Pictures above, Top: Roland NAMM show booth with big crowds and in the front row right: Chris Bristol, the President of Roland Corp. and to the left of him, President of Roland, Hidekazu “Kaz” Tanaka. Middle is Steve Albini, V-Accordion Product Specialist and Amanda Whiting, Director of Marketing for Roland US with a close-up of the new Roland FR-18. Lower is Grammy nominated Lynn Marie playing a black Roland FR-18, and right is Danilo Di Paolonicola, seven time world diatonic champion.
The World’s First Digital Folk Accordion Has Arrived!
The world’s first digital diatonic accordion, the new FR-18 diatonic V-Accordion, is here. With this groundbreaking and affordable instrument, traditional folk accordionists around the world can now enjoy the many benefits of Roland’s famous V-Accordion technology.
The FR-18 diatonic allows folk accordionists to instantly conquer the inherent limitations of their traditional acoustic diatonic accordions, which include the instrument’s fixed musical key, limited note range, and static sound signature. Thanks to its digital sound engine, the FR-18 diatonic can be transposed to different keys at the touch of a button.
All of its many sounds can be changed at will. This provides all folk accordionists with a single practical instrument allowing the playing of any musical style in any key. It also eliminates the need to carry and maintain multiple acoustic accordions.
The FR-18 diatonic has 12 authentic ethnic accordion sound sets onboard, including Cajun, Organetto, Tex Mex and Alpine, which permits accordionists to play a vast array of musical styles including Zydeco, Balkan, and Irish. In addition, there are eight orchestral voices and four Virtual Tone Wheel organs with fast and slow rotary effects, allowing accordion players to explore completely new musical styles.
It is also possible to assign drum sounds to the bass and chord buttons and play them manually. Sounds can be customized and stored in four user registrations for easy recall.
The FR-18 diatonic’s keyboard and bass button layout can be easily reconfigured. Users can store 12 different tablatures onboard for quick access. A simple software-based editor (available via free download) with the FR-18 makes it easy for users to create custom tablatures on their Windows or Mac-based computer. These tablatures can then be transferred to the FR-18 diatonic via convenient USB flash memory.
With its speaker-less design and battery-powered operation, the FR-18 diatonic allows the accordionist to perform freely with a compact and lightweight instrument. When paired with a battery-powered amp such as Roland’s Mobile CUBE, CUBE Street, or BA-330, players have a complete mobile setup for performing anywhere. The FR-18 diatonic also works perfectly with all popular wireless audio systems, and features a headphone output for silent practice.
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