Hey Johnny..just buy the danged thing..it'll be brilliant !( forgot to ask..are any other digital 3 rows out there?? )
BTW...didn't the late great Beau Jocque play a 5 row Chromatic at one stage..seem to recall a picture of him on an album cover.
Horace is the real deal that's for sure...I get the feeling his life has been a bit complicated but hey, the man CAN PLAY !

I don't really have an opinion about the stepped keyboard. I don't own an accordion like that, but I have encountered them before. I don't recall whether it made a difference or not.

As for the sounds, they include a number of sounds, and you can add sounds to the instrument. I saw a video on YouTube where someone sampled some different accordions into a Korg M3 keyboard, and it would seem that you could do the same thing with the Roland.

For me, I don't see the Roland replacing my Cajun boxes. For any particular song, if I can make it work on a single row, that is my preference for a whole lot of different reasons. Now and then I will play one of those songs on a triple row, and I just feel that something is missing.

Thanks David and Daryl for your thoughts. David, I think you are right about the stepped fingerboard. I don't think it will make any difference and after a few minutes will feel very natural. I have included in link #2 the Roland website listing various places around the country where they will be showcasing this accordion. It will be available to test drive. I am going to order one. The thought of a light, no feedback programmable triple that will let me play in any key and sample most any accordion sound out there is just too good to not try. Plus, I have to drag a triple note and one single to practice every week and it is getting heavier as the years go by. Walking up and down the subway stairs and train station (the elevators and escalators never seem to work) is a real drag. I'm thinking I can just bring the Roland and cover just about anything at rehearsal. Plus, carying that and one single note will not be too bad. Thanks for posting this first David as I wouldn't have known about it.

I see the listing of the events at dealers, but where does it say they will have the FR-18 there?

I hope that's true, because one of the events is tomorrow in Yucaipa CA, which is about 10 miles from home!

It was on the Reyes Accordions Forum where there is a thread about the accordion. Maybe you could call someone. It would be great if you could actually play it and then post your review.

i think beau jocque may have held a chromatic accordion in one picture

or possibly it;s a 5 row diatonic

i have never heard anything he played that couldn;t have been played on a triple row or single row diatonic though

wle

I think so, me too, also.

The CBA was definitely not his main ax. I think it was done as a gimmick or novelty kind of thing.

There is one song he recorded that could well be the CBA. It was his version of "Tighten Up". It's a very simple song, in which he plays two sustained chords, plays a quick little lick, and a brief solo. I would have to check, but I think the song was in a key that wouldn't fit the usual triple row keys.