In Reply to: Alesis QS8 question posted by Gina on May 13, 2000 at 12:10:49:

: We are very new to the keyboard world and are looking at buying an 88-keyu weighted keyboard. Is there a difference between the Alesis QS8 and QS8.1? We've sheard quite a few people talking about the QS8, but haven't been able to find any info about it on the Alesis website, so we didn't know if it's an older model or if people just drop the ".1" when they're talking about it. Thanks for your help.

The QS8.1 is a minor update to the original QS8.

It sounds essentially the same. There are a couple of
extra dedicated buttons on the front. One is a transpose
button which is a terrible thing to add to a synth
- people should learn to play in all keys instead.

As someone who has owned a QS8 for a few years, I would
say that getting an original instrument cheaper
second hand is a reasonable way to go. The main
disadvantage would be being out of warrantee if
anything breaks. I have never had any trouble
with mine, but some other people have.

The QS8 was a great box when it came out and is still good value
for money but there are better synths out now
if price is not a problem. A fully expanded Roland
XV88 is a beatiful sounding instrument indeed, but
you will pay around $1000 more than for a new QS8.1.