Roland has ever a very attractive vintage synthesizers. They offer good value for the money as they are not as expensive as Moog vintage synthesizers. One popular model and Roland SH-1. It was produced back in 1978 and today you can buy one for $200 to $400. This synthesizer is strictly monophonic. It has a very attractive looking black casing, and a wide array of sliders and knobs to play around with. I am partial to these pre-1980s designs that eventually look like vintage synthesizers. They are made from more expensive looking materials rather than the plastics used in most synthesizers produced in the 1980s. The aesthetics are still well rooted in the 1970s. Even the use of text and fonts on this keyboard is reminiscent of designs from the mid to late 1970s.

In 1983 Roland produced the SH-101. This was a very popular keyboard at the time, and still remains very popular today. As was popular of consumer electronics at the time he keyboard came in three fashionable colors. One of course was the standard black colored case and it also came in bright red and vibrant blue. This was very fresh in the early 1980s as most consumer electronics up until this point is strictly produce only in black.

Personally I am not a huge fan of the way this keyboard looks. It represents a more conventional looks of consumer electronic products and became popular in the early 1980s and essentially remain with us today. From this period onward plastic was truly a choice material. Long gone by this point were the vinal covers and wooden paneling of keyboards from the 1970s.

It is however interesting to note that the SH-101 is a analog instrument. The plasticky look however would suggest that it is a digital instrument.

Going back a bit but take a look at the Roland SH-2. It was produced between 1970 and 1979. They say it has a very similar sound to the SH-101. This keyboard has a very attractive yet appealing late 1970s look with space-age sliders, knobs and graphical text. People who use this synthesizer praise it's rich bass sounds. Many players claim that it's bass sound is comparable to that of a Moog. This particular keyboard has been used by such heavyweights as Duran Duran and the Eurythmics. If you take a look on youtube you can see a couple videos of this keyboard so you can get a better idea.


On this website and I also mentioned the SH-1000. I am not going to go into great detail as I talked about this keyboard before on this website however is very interesting to note how long a production life is Roland keyboard had compared to other keyboards. It was produced between 1973 all the way up to 1981 which is quite amazing considering how vintage this keyboard surely looks. Here is a video sample if you would like to see this keyboard in action.