The new Roland FR-3 V-Accordion
Released in the UK last weekend the FR-3 is Roland’s latest offering to the accordion world. Joining the two previous models, the FR-3 is intended as the entry level model and I was lucky enough to try one of the first to arrive in the country.
The FR-3 comes in two different guises, the FR-3 and the FR-3s, the only difference being integrated speakers on the ’s’ model. Weighing in at only 7.5kg (the speakers add about 0.7kg) the instrument is a much more manageable size, feeling comparable to my acoustic 72-bass accordion. It is however a 120-bass with a nearly full size right-hand (f-f) and a fully integrated free-bass keyboard. Built in sounds of ten different accordions, from classical to Tex-Mex, each with ten registers means you have plenty of choice particularly as you can tweak further with the level of de-tuning or musette. On top of this you can also select from ten ‘orchestral’ sounds for the right hand and 21 for the left, seven for the bass notes, seven for the chords and seven for the free-bass keyboard.
As with all new developments many people are rightly sceptical about the needs for an electronic copy of an acoustic instrument but I think it is important to look past these concerns. The development of the electric and electro-acoustic guitar changed the face of music and maybe it’s the accordion’s turn now! Roland has made amazingly good representations of the 10 different accordions and I defy you to tell them from the real thing when recorded. Indeed I recently did some work for ABC television in America and was amazed at how well the V-accordion sounded in the French sounding tracks I recorded. You can modify the sounds to your specifications, even choosing the amount of key noise and valve ‘growl’! Combined with the line level jack outputs you are guaranteed a quality sound without concerns of microphone placement, feedback etc. I am however disappointed with the sound of the speakers on the FR-3s, with only one cone a side and no tweeter I would have to describe the sound as suitable for practice purposes only and not for performance. If the choice was mine therefore I would go for the base level FR-3 and buy an amplifier to go with it, either one of Roland’s renowned KC series of keyboard amps or my favourite amp from AER the compact mobile 2. This combination works amazingly well giving you a large solid sound, full of crisp detail and texture.
The other question to consider therefore is how the instrument feels to play. As you might imagine it cannot feel exactly like an acoustic instrument, but Roland has made good progress and I found I was able to play it the whole weekend without problems. The keyboard takes a little getting used to as it is capable of more than a normal one, with full midi touch sensitivity. This means you can play as an accordionist but also as a keyboard player, triggering sound modules, samplers etc. The left hand keys are a pleasure to use, you don’t have to move any physical mechanisms so you find it light and responsive. Perhaps the most controversial area is the bellows control, both the instrument’s strength and weakness. I always stated that I would never use a midi accordion unless you could ‘express’ properly, controlling every aspect of the sound as I can on my normal accordion. Thanks to Roland this is finally possible with their highly responsive pressure sensor able to detect the finest nuances of touch, vibrato and articulation. When playing a non-accordion sound like a wind or string instrument you are able to play wonderfully realistically expressing just as a wind player would. Take it further and play electronic sounds, maybe an electronic lead or soft synth pad, you can control the sound better than any keyboard. The down-side is that you have to really adjust your style of playing; it just doesn’t ‘feel’ the same! When playing a normal accordion the airflow changes depending on the number of notes you use, how many reeds you use etc and we all learn to adjust and control these changes. On the Roland it makes no difference is you play one note or ten, the bellows move at the same pace. Although there is really nothing wrong with this, in fact you could even say it’s better, it takes quite a while to adjust to it with many people complaining of feeling tired as they fight to pull harder than needed, in fact when I was first given an accordion by Roland last year it took me a week of playing before I felt comfortable! On the new FR-3 Roland have added a valve to allow you to choose how much airflow is allowed and this has definitely helped, but I still think you need to give yourself an adjustment period when first playing a V-Accordion.
So to conclude I think this is the best V-Accordion to date. It is light enough to playing standing up and will become an integral part of my tool kit. I would still like to see more electronic or synth-like sounds in the instrument, I think some nice pads would be of more use than sounding like a trombone but you can always add a sound module to your rig. As with all accordion manufacturers Roland has made the mistake of thinking small/light means child/student and I would have preferred better straps and perhaps integrated batteries but these are only minor gripes. At a price of only £1499 for the FR-3 and £1799 for the FR-3s Roland has priced these instruments very competitively and I am sure they will be appearing on the scene very soon.
Murray Grainger