need info for Roland jx-305

[TheGeeksWereRight]

Hello, I am new here and just thought I would get some input on the Roland jx-305. Someone locally is selling one for $450. I have been trying to find the retail price on these elusive bastards, but can't find out what the normal re sale value is. And if you have owned one of these, then what did you think of it. I notice a hefty majority of bands use a nord..

[francvania]

The JX-305 is a synth from late 90's. It's basically the sound engine from the MC-505 with the a few more waves like pianos. I would recommend testing before make your decision. I heard a few complaints from users that got used ones that develop a display problem. Other than that It's a OK synth. From that same time, a XP-30 would be a better option because you can upgrade with SR-JV boards and already comes with more sounds. But it's a good begginers synth, better than the first Juno-D, for example.

As for the price, I guess, depending on the condition, somewhere between 300 to 400 bucks it's fair.

[Tombyrd]

I own and still use the JX305, i completely agree with francvania. Get the price down to 300 and it's a good deal for a typical late 90s Synths with a lot of sound that were really popular in that time in the dance scene.

But for making it sound like a Nord, you have to go deep and work with the effect section, and don't forget that that digital filter can quickly go over the peak, so be carefull with the Resonance, it work different with different sounds. The real time controllers and the filter are not the best, so if this is very important, it might not work for you. You have to check this out.

As always, before a buy, play at least 15 Minutes with the instrument on your own alone. Try to make a song, or to create a sound that you are looking after within this time.

My Pros:

- Good sequencer, allows direct acces to Part-Mute of the seven synth parts and of all the rythm section seperately (Kick, Snare, Hihat, etc.). I can get down a basic song in 15 minutes
- Some (15-20) nice Presets of typical Roland Synth Sounds (Bass, Lead)
- very good Drum-Sets ! My personal highlight on the JX305
- it can sound retro, it made me doing J.M. Jarre Stuff and Kraftwerk
- 7 Synth Parts (64 voice) and 1 Rythm Part is enough for making a simple song
- Recording of Patterns and Songs goes fast

My cons:
- The audio-output needs external equipment, it not so good balanced. Looks like there is some internal booster that sounds good only in the headphones
- many sounds are useless or just over-used
- i found it hard to find the timing with the arpegiator ...
- No Tap-In for the tempo (correct me if i am wrong...)
- Filter

Summary: I will keep the JX305 for Nostalgia, for making "simple" arrangment of retro-synth music, and for it's drum-sets.