Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
TOO MANY TO LIST ! ! ! |
| Disadvantages: |
BELLOWS CAN BE A BIT STIFF WHEN NEW . |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
The Roland fr-3s is the little brother to the fr-7 V-accordion, yet it is no small fry having a full 120 bass section, with seven registers and keyboard of 37 treble keys with ten registers and a dazzling array of features and sounds, it is lightweight and fully portable due to the built-in speakers and battery option. (It takes ten AA size battery's if you would want to use this function, and lasts up to two and a half hours depending on the batteries used.) Although I do generally plug mine into the mains.
The electronic wizardry in this instrument means you can select from ten different accordion types, each with its own associated registers and to the ear is indistinguishable from its acoustic cousins, and as if that was not enough, it boasts several orchestral sounds including violin, steel guitar and choir. The fr-3s also has the ability to change the bass button configuration to suit any style of playing, including a free bass option, and of course, being electronic it is also a midi instrument capable of being connected to computers, keyboards and sound expanders, why have dozens of accordions when you can have just one!!!
Although this is one of the V series of "virtual" accordions, I find this as a bit of a misnomer as it is a very real instrument indeed, the bellows are incredibly responsive and have four settings which adjust the pressure required to pump them making it suitable for both professionals and beginners and the keyboard and bass buttons have a smooth action.
The bellows can be a bit like hard work when first beginning to play the instrument but they do loosen up, given time.
With so many features and variations it may seem a daunting prospect to take the plunge into the world of electronic accordions but don't be put off, it is delightfully easy to navigate the buttons and switches with a logical and simple to understand system.
Apart from the obvious advantages of the extra capabilities I can find no difference in playing this accordion and a "normal" acoustic version, the feel and playability are exactly the same, due to Roland's extensive research and development while designing this remarkable instrument.
Roland have put a lot of effort into getting the sounds and tones to be as accurate as possible, and have even engineered the subtle and distinctive mechanical sounds which are normally produced by an accordion such as reed growl, the sound produced on lower registers, for example, the bassoon sound, when playing softly the action of the reed stopping makes an unmistakable sound which is faithfully reproduced on this instrument yet in does not occur in fast or loud playing, again this is incredibly accurate. All types of accordions have a certain amount of mechanical noise from the valves opening and closing, once again these sounds are reproduced on the Roland fr-3s however, if you would prefer a clean sound you can simply turn of this feature.
The two 10 cm, high-response hidden speakers for the treble and bass sections have volume and balance control and the volume can also be controlled via the bellows and I was pleasantly surprised as it can be played with enough volume to be used in a small venue (pub or restaurant) without additional amplification and without distortion. For on-stage use there are two line out sockets, one each for bass and treble although if desired you can use only one for a mono sound. When coupled to a standard wireless transmitter, and using batteries you can freely move about the stage and/or venue, it also has a midi in/out and a useful headphone jack, perfect for practice at home. Whatever style of music you play the fr-3s is undoubtedly a suitable instrument with a choice of musette tunings, a cassotto/sordina switch, chorus and reverb knobs and a variety of accordion styles including jazz and Tex mex, classic, French, and four different folk styles, you will always have the right settings available to you. Beginners too can benefit from the lighter than normal weight, the built in metronome and transpose function. As you can probably tell, I am more than impressed with this accordion, having played acoustic accordions since childhood and having a few reservations, I am now a total convert, and to think that I purchased this instrument "blind" having never even picked one up to try it , it has surpassed all of my expectations, Thank you Roland.
The fr-3s costs around £1699 however i got mine new for £1359 after a lot of shopping around, i believe it is worth every penny for any accordionist. When comparing the
price of this item to the price of normal acoustic accordions i feel that it is very competitive, as it normally would cost the same amount for a decent second hand accordion and much more for a very good brand new accordion, either of which would be very likely to weigh twice as much as the fr-3s and would not be as versatile an instrument.
Bear in mind if buying one of these in the UK that there is usually a waiting period while the item is imported.
The fr-3s does not have built in rhythym's or accompaniements but anyone wishing to have such a feature needs only to connect to a midi keyboard, any other midi instrument or a sound expander. When used in this way you would then also have the option to control it through a foot pedal of your choice. you could also use the midi option in conjunction with a home computer or other external midi device to record and/or edit your music. The fr-3s could also be used as a playback device for your recordings or for any other midi enabled instrument or device.
other models are ;
fr-3 (without speakers) This can be bought for around £1499
fr3b (button accordion, without speakers)
fr-3sb (button accordion with speakers)
fr-5 similar to fr-7 but without speakers, also lighter than fr-7
fr-7 This one is much like the FR3s with many more added features, comes with battery pack, expander and gig bag.
