I recently obtained a nice but older Roland RP-80 but I can’t find any information on the net about this model and Roland can only respond with their links which I’d already checked, obviously it is some kind of unlisted orphan.
Can anyone tell me what ‘Series’ it is so I can buy spare parts.
Hi. Please recheck model # and confirm. Is there a typo in your post? Did you mean RD-80 or RD-800 perhaps?
If you could post a pic or 3 of the model label and full panel / keyboard that would help identify. Thanks.
I’ve also searched extensively for days and can find no mention of that alleged model anywhere on Web, including Roland sites, Wikipedia, vintage synth sites. Reverb Nation, nor on eBay or Amazon markets.
Since your photo shows a VERY suspicious image of a crooked and bent Roland label, my best guess and unfortunate conclusion is…
Perhaps you have come across an illegal, black market, counterfeit, knock-off, scam product that is not really a Roland at all.
But if it fully works and sounds decent, it’s not a total rip-off. You only lose the resale value and name brand recognition of a globally known brand name. They might as well have labeled it with a Mercedes logo and sold it for a pretty penny on the black market, IMHO.
Of course, my guess may be totally wrong.
You’re not alone though. Counterfeit products with fake name brand markings flood out of Asia and parts of Europe and Russia every day. All valuable or prestegous brands are counterfeited including garments, fashion accessories, watches (Rolex, etc.), jewley, electronics etc. It’s a huge multi-million dollar industry and not surprisingly law enforcement agencies around the world have special task forces dedicated to combating and prosecuting it, so I’ve heard.
So only you know the alleged source location of this item or where it may have been shipped from. No accusation or condemnation aimed at you friend. Seems you may have been a victim here… or not.
I’ve likewise been scammed and stolen from by sellers online both domestic and foreign, but fortunately have only lost relatively small purchase amounts a couple of times. Most notorious was a hit & run scammer on eBay who used Hurricane Katrina National disaster (in USA) as an excuse why she couldn’t ship a sold bogus popular product for many weeks, then after multiple victims sales, she suddenly vanished from eBay and bogus address. No one got any product or refunds. It happens. Caveat emptor they say.
Hope it serves you well anyway. Good luck.
Thank you for your prompt response MultiMuse,
…the idea of a counterfeit had initially occurred to me however a “…VERY suspicious image of a crooked and bent Roland label”, alerted me to a closer inspection which revealed a piece of clear tape - now removed - and currently displays a perfectly fitted straight & flat label. My apologies.
The PCB boards are all clearly marked with the ‘Roland’ logo and I did acquire a users manual ( PDF not able to attach here) from Roland Japan which seems to legitimize it as a 1988 model …unfortunately it’s in the Japanese language and doesn’t apparently give a ‘Series’ ID. Possibly this model was a short run for the Japanese market only. Attempted Email inquiries into the Japanese Roland site are not accepted in English but only in Katakana a Japanese written language.
Further inquiries to Roland California for Japanese Roland contacts in English received no reply.
It plays and sounds good, built strong & solid nothing flimsy in there but will need a few replacement parts, it would be worth more parted out than the mere pittance paid and in a few weeks has already returned much more than its’ value in 4th & 5th finger therapy so please be assured ‘I am no victim’.
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Awesome. So glad for you!
Yeah genuine brand name parts inside would be a positive verification for anyone willing to open a case. I suspect you are correct.
Maybe it is possibly a rare or pre-release prototype demo with a temp name that some marketing geeks later decided to rename for some reason that might only make sense to their marketing head honcho. Maybe it’s a matter of professional pride to shun or reject any model name or number that an engineer suggests, and spite them for no logical reason just on a whim to tickle the fancy of some ad exec or just claim the credit for yourself in marketing. I bet that tug of war with naming products in major corps goes on a lot more than outsiders might guess. I’m certain that in the automotive industry competition is fierce between teams both inside a company and between competing companies.
But I digress.
Cheers & jam on!
For those interested, here is the URL to the Japanese RP-80 manual in the Roland archives:
http://lib.roland.co.jp/support/jp/manuals/res/1808752/RP-80_j.pdf