Roland RS-09 [1982 Model]

Overview The RS-09 Organ and Strings keyboard was the most popular keyboard product from Roland from 1978 – 83. It sold over 15,000 units and had a hefty profit margin, and retail price of £500 back in the day.

In May 1980 Roland refreshed the design, from serial number 94750 onwards, the same chassis but a sleek JP-8 front panel and synth like keybed. It went on to sell another  xxx units into 1984 before analog poly synths were increasingly cheap secondhand and could replace the RS-09 and do more.

New Keybed

1982 Model Updates The Roland Service Notes for the version 2 are difficult to track done, so here is a link.  In summary the list of improvements were:

• Improved keyboard action and keybed
• Momentary push switches (like on the JP-8)
• Sustain pedal click noise reduced
• VCA offset trimmer added
• New BBD chips (MN3004 replace SAD-512)
• Individual BBD bias adjust
• Revised tone control
• New muting circuit at power on
• Improved power supply (less heat)
• Improved headphones amplifier

These changes all added up to a better product, although views on the revised chorus vary. The new SK341A keybed in particular improved the action, and appeared in the Saturn SA-09 Organ.

The Achilles Heel The RS-09 is still widely available secondhand for sensible prices, as it has not “gone vintage” due to its sonic limitations. However the design, like many other organ/string machines of this period, has an Achilles Heel – the AMI S10430 divider/keyer chips can fail, and its becoming nearly impossible to find a replacement. The good news in that Flay Keys in the UK are working on  replacement – see here. However the 2022 chip shortage has paused the project.

AMSynths RS-09 V2 In July 2022 I bought a Mark 2 RS-09 in good physical condition (serial number 05 2345)  but with one S10430 chip dead. The V1 RS-09 I have is in terrible condition, and an accidental fall means the end cheeks have broken off again and the panel PCB has shattered at one end. I decided to part the V1 out, with one of  its S10430 chips being donated to the V2, and the SAD-512, BA662, TOG being sold as spare parts. The 44-note keybed will be reused as a Roland 184 four voice keyboard replica, it has a single bus bar which rules out reuse in an analog monosynth.