have found the VK7 very easy to use. I rarely use the presets; I just play w/ the drawbars until I get a tone that sounds familar (I grew up on the Allmans, Winwood, etc).

I have edited some of the parameters and rarely if ever need the manual.

Having never owned an expensive keyboard, I have found the VK7 very "playable". I don't care for "weighted keys (remeber, I'm not a real keyboard player)".

I will say that the other tones (EP, strings, etc) are not very realistic. This would be a perfect product if it had realistic (usable) sounds.

The Hammond tones sound very good to this novice's ear. I bot it for that reason; anything else would be a bonus. Hammond tones (for me) get a 10.

The Leslie and the overdrive are certainly good enuf to gig. I also ran it thru a Real Tube pedal just for fun; that sounded really good in a Jon Lord sorta way.

As I mentioned above, the other tones are not acceptable for gigging; I had to buy a tone box to get piano, EP and other stuff that I need. I'd give the other tones in this about a 5; but that's OK because I bot it for the Hammond tone and it has that in spades!

I do gig w/ it and have owned it about 7 yrs; never had a problem.

No idea.

I'd buy this again if it were stolen/broken/etc. I really like the fact that some of the critical controls (for me anyway) like overdrive and reverb are just a simple knob twist away (no scrolling thru menus).

Killer Hammond sounds, fairly portable, reliable... yeah, I'd buy it again in a heartbeat!

The organ functions on the VK-7 are very straightforward. Can't imagine it could have been made any simpler. The factory presets are not great to my ears, but it's extremely easy to tweek them and replace the preset with minimal menu scrolling. I didn't even consult the manual beforehand. Within a halfhour I had a half-dozen honking presets. If you need the manual it's on Roland's website and seems to cover anything you would need to know. (It's 150 pages!)

61 (non-waterfall) keys, assignable keyboard split point, 1 set of Drawbars, (Hammond) percussion, (Hammond) vibrato/chorus V-1/V-2/V-3/C-1/C-2/C-3, stereo Leslie fast/slow/brake controls, 2 banks of 8 presets, overdrive level control, programmable keyclick, reverb control, programmable ring modulator effcts, 6 orchestral voices, organ mute, orchestral level, reverb level, master volume controls, stereo outputs, 120VAC power connector, MIDI, jack for optional expression pedal, jacks for 2 optional controller pedals, headphone jack, L-R (momo) 1/4" output jacks, 11 pin Leslie connector w adjustable output level.

Everything you need to use it as a tonewheel organ and a little more.

First let me say that I've had a Hammond B-3/Leslie 122 rig since 1969 and dragged it all over the northeast. This was the first tonewheel organ emulator to do it well. The virtual tonewheel tone generator with full polyphony that Roland developed in 1995 still rivals the best "clones" available now in 2008. If it had waterfall keys it would have it all. The Leslie simulation is excellent. The tonewheel voicing is superb from the lowest notes to the highest (the high register being where others turned me off).

But the feel of the keys is excellent so I've quickly gotten beyond even thinking about their not being waterfall shape.

The Leslie effect is one of the best I've heard and the effect is easily programmable in every way... separate adjustments on horn and woofer rotor speeds, times to speeup and times to slow down, horn level, woofer level, EQ, amplifier types.

In addition to the excellent Leslie effects, the vibrato/chorus very closely resembles the original Hammond effect. Overdrive goes from clean to insane (which is what happens when you plug the b-3's signal into a guitar amp). The reverb is smooth. If I use it at all, I use very little and it sounds perfect for the instrument. The Ring modulator is hideous. I don't know why anyone would want it.

The orchestral sounds are not great. It's interesting layer the Hammond on top of the Electric Piano, but beyond that there's not much there. Still, i could care less because you play this for the Hammond sound which is where it excels.

I find that if you EQ this to get a punchy sound out of your amp (I've been using a '69 Twin Reverb) it sounds and feels extremely responsive and alive. And I don't even have an expression pedal for it yet! Other organs that had only a volume pedal or no pedal at all always seems to just lifelessly lie there. This one spits and screams like a real Hammond. I have it set up next to my 1963 B-3/122 and it actually sounds better than the Hammond (because my Hammond needs new tone generator filter caps).

I run an electronics shop for amps and keyboards and I rarely see one of these. In fact, only one has come in in 5 years. So I'm going to give it high marks.

I deal with Roland's service and parts and they are pretty good compared to a lot of other companies these days (especially the new companies like M-audio that don't let you talk to a human being!)

If I lost this one I would definitely buy another.

The organ presets sound great, mostly cover all the styles you can play on a Hammond organ, from Gospel to Rock. Presets are always a good place to start, afterwards you can manipulate the sound with the drawbars, percussion, overdrive etc. There are some synth presets onboard as well, but I never felt the need to try them out, although I own this beast for more than a year.

Polyphony is full, everything like a real Hammond. I always thought that the action wasn't so good, because of the synth-type keys, but that was only until I tried a REAL B3 with waterfall keys, and had to realize that the feeling of the VK7's keys are pretty close to the original. It doesn't bother me at all now, and I pretty much like how they look identical to a spinet Hammond's keys.

This is the point where the old VK-7 can still hold his ground against the new clones. If you want to play rock, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, ELP style, forget the XK3-s, KeyB-s and any other clones, this one is the BEAST. The inbuilt overdrive effect is just unbelievable, sounds just as if you put a real tonewheel Hammond through a Marshall stack. 100% perfect Jon Lord sound, like it just came off of Deep Purple in Rock, Machine Head, or Made in Japan. It's also great for other styles, I'm really into Jimmy Smith nowdays, and I'm so satisfied when I set the organ up to match his sound. Flawless. The VK7 can simulate 5 types of amp overdrives. The Marshall is clearly outstanding, but the Leslie overdrive simulation is great as well. Perfect Uriah Heep sound.

It's also important, that I play this thing through a vintage Leslie 760, and it's the perfect match. I'm extremely satisfied with the sound of this combo. I tried the onboard Leslie simulation as well, just for curiosity, and hearing that right after hearing the real Leslie, I have to say, that it's very accurate.

It's built like a tank, never had a problem with it.

No idea.

Well, getting this thing last year was a real pain, the VK7 is pretty rare, but a LOT better than it's succesor, the VK8. If it was stolen I'd be willing to travel a whole continent to get it back. It was well worth. I love nearly everything about it, it looks pleasant with its wooden case, and it sounds like no other clone. I had the chance to play on a Hammond B3, after that I was even more satisfied with my VK7 than before. There are a lots of organ clones today, which I'm very pleased to say, because it means that the Hammond is really getting back. Most of the new ones are pretty good, but if you are into hard rock the VK7 is the best choice, and will be for a long time, no doubt. Together with my Leslie 760, this the gear of my dreams.

Presets are fine, you might wanna double check that you have "expanded banks" in the interface. This lets you enter 8 banks, instead of 2. Editing is not difficult but there are a lot of menus to go through to get where you wanna go, due to the small screen.

Keyboard action is plastic and synth-like. Leslie simulator is a disgrace, and the reverb is no good at all. The digital tonewheels, and the keyklick sounds however are exellent! Gain is basically just volume up to the point of digital distortion...

The sounds are good, not great but better than most. I use it mainly for blues and jazz type sounds and it gets the job done.

Built like a tank! Never had an issue.

Never had any problen vith any of my Roland products.

You get what you pay for. It??s a dependable machine with good enough action and sound to get you through any gig. If you only play organ, and this is not just another "part" of your setup, you might wanna look into something heavier and/or pricier. I myself have this board, a Yamaha S80, and a Yamaha motif xs6 on the road, and that??s when this is a handy, good enough piece.

I bought my VK-7 mainly for live performances, but have used it extensively in the studio. I don't need to edit patches or read the manual. I bought it for the rich classic organ sound and thats what I get out of it.

The action kicks ass.

I use my VK-7 primarily for hard rock and blues.

I have no worries about my VK-7. I always have other boards to use, but have never needed a backup for my VK-7 (although I have for the others).

I have had it for 6 years and never had to have any repairs. I have not had it upgraded.

I compared many different boards, but the VK-7 had exactly what I needed. The VK-7 has a beautiful rich sound and is a joy to play. Mine has taken 6 years of abuse in transit and extreme heavy usage and has never given me a single problem.

Can't get to the Chorus/Vibrato settings without going into a menu. Too many buttons that don't have to do with organ functions. Typical confusing Roland layout. Manual, like most Roland Manuals is a disgracae.

Stinky "Orchestral" voices that are unusable.

Anemic, castrated, and wimpy. I had to dime all the drawbars to get any type of sound out of this stiff. Percussion was synthetic sounding. The Chorus Vibrato was OK in a mid-sixties way, but that alone was not enough to haul the ashes.

It was built like a brick shithouse. Roland's good for that---But as I only had it for one night, who can tell

I'm a keyboard player in a big enough band to get backline supplied, but not big enough to demand exactly what I want. Cest la vie. Most of the time I get a Hammond B3, many times I get an XB-2, or an XK-2. Those instruments of course, all fit the bill. I even got an old Korg CX-3 once, and THAT was good. This Roland VK-7, however was HORRIBLE. I know enough about these things to know that the Roland was in good working order-so it wasn't that the thing was on the fritz. I've had bunches of Roland gear throughout the years, and even to today. The synth products and pianos were and are fine. This organ, however is a dud. I'm changing my part of our rider to ask for NO ROLAND VK-7, thanks you very much.

The presets sound great. THey are extremely easy access and they actually sound like presets that one would use on an organ. I set my VK-7 to the expand mode on which I use almost all the presets at one time or another. The editing of these presets is as easy as the pushing or pulling the drawbars which are, at first, in the position (digitally), as the preset. Teh manuel is great, it contains very useful knowledge as well as some interesting licks.

I'll have to say that the on-board reverb and especially the distortion, are two of my favorite effects on any keyboard I've played. Not only do they have analog control, but they also remain at the same function no matter what preset or edited sound you're in ( a problem with other keyboards is that the raved over anolog control changes digitally from one function to another between sounds, this is pesky.)

Well you wouldn't want to add this to your rig if you didn't want an organ. A problem with keyboards these days is that they contain so many sounds and options that all they do is perform inadequately at everything. This board is an organ and has done more than justice to every live or studio application I've put it through. It does wonders for any church woship service as well as rock, jazz, or pop applications, all of which have been introduced to my organ. I have not personnally used my VK-7 for classical playing but you could justy add the pedals and away it would go. The Leslie simulator is probably one of the best on any keyboard organ, ranking, in my book, next to that of the Korg CX-3. THis was a big part of my decision to buy it.

Not only would I use this in a live gig, but I have; for 3 and a half years, and yes without a backup. I cannot tell you how impressed I have been with this organs durability. It has traveled literally 1000's of miles in a trailer and hasn't given me trouble yet. If my VK-7 died tomorrow I would be happy that it has lasted thi long with virtually no maintenance.

I have never needed it upgraded or repaired. I have only dealt with dealers (ironic). And I have never had a problem.

If my VK-7 were lost or stolen I would either buy another one or one of those Korg jobs, the CX-3 I think it is, or a real Hammond. I've been playing the board since 2000; it is one of the best pieces in my rig which includes: an Alesis QS8.1, an Alesis QS^, a Roland KC-300 keyboard amp, a Berringer mixdown board (I think its the 1604A), a Mark II 73 Rhodes, and two Lesilies I run with a Combo II Pre-amp, a 760 and a 710. I went into the music dealer where I buy everything with the idea that I needed a Hammond XB-2; I had played one and knew I needed an organ for live applications. After serious reconsideration in the showroom, I decided upon the VK-7, alot in part because of the Leslie simulator, of which has now become fairly dormant due to my aquiring a couple of Lesiles. I am so thankful of my choice because last summer on tour, I played an XB-2 for several weeks and was dissappointed with it's sounds and durability. Part of me wishes I had the keys of a real Hammond, but I like the rest of the board better than the VK-8, and so I will be at ease with my early purchase of Roland's organ. The Vk-7 has been a dream in the studio and in every live application; it has run the gauntlet in every way imaginable. Everything from falling off stage, to me spilling Pepsi all over it, to the band using it as a plate for their pizza, this organ has perservered through the rough life of a live instrument in a full time band and I'm sure it has many years left.

quite straight forward i found the presets were louder than when using the manual button but that wasnt a problem to sort

the keyboard action was great for me although that can be a matter of taste for the individual still working on finding away to lower the volume on the bottom end of the keyboard has i have been used to playing the real thing (double manual)if any one has any ideas how i can lower the volume on the left hand id love to know thanks

not over keen on most of the orchestral sound but then again i only bought it for the organ sounds i played along with some hamond b3 cds and couldnt really tell the difference great expressive instrument when using the drawbars while playing but i think thats what a hammonds is all about i was always told if you can get that hammond scream you arent far away from the real thing and boy does it scream

ive only had the vk7 2 weeks but have always had roland gear i have a w30 workstation and the contacts on the keys can be a pain but overall great gear

sorry but i have found roland not to be the best people to deal with i have e mailed on a number of occasions and they have never gotten back to me also i had #3000 worth of roland gear at one time and they wanted to charge me #7 for a manual which i thought was a little mean

ok its not a b3 with a leslie but its the next best thing i have heard i want to try it with a stereo amp which i have not done up to now but yes i would buy another i hadnt played a hammond for a while went on to synths but but as soon has i started playing my vk7 it all came back if you want the nearest thing to a hammond without having a broken back lugging the real thing around buy it i did and i dont regret it at all

This beast is very easy to use - even if you have no experience with drawbar organs or synths. Some of the presets are great, but any organ sound (not mention other great sounds) can be achieved when you use the drawbars- and why wouldnt you use them???
The manual is not all that necessary for most functions and the quickstart is simple and quick enough to even get your drummer ready to make some great b3 sounds.

I love the feal of the unweighted keys (i realise its personal) The effects selection is not huge but it does what it does well. Adding a leslie makes a difference and i occasionally use outboard effects with it on less staight edged projects. I feel the same about the overdrive, except for the fact I would not use it at all and opt for a better overdrive source (i.e.Tubescreamer).
Basically it does everything it sets out to do and does it well (plus a bit more with some extra sounds/options)
Furthermore, this beast acts as an awsome controller if you want it to (yes - drawbars transmit midi messages!!!!!!)

The closest i have ever come to true b3isms - i tried all the opposition at the time and i chose this above all else. In a live situation no one would tell the difference between this and the original (especially with the aid of the correct amplification/effects device). the non organ sounds very from passable to outstanding.

Never had a problem. I have some sounds on my triton just in case...but have never needed them...nor can i imagine them being needed barring a freak incident.

no probs - hardly any contact with roland so far

Nothing comes close. I imagine the vk8 might...but all it seems to have is some useless gismos for the extra dollars...i found no need to try it as i am 100% satisfied with this beast.
If it were stolen i would be more than angry - and it would most definately be replaced - i paid a lot for this one but would pay that again if it came down to it. i love this one. its up there with my rhodes and my old prophet 5 (R.I.P.)

If you're a straight-ahead Hammond guy or gal, with no synth or midi experience whatever, you'll still be able to use and enjoy this instrument right out of the box. But to get the most out of the VK-7 you'll have to gain some basic skills.
Synth-savvy Hammond afficionados will find it easy sailing, as I have.

Not mentioned so far by other reviewers: first, how easy it is to use a second keyboard and bass pedals with the VK-7, just plug them in and go, no worrying about midi channel assignments; second, how easy it is to switch between organ and orchestral voices assigned to either keyboard or to the pedals just by hitting one button.

On the downside: first, not having separate sets of drawbars for two manuals and for bass is slightly inconvenient for me. Since I generally only use a few settings for bass and the lower manual, I can program these into presets. Others may find this more limiting. The new Korg CX-3 has two sets of drawbars which is nice, but there is absolutely no provision for bass pedals. I'd much rather have the pedals.
Second, and more difficult for me personally to adjust to, is the way the drawbar LED's are laid out: on a Hammond the drawbars are next to each other, there is no space between 5-1/3' and 8' or between 2' and 1-3/5th's. When I look at the LED I have a hard time visualizing the drawbar settings.

No sense in repeating what others have said here, features for a Hammond simulation are great and quite extensive, plus there's other stuff if we care to get into it.
One reviewer mentioned that not having separate vibrato/chorus controls for each manual was a drawback and I totally agree- but I've found that the orchestral voices, while not 'organic', can provide necessary contrast many times in a similar or even more expressive way. It's all in how authentic we choose to be.
As regards the keyboard action of the VK-7 I'd like to point out that different Hammonds have different actions, although many of them are adjustable. I've had Hammonds where the action is way too soft and others where it's way too stiff. I like the VK-7 action, it doesn't get in the way of my expressing myself musically.

I don't consider a Hammond organ or an acoustic piano a 'keyboard', they are what they are, and they are incomparable.
That having been said, my VK-7 is by far the best keyboard I've ever owned, simply because it emulates the real deal so well that I can get beyond what's producing the sound into the music itself, as if I were playing the real deal- with enhancements. It's not the same as a cranking B3 with a 122, but it's totally cool in it's own right.

As far as enhancements, I consider some of the orchestral voices very useful- especially the strings, acoustic bass and guitar. Purists might want to remember that Jimmy Smith recorded with Lalo Schifrin, and did some orchestral stuff- check out 'Walk On The Wild Side', 'Old Man River' etc. The orchestral voices give us additional choices, whether or not we choose to use them.

I too feel that that the electric piano patch bites bigtime, and that a decent acoustic piano patch would have been extremely useful. But for what this instrument really is- a Hammond emulation with additional sounds- I can find absolutely no fault with it.

I've owned the VK-7 about a month now , and I own other Roland products which have been reliable, so I have confidence in the company and the quality of it's products. But there's no way I'd ever do a gig without backup equipment, that doesn't make sense to me.

With my demo unit there have been a few issues to take care of, and Roland has been courteous and supportive, that's the extent of my experience with tech support. I do wish they had an 800 number though.

If it were lost or stolen I'd definitely replace it, it's well worth what it cost new, although I was lucky enough to buy a demo.

I've been playing for over 30 years, have owned 15 +/- Hammonds, 3 acoustic pianos, plus maybe 25-35 assorted keyboards in all, and assorted modules. This is the best keyboard I've ever owned, bar none.

I owned a Hammond/Suzuki XB2, tried out the XK2, and the Oberheim, currently own an original Korg CX3 custom midi module. The VK-7 has the fattest, warmest sound of them all, it inspires me to make music, and I'm back playing organ after too long away, thanks largely to this fine instrument.

The VK7 is quite simple to navigate directly out of the box. There is no necessity to crack the manual initially; to harness the real power of the thing one has to dig a little deeper, but it is no brain twister.
The presets are generally OK, if a little unimaginitive. I'm not sure why the various theatre organ presets are useful, but I think Roland is attempting to cover a lot of ground with this board; professional players, studios, churches, pro-jobbers, and whatever else. I loaded the thing almost exclusively with my own registrations. I don't use the orchestral sounds a great deal, but I actually like them. The strings are nice, the brass is passable, and the Rhodes and bass are very good. I wish there were a way to split some of these (like Rhodes and bass), but to my knowledge, there isn't one.
Editing is largely a cinch. I found that the "clean" tone wheel option preferable to the "vintage" as I run mine through a 147, and I changed almost all the registrations to clean.
The manual is in fairly typical Rolandease, which is to say not particularly user friendly. That said, it's ok given the simplicity of the instrument.

The VK is completely polyphonic. I find keyboard action quite pleasing, even though I'm most accustomed to piano and real Hammond actions. It is not of the annoying hair-trigger variety, it's nicely responsive, and feels natural to play.
The reverb is very good. The overdrive can be very effective, but if the onboard Leslie simulator is bypassed, the OD is bypassed as well! Strange. In my case I really don't need a Jon Lord-type thing anyway. The onboard Leslie is very good and the VK offers quite a number of Leslie configurations and editing features. The chorus/vibrato falls woefully short of the mark, and oddly cannot be edited. I generally don't use it.
The power of the VK does, however, lie in very extensive editing capabilities. Initially, I wasn't getting quite what I wanted out of it, other than the relief of portability. (I have been dragging a B3, M3, and all the rest around for 15 years). So I sat down and did some A/B experimenting with a real Hammond rig and the VK to try to determine what I wasn't getting from the VK. Generally, it seemed that the vintage sound with leakage "swam" a little to much for my taste and was diluted further when run through a Leslie. So I tried the clean sound, and things started to come around. Then I worked on the EQ, key click level, and so forth. With just a bit of work, I had a board that I have really come to like. I did other things like manual splits (I quite often have to play keyboard bass), program my favorite registrations somewhat sequentially, ie. "Hip Hug-Her" 1,2, and 3, so that I could access them on the fly.
Is it a ringer for a B? Not quite, and I think the intangible that isn't there will continue to be evasive. I own over 20 Hammmonds, and have played professionally my entire adult life. There is a certain "broadness" to a single note on a Hammond that remains elusive for all simulators. I've tried 'em all-Korg, Voce, Rhodes, Hammond/Suzuki, oddball stuff. FWIW, the VK beats them all handsdown.

It's fantastic. But I wasn't won over until I heard someone else using one. That someone was Larry Goldings. I went to a show with Goldings as a sideman, chomping at the bit to hear his wonderful organ playing. When I saw a VK on the stage, I coulda wept. Until he played. It was just a medium blues, but that's the front line for Hammond stuff. Forget it!!! It sounded Sooo good. The bomb...
Since then I've done myself a favor and worked the VK exclusively into my rig. Fellow musicians are always gassed. I can do almost any thing I would do on a B or an M, and more. On an extremely high profile gig I would opt for a B. But I don't have a crew, and play between 200 and 250 gigs a year; almost exclusively one-nighters. It wasn't a hard choice. The VK and my $40.00 Wurlitzer, both through my $75.00 Leslie. Playing out is fun again.

Roland stuff is extremely durable. Sure I'd use it w/o a backup.

Haven't needed it, but Roland is still in business, so I reckon I could track 'em down.

I would buy another if it disappeared, unquestionably.
I've been playing 30 years, 25 professionally. I'm primarily a pianist, but have played organ all along. I play bop influenced jazz, swingin' blues, gospel, roots rock, and love almost all styles.
I own so much stuff it makes my head spin sometimes. When I was coming up as a young player, I could barely afford a Rhodes, let alone a $5000.00 early polyphonic synth. So in my adult years I've aquired all the treasures that were unavailable to me in my yoot, usually in duplicate or triplicate.
I love the VK for making my life immeasurably easier. And yeah, it sounds beautiful.

Having owned a Hammond B3, and played professionally with one for many years, it was disturbing to hear the Roland VK7.
The sound is so close to the original, it makes you think you are playing the real thing.
The presets are fine, but Hammond lovers will want to turn, immediately, to the drawbars. These function the same as did the B3 and can be adjusted in a variety of ways.
Patch editing is a breeze. I have altered the configuration in order to turn on/off the rotary simulation with two foot pedals (one for speed and another for the brake). Everything works well, although it is a little touchy in distinguishing between Ext1 and Ext2.
As an added plus, the strings on this unit are superb. They are the best I have heard since some analog synths I had in the mid 1980s. The other "canned" sounds are very accurate and can be accessed with or without the Hammond sounds.
The manual is fine. It not only provides tutors that are suited to obvious usages (such as the rotary options) but also includes helpful information about the specifications (such as balanced outputs to your amplifier -- these provide quiter connections).

The organ is completely polyphonic and this attributes to its solid, timbral feel. The keyboard action is good for a Roland but does lack the waterfall keys of a true Hammond. Unlike other reviewers, I have not found it difficult to get a good glissando using Roland's style of key design.
The rotary effect is, as other reviewers note, the best around. You can custom tailor it to your likes. I am using A Fender SFX amplifier with the two speakers mounted at 90 degrees to each other. With the right DFX setting, the Roland produces a superb rotary sound.
Other effects include overdrive, reverberation, and a host of edited changes. One small problem with the used unit I purchased is that the Reverb control only works after you jiggle it. Upon startup, it will not produce any reverb. After jiggling, it provides the correct amount.
The unit allows another keyboard and pedalboard to be added and it will empower all three (as with a full Hammond unit). I am unaware of any card or module additions.
It has full MIDI capabilities and no sequencer of which I am aware.

As noted above, this instrument is almost eerily accurate. You might have to look down to make sure you are not sitting at a B3.
It does the blues, rock, popular, and related styles fine. Classical musicians can play on it for fun, but it is not particularly great for Bach.
Effects, such as chorus and attack are correct for their Hammond heritage. They are, as well, adjustable through the editing mechanism.

It appears to be built like a rock. I bought a used instrument and it seems very solid -- no quirks or oddities.
I play popular music infrequently in public, but do use this and a Yamaha P80 together for a fine pop combination. Having very good piano and Hammond organ timbres available without MIDI change is an effective way to cover many styles.

Have only dealt with Roland to get old manuals, cards, and ROM cartridges. Do not know how they would deal with a warranty issue. Since I own four Roland products, it is good news that I have never had to approach them for service.

This is an instrument I would buy a second time.
Just as the Hammond B3 became an infamous cult instrument, the Roland VK-7 shows every sign of being just as addictive. The instrument is a pleasure to play and draws you to it the same friendly way as did our Hammonds.
BTW, I compared all of the Hammond simulators and considered getting the MIDI/Sampler units (because I have a Roland keyboard controller that could activate them).
I chose to purchase the complete unit because it was on sale. However, I have since decided that having the drawbars on the instrument itself is a good thing. They are positionned where the keyboardist is accustommed to seeing them and they act just like the originals.
What I like about the Roland timbre in comparison to the other units (Hammond/Suzuki, Voce, E-mu, et al) is its robust quality. This is a bold, bright, and happy sounding instrument just raring to get it on.
Use balanced cables for the amplifier (if it supports them) and plan on adjusting the rotary sound until you get it just right for your amplifier, room, and tastes.
I have been playing keyboards for over forty years and have more instruments than a single person should have. The Roland would not be the first one I would be willing to give up.

This is very easy to use. The only complaint is that the vibrato/chorus button is small, and hard to find and execute in a dark nightclub (compare the rocker switches on a Hammond). It would be nice if the VK-7 had real waterfall keys, but for a synth keyboard, the action is pretty good.

Like the hammond it emulates, there are 91 separate oscillators so you get full polyphony. The midi implementation is excellent, all three manuals and the orchestra sounds can have seperate channels, as can the controls, so it is easy to integrate into any midi system. The expression pedal nicely imitates the hammond expression (which in turn emulates opening and closing shutters on a pipe organ). Thus at its lowest setting, the highs are muted, at its highest they scream.

The power supply is built into the keyboard. A minor point perhaps, but wall warts are a tool of Satan.

The organ sounds are almost perfect and well within the variation of the various Hammond drawbar models (which tend to be very individual). One advantage the VK-7 has over the XB-2 or XM-1 is that the harmonics are tuned to equal temperment rather than just--this eliminates that beating effect when the black drawbars are used. The orchestra sounds are not as bad as I've read in other reviews. The chorus is ok--C3 works for registrations with just a few of the lower drawbars pulled out, its too much when the upper drawbars are added. I tend to use C2 as my standard sound and it's ok, but for rock and jazz the C3 setting is used more often. The vibrato settings are unusuable. There's a bleating effect that is downright ugly. The built in leslie and distortion simulation works well for stereo recordings and listening in headphones, it is less effective through my mono stage amp (Roland KB100). With a motion sound Pro3-T, the sound is awesome--I've owned 3 hammonds including a B3, and prefer the VK-7/Motion sound combo in terms of balancing sound vs ease of transport.

On the downside, even with all the digital grunge turned off (keyclick, leakage, vintage), there's a whine in the sound that you can here if you pull one drawbar out to its lowest setting (1). I tried another unit and it had the same problem so I assume its in the design. You can also hear it with the reverb turned on and the expression pedal turned all the way off. Its not so noticeable in performance, but I think it contributes to the harshness in the upper registers.

I bought mine new, but very cheaply because it was dropped while shipping to the retailer. Because of this, the power supply is flaky causing the the organ to reset in questionable power situations (long power cables at outdoor gigs, iffy club wiring etc). When it happens it's usually at a crescendo in a solo (when the band's power draw is at its greatest) so its pretty annoying. I've had it repaired three times, but the problem has not been eliminated.

I've owned lots of Roland keyboards and have dealt with their customer support far too often. It took six months for them to send me a service manual. On the other hand, I just recently replaced the tweeter in my roland amp--a five minute wait on the phone and I got the part in five days.

Organ is a big part of my sound--I've played hammonds throughout my career, and prefer the VK-7/Motion sound combo for ease of use and transport. Of course, nothing can compare to a Hammond B3 with dual 147 leslies, but compare 60lbs to 600. I tried both the Oberheim OB-3 keyboard and the XM-1 drawbar module before buying the VK-7. The OB-3 was weak, but I might have chosen the XM-1 if its tuning was authentic (equal tempered rather than just harmonics). The XM-1's chorus and vibrato are better than the VK-7. However, the VK-7 is far better than the XB-2 and beats any synth's emulation (including Kurzweil's 2500 "organ transplant" or the Voce micro-b--havent tried the other Voce models).

One welcome addition would have been an acoustic piano--I could then use the VK-7 as a standalone keyboard. The chorus and especially the vibrato could be improved. Also, it would be nice if the drawbars could send out continuous midi instead of discrete levels--then the VK-7 could make a powerful midi controller.

Finally, this axe is definitely worth what I payed even with the power problem mentioned earlier. In fact it is worth the full price normally charged. Along with my Alesis QS7 (a sample playback synth which has an excellent acoustic piano sound), I've finally got a rig that I can express myself and that I can carry around by myself in a compact car.

The VK-7 is very easy to use. Basically plug and play.The presets are average, as I prefer to use the drawbars to really tweek the tone of this high quality B-3 simulator. Once you start using the drawbars, the presets provide merely a starting point.The manual is exstensive as well as being useful, however, I have done well in navigating this thing w/ out the help of the operators manual.

I would perfer a bit more tension from the keys as they are smooth and easy to manipulate w/ the occasion to trigger an un-wanted note. The reverb is o.k. nothing I would use when in the studio, however live it seems to do the job.I feel the same about the overdrive, except for the fact I would not use it at all and opt for a better overdrive source (i.e.Tubescreamer). The VK-7 is a very complete organ (simulator). It has wonderful velocity sensitivity, no sequencer, yet I will say i do enjoy the multipul sounds in the orchestration section.

I have used the Hammond B-3 and find that the VK-7 is a good match if the B-3 is what you want. The leslie simulation is excellent, the tone YOU create is mostly warm however, the upper register of this thing can tend to be a bit harsh.I use the VK-7 mostly for retro styled original music, beach style and rock. it works very well for anytime the B-3 sound is the only thing that will work and you can't find the real deal.

I own numerous Roland keyboards and they all never visit the shop,(Knock on wood).

Roland is easy to work with. I needed manuals for my other synths, no problem.

Overall, this thing is the best organI have ever used. it is less noisy and cumbersom than the B-3 and in the studio it holds it's own w/ the real deal. If it were lost or stolen it would be replaced, however I still would consider a real B-3.At 625.00, I can tell you I will not find one again for that price.Worth EVERY penny!!The VK-7's sound overall it's functionality, classic good looks and reliability, give it the highest marks. The only thing I dislike is it's keys, kind of cheap.The VK-7 is the only true organ I own I currently use a Mellotron, prophet 5, Wurly-200, Matrix-12, Jupiter-6, Polymoog and many others and the VK-7 has been a complete joy to own and to hear.For me it has been a fantastic value.

If your used to drawbars, this instrument is a sinch. Editing the effects is easy as well. The overdrive and reverb knobs make it very easy to do real-time editing for mood swings.

One of the best, maybe the best leslie simulator in the business. I never used the midi port, however, I am sure there aren't any hangs using the VK7 as a controller. I would have liked to have seen different keys more suitible for glissing like a B3(I don't like synth keys that much). For synth keys though, the action is great. The effects are pretty good, the reverb is a little to wet, however you can edit the amount while playing the gig, that's nice.

The organ is very good and remarkably accurate. The percussion seems like it isn't routed before the leslie sim in the effects loop, so that the percussion does not "spin" like the drawbar sounds do. It is hard to notice until you use the 'slow' parameter in the percussion area. I am not into using other sounds so I cannot comment.

I treat it well, I haven't had any problems. Of course, any keyboard is prone to damage because of every 'little' piece involed in the mechanism. I haven't used it that long yet.

N/A

For an organist, this a must. I run it through stereo 15's and horns, and I think it sounds close enough to the real deal to fool other organists in the room that can't see you playing. In fact, I first heard it at a bar and a guy was playing it through a 145, I was in awe, I went for an hour listening from a view point where all I could see was the leslie cabinet, then I saw the little tabletop Vk7 on a small stand and was very shocked that it wasn't a Hammond. That's when I decided, I dig this keyboard.

The Roland VK-7 is as easy as they come. Right out of the box the sounds are great. The presets are a breeze to get around on and the leslie controls are located at the perfect spot for easy left hand switching between fast and slow. A footswitch can also be used to change speeds. Editing patches is very simple if you have a basic knowledge of keyboards. The drawbars make it possible to tweak the sound in real time which will appeal to the classic organist. The keyboard is really self-explanatory.

This keyboard is loaded with features, including overdrive, leslie simulation, percussion, and vibrato and chorus settings. The overdrive is pretty good but as you turn it up the volume rises which turns out to be a pain for the soundman. I opted to use a Tubescreamer TS-10 for overdrive because of the volume problem. I also found it to sound much more natural with the TS-10. The leslie simulation is one of the best I've heard. I actually decided to sell my Leslie 145 because it sounded so good(and because I couldn't carry it around). The VK-7 also has an extra set of presets with string sounds, electric pianos, and things. Besides the strings that I use occasionally for Pink Floyd type things(I use a vintage phaser on the strings) I found the extra presets to be a waste. I wish they would have left them off and saved us all some extra money.
The keys have a synth feel to them that I have grown to love, even though at first I wanted the waterfall keys because of the Hammonds I was used to.
As far as midi features and things of that matter, I couldn't be sure. I buy a keyboard because it sounds good, not because it could sound good after hours and hours of tweaking.

The sounds are where this thing is ahead of it's game. Overall this is the best combo organ going. If you can't carry(or afford) a B-3 and a Leslie get a VK-7. The organs are great although I do find them to be a little unique. There not the exact Hammond sound but you can't really expect them to be. I use the Tubescreamer and it adds a little warmness but at times the top end still seems to get a little harsh.
The presets besides organs(electric pianos, etc.) sound very generic. They might get you through in a crunch but definitely not sounds to use always.

After a month of playing time on the organ it started shutting down. At first it was here and there but soon turned into an every day thing. I called Roland and apparently it was a ground problem, a factory defect(they now have fixed that problem on newer models). I took it to a service center and they had it finished in about five minutes. Besides that this is a road worthy instrument. My VK-7 has been through everything from falling on the floor because of a broken x stand to being played in the rain at outdoor gigs. It has suffered a broken key and a busted outlet jack(both of which have been replaced) and just keeps on going.

Customer support was as good as it ever gets, long waits on the phone only to find someone who don't even care if you play or not.
One thing I must say is the music store/service center I bought the VK from was very helpful and still is everytime I bring something in. They take care of the warranty and calling the company when something goes down. If you decide to buy one, buy it locally. It will save you a lot of trouble in the long run.

Customer Support from Roland = 5
Customer Support from service center = 10

If it were stolen I would definitely get a new one. A good organ sound is a must in the band situation that I'm in, and the Roland VK-7 is the best going.

For starters, I'm currently 96% Guitarist, 4% Keyboardist (hoping to gradually even the two out). I'm in a backup band for very talented male Christian Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist. We want to put some cool B3 pads/fills in places. Because his acoustic guitar is so huge sounding and because I've studied music theory for years and already play a tiny bit of piano, it makes sense for me to "double" on keyboards. That being said I'm also about to turn 40 and have always had a real passion for the B3 sound having grown up on Tower of Power, Chicago, and BS&T. One could also consider this "a mid-life toy". I have a limited MIDI/patch editing background but the VK-7 seems easy to me. The manual is a bit tedious. I kinda read a while, then play with the instrument to figure out what it is talking about. The Joey Defranceso (sp?) preset sounds very good. The rest are OK, but again my reference for different ogran sounds is not very broad.

The Organ sounds have full polyphony on all 61 keys. It's not really exandable except for MIDI IN/OUT. The VK-7 is really designed to function as a dedicated Organ. It has 9 real drawbars, analog "rotary sound" controls, real wood (walnut and alder) around the sides and top, and the general look and feel of "shrunken" B-3.
No sequencer. The keys are touch sensitive and respond very well. The keyboard has a very solid synth-action that is also pretty good for basic piano stuff (I MIDI to a Kurweil MicroPiano).

I do wish the VK-7 supported basic MIDI remapping and allowed for more than 16 user-defined presets. This would make it more attractive for a controller, but again that's not really what it's function in life so I'll live without these things (and eventually buy a second keyboard).

Ok, I've never owned a real B-3, although I've been around many B/C Hammond Organs since the early 70's. The VK-7 is clearly a "digital clone" and the fact that it's *not* housed in a 300 lb solid cherry cabinet is reason enough to suspect that it will not sound just like a real Hammond B/C-3. However, for my application the VK-7 is perfect because it is portable (33 pounds), affordable, and will always "just a layer" in our band. From the reviews I've read of the VOCE V5, I would condsider it if the organ has to be "front and center" in your music. I don't suspect I'll ever be an organ virtuoso, so the VK-7's sounds are very satisfying to me. One thing about the VK-7 that I absolutely love is the leakage, although a bit digital sounding it is VERY realistic (to my ear) and VERY VERY integrated with the basic organ sound.

As for the built in effects. I don't use the overdrive really. The reverb sounds pretty good. The Leslie Simulation seem very close to the basic sound of (especially when run in Stereo) but without the "woody" tone and 3-D doppler effect that only a real Leslie (and I'm told the Motion Sound cabinets as well) can produce. I can't tote a Leslie around so I'll probably wind up with the Motion Sound
Pro 3t/Low Pro(after my wife recovers from the VK-7 purchase).

The Orchestral Section has a couple of very cool sounds. Name the Acoustic Bass and the Pop Orcanina (very reminensent of Pat Metheny's synth sounds on the first melody in "Facing West"). The electric piano is perhaps the worst I've every heard. Sounds like a dead Rhodes going though a cheap bass amp will no treble or mids. This is hard to figure out because Roland makes some way cool digital pianos that have great EP patches. I'm guessing it's simple marketing - they want to sell you another unit to get the EPs.

Don't know yet. It seems solid but I this my first Roland.

No experience here and I hope I never have to.

Hum, If my VK-7 is ever lost or stolen, I would have to evaluate the current state of the art in Organ simulation technology. I also considered the Hammond-Suzuki XK-2 but shyed away from the oversize waterfall keys (because I also use it for Piano). I've not read favorable reviews about the XK-2's tonal qualities either. The VOCE V5 was in the running, but I backed away because I'm not into all the attendent hassles of multiple MIDI devices (i.e. VOCE V-5 (and EXTERNAL Leslie sim), Piano Module, controller, etc.).

The VK-7 is way cool and definetly a keeper given that I'm currently a beginning organist. I hope to develop some solid soul/gospel/R&B/funk grooves on this unit. I definetly think this thing is worth $1625.00. It has much more of the B3 vibe than your basic general purpose synth.

I also have a Kurweil MicroPiano which I MIDI to from the VK-7. I tried a JV-1010 but didn't like it's basic piano, sounds. I'm kind of a purist and I don't really need all of the other things the JV-1010 does.

As I said in the beginning, I'm primarly a guitarist. I've got a pile of cool vintage/repro gear (Don Grosh Retro Classic Strat, DR Z. Amp, Fulltone Pedals, etc.)

Again, I am blind and feel that this needs to be mentioned in the review. I have owned this since April. Most functions are really easy. Want to shape the sound? drawbars on the left. Leslie? Buttons just to the left of the keyboard, or get a pedal to control it from the floor. Distort it to hell? Overdrive knob very accessible. I love this board for its ease of use and have yet to dive into the menus to program it further, although I want to learn how so I can play.

You need to understand that this is a Hammond simulator. No good for techno unless you want to use a real sounding hammond organ in your songs, which would be a change from the random noise most techno is usually. Other reviewers have discussed the features here, so I will pass it by.

I play rock and progressive rock and some heavy metal. For prog rock lovers, this is a must-have to play those ELP, Yes, and genesis songs. If you are into Deep Purple, crank up the overdrive and have yourself a ball. This thing is the best thing since sliced bread. I am not a Hammond purist, so I cannot nitpick about the sound, but you have your choice. Be a purist and throw out your back carrying the thing, or get pretty damn close and spend less money and hassle. I have to comment on the orchestral bank. I find it OK, although I do with there were a sustain pedal option for that bank. I sue the strings sometimes and with I had a sustain option for them. I may have missed it in pedal assignments, but it still would be nice.

Only had it a few months, but it is kicing major ass.

i mentioned this in my xp80 review that roland seems to be good at answering questions, even when they are dealing in situations that they are unfamiliar with, such as blindness. I only wish I knew their 800 number.

If it were stolen, I would probably go on a killing spree. I had a ekyboard stolen from me and it sucks. I would definitely replace it. This thing is a godsend for me. I have been searching for this all my life. And here it is. If you love organ, you have to buy this. Screw everything else.

The keyboard is easy enough that you can work most things out without the manual, though it's worth reading to get the detail.
It's very "playable" compared with most other Hammond generators. You can tweak sounds on the fly with the drawbars, overdrive, reverb etc.

The organ component is fully polyphonic - you can play all 61 keys at once if you want!. The "orchestral" sounds are 64 note polyphonic (which may mean fewer than 61 keys if the sound uses multiple sources).
Keyboard action is good, solid, overhanging organ/synth type. Note that it doesn't have the square-front "waterfall" keys of a B3, which some consider important (doesn't bother me, but that's probably my classical organ background).
Built in effects are rotary speaker simulation, overdrive and reverb. Setting them up for a particular patch is a bit of a fiddle (you can do things like choose different amp simulations for overdrive and different room sizes with reverb by going into the edit mode). But once set up, you can just turn the knobs to dial in the chosen reverb and overdrive. For the rotary speaker (Leslie) you can just hit the conveniently located fast, slow and brake buttons.
Many parameters can be connected to external foot controllers (up to three) for even better access.
No real expansion capabilities, other than adding foot controllers or a Leslie speaker.
No sequencer.
As a Hammond tonewheel emulator, it has pretty much all you need.

The Hammond sound is excellent. It's virtually indistinguishable from the real thing (or at least some versions of "the real thing"!). Unlike sampled keyboards, the VK-7 runs 91 digital oscillators continuously, just like the Hammonds run 91 mechanical tonewheel oscillators. The outputs of the oscillators are then mixed according to the drawbar settings and keys pressed. There's none of the "muddiness" you get with sampled Hammonds. These often sound okay when you play one or two notes, but by the time you have a big chord with bass, they sound like mush. They often seem short of samples, so the bottom end sounds like the mid tones played at quarter speed.
The orchestral sounds are pretty standard - comparable with good GM/GS/XG type sample boxes. Unlike some other reviewers I do think they're a worthwhile addition to the VK-7. Strings and bass are common needs. These are much more accessible than most modules. Some of the "attack" sounds add interesting attack to the Hammond sound. The big disappointment is the "electric piano" which is possibly the worst I've ever heard.
The pipe organ sounds are good, but there are only three. Adding a bank of these would be a really valuable addition.
For type of music: very flexible. I play mainly rock, and a bit of classical. It works well for both. I've heard jazz played on it and it sounds sensational.
The onboard effects are all good: the rotary speaker is equal to the best electronic simulations I've heard. Overdrive isn't quite as flexible as it could be, but better than many, Reverb

It's certainly well built. As far as gigging without a backup . . . I have my piano and XG MIDI module as backup. That makes me calm.

My limited dealings with Roland Australia have been positive.

I'd buy it again. I've been playing 26 years (with a big break in the middle!).
I love its playability - it definitely helps make music. While sample modules are great, their limited ability to adjust sounds easily while playing make them unresponsive. With the VK-7, if a sound isn't quite right in a particular situation, just grab some drawbars and change it.

Relatively easy to use. Most B-3 practitioners will put a premium on real-time control (vs digital paging). The VK-7 could be better in this regard, but its stil pretty good. There is one set of drawbars for the two manuals and pedals, but you can switch among these by hitting some very accessible buttons. Its a good system. As another commenter noted, the putting the main volume on the far right and in a knob form is pretty lame.

Other commenters have commented extensivly on this, so I'll resist trying to be comprehensive. The keyboard action is beautiful. Solid, even, and a pleasure to play. The action on mine seems to be holding up very well after almost two years of heavy use. There are various amplifiers simulators to choose from, and I've noticed that the "Stack II" setting, with the distortion at zero, produces a warm, rounded tone that really enhances the breathy quality of the instrument. In fact, its too warm for use with my tube-driven Motion Sound speaker -- the tones disintegrates in warmth -- but is ideal in combination with the internal leslie simulator. Another feature worth commenting on is the bank of non-organ sounds. Ridiculous! This is the keyboard for B-3 emulation. Roland seems to have thought that B-3 players will be psyched to combine these other sounds with organ. I've never even been tempted, and I suspect most organists will feel the same way. I agree wholeheartedly with the other commenter who thought this was a waste of technology. Lower the price or give us more knobs. As I write this, the VK-77 is on the way to the market, with vastly expanded non-organ functions and an MSRP just shy of $6K. Why? If the VK-77 was under $4K, I would buy it, and it probably would be but for the useless orchestral/piano section. Hopefully, the 77 has independent vibrato/chorus controls for each manual. The VK-7 lacks this and its one of my few real complaints.

What Roland has accomplished with the VK-7 should not be understated. They have produced a digital keyboard that is as inspiring to play as the real thing. OK, almost as inspiring. But this keyboard's expressive voice is like nothing I've heard in any other digital instrument. I have the Motion Sound Pro-3 tube-driven tweeter as well as the Motion Sound "Low-Pro" bass rotating speaker. Paired with the VK-7, its a sweet sound and there is plenty of opportunity to tweak both the keyboard and the speakers until you dial in the right sound for the space you find yourself playing in. Its ideal for small clubs. And the Motion Sound system is much louder than a stock Leslie, expanding the opportunities to use it without sound reinforcement. In my opinion, there is no substitute for setting up a rotating speaker system in a room and setting the room awash in organ sounds waves. But if you're just getting a miked version of it through a PA, you're better off just going with the VK-7's excellent leslie simulation.

Its been very reliable. Most Roland products are, so no surprises there.

Haven't used Roland's customer support.

It must be tough trying to make a better B-3 simulator, but I can only assume that someday soon somebody will. After so many years of suffering through the choice between cheesy simulation and chronic backpain, we seem to be approaching Hammond nirvana. The VK-7 is such a pleasure to play, it has become the centerpiece of my rig and it keeps me so busy I don't have time or desire to play with fancier (but less expressive) keyboard toys. That's what real instrument should do.

The VK-7 is designed to be about as easy to operate as a Hammond B-3 as performance goes. I spent about 2 hours with mine and then immediately hauled to to a gig where there were no surprises. That is to say except for the surprisingly good sound that this thing makes.

The Organ section is fully polyphonic. You can press down both arms and every note speaks. And, should you decide to do so, the sound will be compressed just as one would expect from a vintage organ. Reverb is built in and it sounds good and clean.
The Leslie simulation is quite good. And there is total control of the rotary simulation including the crossover from tweeter to woofer, slow and fast rates which are totally independant of each other. The COSM technology from Roland also allows for various amplifiers to be utilized. From a rather clean Type I organ amp to a very dirty, yet warm stack. While these amplifier selections may sound very similar when overdrive is set to 0 they have widely varying sounds when driven hard.
The keyboard itself has good action. I feel very solid playing this instrument. The action is not weighted and there is no aftertouch (this would be nice for the orchestral layerings should you use them).
I think Roland has done a very good job of MIDI implementation with the VK-7. When keyboard splits are assigned the VK-7 will talk on different channels so, if like me you play key bass a lot you can talk to a separate synth for the bass line via MIDI channel selection. All in all, there are separate channels for both input and output for the Main, Sub, Pedals and Orchestral assignments. Here's a real plus - all drawbar movements are captured via MIDI. There is no on-board sequencer.

Marvelous sound comes from the VK-7. The VK-7 has the throatiness in the middle range and the piercing wail in the upper octave that I remember from the days when I played a C-3 in high school (in 1973-1975). The vintage quality is superb. Surely a Hammond fanatic will find something that is not quite right with it but to my ears the VK-7 is inspiring. I have been a Keith Emerson fan for over 25 years and I have played a number of ELP tunes over the years on inferior instruments. I have kissed those days goodbye. This is the first keyboard I have ever had that I feel is as expressive as a guitar. Even a held note, with a little C1 chorus and the rotary tweeked just right breathes life. This instrument will rarely rest in a travel case. I have it set up in my office and play it all the time. It's cheaper than a shrink and I think more effective.

I have had it for less than a week but I anticipate no problems.

This is the axe to have if you do not feel like toting around a 475 pound behemoth. I would buy it again with no reservations.
For years I have struggled to play organ leads on various synths. I could crank out notes but they were lifeless (to my ears) and mechanical. The VK-7 almost seems to be organically attached to my feelings. The VK-7 does not just make sounds. It makes a voice.

A bit in the way of introduction: The VK-7 is a dedicated organ emu- lator, not a synth workstation. It is aimed at musicians looking for an extremely realistic tonewheel organ / rotary speaker sound in a portable, reliable, and cost-effective package. For an organ-focused keyboardist like myself, the VK-7 is laid out intuitively, with drawbars and rotary simulation controls to the left of the keyboard. The patch selection method is "old school" Roland: eight banks of eight. Buttons are large and give good tactile feed- back, and all contain LED's to indicate the status of the button. My major complaint about the controls layout is that the master volume and reverb controls are knobs on the far right above the keyboard. These knobs have only silkscreened dots to indicate position, no molded pointers.As the silkscreening on the Roland's control surfaces is low- contrast, it is hard to tell where these knobs are set with stage lights shining in your eyes. Up-down faders placed on the left, such as those on Roland's XP series workstations, would be far friendlier to live performance. If you don't mind slightly marring the cosmetics, a solution is to set little notches into these knobs where the position dots are, using a heated exacto knife, to provide something you can feel in the dark. The manual, while exhaustively thorough (the MIDI information at the back will be particularly useful for those who wish to use the VK-7 in a sequencing or project studio environment), reminds one of viewing an English-dubbed Japanese monster movie. Par for the course with Roland, I understand. As this is mainly a vintage organ emulator, there aren't really enough parameters to require a patch editor, and I found the two-line backlit LCD more than adequate for accessing all the parameters which control nuances of the organ's sound. (Discussed further below.) Users will want to tweak these to improve upon the factory sounds, which represent the full range of timbres associated with vintage organ.

The VK-7 is fully polyphonic in its organ section, and 64-voice polyphonic in its "orchestral" section. (A small bank of non-organ sounds accessed by its own row of buttons and discussed below.) The organ sounds are three-part polytimbral, corresponding to the upper, lower, and pedal manuals of a console Hammond. The orchestral section has its own part, for a total of four. The MIDI implementation and programmability are too deep to go into in much detail, but the very tip of the iceberg is that things like drawbar settings and rotary speeds are xmitable and rec'vable as either SysEx data or continuous controller data, at the user's option! A feature exclusive to the Roland is its two MIDI inputs, one of which may be changed into a Thru at the software level. A hardware switch on the rear panel configures the inputs so that one controls the lower manual part and the other the pedal part, meaning live players can plug in a second keyboard and MIDI pedalboard without worrying about channel assignments. The built-in reverb, though programmable, also has a real-time control knob adjacent to the volume. Like all digital organs,there is no disk drive, so users who want to back up patch settings will have to go by way of MIDI and their computer. Though velocity is not a factor in duplicating vintage organ sounds, the keyboard does accept and transmit it, and one can hear the effects applying to the orchestral patches. Sadly, no aftertouch. The action, while essentially synth-type, is very quick and somewhat weighty. It has a good, solid feel that stands up to the abuse of key-slapping players like me. Some organists may find it a little too weighty if they like to play a lot of glissandos and windmill chops, but the overall response is far better than that of the Suzuki XB-2's toylike keys.

The VK-7 makes use of phyiscal modelling technology to simulate tone wheel organ and rotary speaker characteristics, with excellent results.
TONEWHEEL EMULATION Idiosyncracies considered by Hammond aficionados to be indispensible to "The Sound" include key click, tonewheel leakage (crosstalk), and overdrive, to name a few. The VK-7 offers user control of the amounts of such sonic characteristics, including a realtime knob for one of the more convincing tube overdrive simulations I've heard. Unique to the VK-7 is independent control of click for both key-ons and key-offs. Between this and the also excellently-rendered Hammond percussion, you can dial up some attack transients that'll really cut through the mix when it's your turn to solo. The quality of the drawbar frequencies themselves, even with all the grunge and click dialed out, is remarkable. They're warm, breathy, not at all digital- sounding, and have none of the undesirable artifacts of sample-based drawbar emulations, such as beat modulation when certain drawbar registrations are used. Apparently, Roland has made a careful effort to duplicate the equal-tempered tuning of the genuine article. Roland has also done justice to the Hammond scanner vibrato/chorus, not to be confused with the rotary sound. Purists will no doubt hear differences between this and the real thing, just as they will hear differences between two vintage Hammonds. Again, the vibrato/chorus is far superior to that of any other SIMULATOR currently on the market.
ROTARY (LESLIE) EMULATION Nothing can take the place of a real Leslie, but at least half the point in owning a clone is that a real Leslie presents cost, transportation, maintainence and miking hassles that are the bane of working musicians like myself who travel and gig constantly without the benefit of record-company infrastructure. The VK-7's Leslie sim is simply the best I've yet heard, and I've tried them all. Fast and slow speeds as well as accel and decel times are independently adjustable for treble and bass rotors, as are volume levels. There is a paramater to simulate stereo separation as well. The fast speed is a little bit squirrely in the upper frequencies, but when combined with the C3 chorus, becomes more deep and lush. It pays to run this in stereo whenever you can. I did an A-B test at West L.A. Music recently, where I compared running the VK-7 (in mono, no less) straight into a KC-500 keyboard amp; and running the VK-7 through a Motion Sound Pro-3T rotor sitting atop the KC-500 with the VK-7's onboard rotor simulation bypassed. My own ears felt that the VK-7's simulation was good enough that the Motion Sound certainly did not add US$600 worth of realism to the sound, especially in a mix. In the mix is where the VK-7's rotary sim shines--at many gigs I get keyboard players asking me "Where's the Leslie?" The non-organ "orchestral" bank of sounds requires a brief mention: it's complete rubbish. I have no idea what it's doing there. I use the "Octave String" sound for disco strings from time to time, but the overall quality is an astoundingly far cry from the organ sounds. Roland would have done well to nix this altogether and spend the $$ on more control, such as a selector knob for vibrato type, realtime pot for key click, and separate vibrato & chorus assigments for the upper, lower, and pedal parts.

I have only owned the VK-7 since October 1997, so I doubt enough time has passed for any meaningful evaluation of reliability. I feel fine using it without a backup--it's built even more like a tank than most Roland products. During my first couple of weeks of ownership, it would occasionally require not one but two power cycles for the LCD to show any information and the unit to make any sound, but this has not happened since.

Roland is a huge company, and I've found that the customer support is inconsistent. I've not yet had a repair or upgrade request, but have called with curiosities and technical questions. The response has varied greatly depending on who I've gotten on the phone. Time on hold is generally not too bad, certainly light years better than Alesis, although Roland should have an 800 number instead of the 213 one they now use.

I can quite honestly say that I would use no other vintage organ emulator currently made. As a Kurzweil owner, I'd programmed my K2000 to the hilt and even added a Voce Spin in lust for better Hammond sounds. I did this because no dedicated portable organ I'd looked at for the past two years sounded good enough to justify its price. Upon playing the VK-7, I had to have it. It has an organic, breathy quality that is hard to explain to non-Hammond-lovers, and that makes playing it an enjoyable experience that approaches playing the real thing. No other portable organ I've tried comes this close. It could be improved upon, (as can a Farfisa organ or Casiotone you bought at Circuit City), by adding a real Leslie. For working musicians for whom this is impractical, but nonetheless love the Hammond sound, this is the axe to want. As there is to date no way to get the electro-mehcanical innards of a B-3 to respond to MIDI, it should also be the axe of choice for those who want killer B-3 sound in a sequencing environment. It will be interesting to watch the industry try to top this one.

The Roland VK-7 is quite easy to use, what with the simple layout and nine drawbars. "Rotary Sound" controls (Brake, Fast/Slow) are just to the left of the keyboard. The presets sound good out of the box, though I reprogrammed them to have a faster slow-rotor speed as the defualt slow setting is too slow.
Unusually for Roland, the VK-7 comes with an easy-to-understand manual.
I don't think a patch editor would be of much use as this is basically an organ. The ancilliary "orchestral" voices are pretty much fixed, you can set reverb and chorus send levels and that's about it.

The organ section has 91 digital oscillators in constant oscillation, simulating the 91 tone-wheels in a Hammond B-3, C-3, A-100, or similiar console. As a result, the organ section offers full polyphony. You can connect a lower manual and a pedalboard, have different drawbar settings for each, hold down every note, and they all will sound. The "orchestral" voice section offers 64-note polyphony.
The organ section sports the obligatory Leslie simulator with separate top and bottom "rotors" and several tube-amp simulations based on Roland's COSM physical modeling. There is also an 11-pin socket for a modern newer Leslie such as the 122XB or 302. Older 6-pin Leslies can be connected using either the 1122 adapter for 122-series Leslies, or the 1147 adaptor for 145/147-series Leslies.
The "orchestral" voices have adjustable chorus. Reverb is global.
As this is an organ, there are no waveform-expansion options. Personally, I think they could have left the "orchestral" sounds out of it altogether as they are nothing special.
The keyboard action is among the best synth-actions I have ever played.

As this instrument's forte is Hammond emulations, A-B comparisons with my pristine 1963 Hammond B-3 were in order. Firstly, while the Leslie simulation is OK, nothing touches a real Leslie. In fact, a digital Hammond clone through a real Leslie sounds better than a B-3 through a simulator.
That said, I was very impressed with how well this emulates the B-3. Foldbacks in the top and bottom octaves were where they were supposed to be, and this thing even simulates the crosstalk/hash noise produced by a real B-3's tone-wheel generator and keyswitching matrix. Of course it has key-click, but it lacks the trebly "spit" of real Hammond keyclick. The percussion attack in the lower registers wasn't nearly sharp enough. However, I'm very nitpicky about the Hammond sound and when I used this axe at a gig with my 145 Leslie, I was impressed about how well it holds up in the mix, that is, until the guitar players got too loud and drowned me out.
The vibrato and chorus simulations are usable, but the chorus positions lack the treble boost and snarl of the Hammond scanner vibrato. Also, the C-3 vibrato setting (most popular chorus setting for B-3 players) is a bit swimmy, especially when higher drawbars are pulled out.
The keyboard, while sensing velocity and sending it to the orchestral voices and external modules, lacks aftertouch. There is also no pitch-bend or modulation lever.
I used this with my Christian rock band and I use it regularly at church. This board is usable in any musical genre in which one would find a real Hammond.

I've only had this organ a short while, but as it's a Roland I expect it to be very reliable. I would have no qualms about using it on a gig with no backup.

Never dealt with customer service, so... :-)

Enjoy!