Custom Roland Ax-7 'Sovietar'

[Tuomas Easton]

I love my keytar, but I got tired of it looking like a plastic toy.. so I gave her a little more attitude!
I built on the transmitter for the MidiJet Pro wireless MIDI system, which gives her total freedom on stage!

 

[happyrat1]

Don't you find the 3-1/2 octave range of the average keytar a bit limiting?

 

[Tuomas Easton]

For somethings yes, piano parts have been challenging with the limited range. However, for the most part, I play lead synth lines in the band I play with most often, so the roland keytar's range is just fine. For bigger shows, I'll also set up my M-Audio 88 ES for the piano parts. I much prefer the stage freedom to using stands, so it's an acceptable trade-off for me.

 

[happyrat1]

I don't play live but it would drive me up a wall. Even 5 octaves I find limiting sometimes.

 

[Tuomas Easton]

Oh, yeah I feel you on that. I use my full 88 for in-studio and just jamming. Again, the parts I play in the band (www.ritesofash.com if you're curious) don't usually require a full-range keyboard. Also, I prefer shredding solos to chords, so the keytar is a better option for me