E.g. I played a gig last week where each key on the left split was an individual drum loop (e.g. bassdrum beating on one key, snare on another, hihat on yet another) and the pressure controlled the level of each individual loop. This way you can create very organic, reactive, structures with one hand.

Another thing it is great at is when you play with multiple fingers into a arppeggiated synth that reacts to the channel pressure and the timbre, as you can still emphazise or de-emphasize single notes within the arpeggio organically.

It certainly still holds up for me at least. In a way it has become even better, as MPE support has developed.

One thing however is: most synthesizer presets work fine on the Linnstrumment, but you will have to make your own if you're willing to unlock the full potential of the thing, as the emphasis is so much more on pressure than on velocity/envelopes.

I'm primarily a guitar player with some ability to muddle through on piano on simple parts if I have to. The Linnstrument feels to me like a cross between a guitar and a piano. The notes are all laid out side-by-side like a piano, but in parallel rows like a guitar, and it respnds like a string instrument to wiggling your finger for tremolo or sliding it along the row for portamento.

In the default tuning the "strings" are tuned a fourth apart, like the lower 4 strings on a guitar, which helps a guitarist adapt quickly.

The sensors are quite sensitive, with very quick response, which makes it feel alive and responsive. It came with access to downloadable content that included MPE instruments for Logic Pro. I've used Logic for years, so I just made a reference project with all the supplied instruments in it and use that as a starting point for new projects that use the Linnstrument.

I quite happy with it and don't regret the price paid one bit.

Here's a little thing I made with it:

https://mic11.net/assets/audio/Ribbon.mp3

I did all the parts on the Linnstrument with Logic and my reference project.

If you want something less expensive, you might take a look at the Roli Lightpad Block. It's kind of like a miniature Linnstrument. In 5x5 grid mode you get 2 octaves. I find it more fun and usable than the Seaboard Block.

I'm a little hesitant to recommend it though, because Roli is awfully controlling. To configure the device you have to use their software (which runs on Mac and Windows only), and it won't talk to the device unless it's registered to you. So if, like myself, you bought it second hand, you have to file a support ticket and have it de-registered from the previous owner before you can register it to yourself and actually use it.

(To their credit, the process was pretty quick.)

The Linnstrument is the complete opposite -- the device firmware is Apache 2.0 and available on github.