Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the forum, and have been searching for a place like this for some time.

I've recently moved out of my Parents home where we had a lovely acoustic piano, and I'm missing it badly! I need to get myself an electric piano. I've had a look at keyboards from Roland and they seem impressive to me. There are so many of them however, and I'm unsure what would suit my needs.

This is what I need from the piano.

88 Weighted, hammer action keys (feels heavier at the bottom compared to the top keys)

Pedals
Midi output
A *very* realistic piano sound (or if possible multiple piano sounds.

I don't care if it can't play a million different instruments. I simply want something full size, that feels as much like a piano as possible with pedals so I can play as I would normally on an acoustic piano.

I'd like to be able to record music via midi and connect it to my computer too.

Which Piano would you folks recommend? Perhaps this is a silly question to ask, and the only real way for me to know what Piano to get would be to check them out in a roland reseller here in Ireland, but I thought I'd see what people's opinions were anyway.

Regards,

Judderman.

[This message has been edited by Judderman (edited 05-28-2003).]

Judderman,

Choice in digital pianos is very subjective. But I must tell you I just bought a Roland KR-7 and I really like it. Now it has more than what you are looking for - like 600 sounds, an arranger section, and touch screen. However, if you like the sound and feel of the board, you can get the same piano and key feel in a lesser model. They have plenty to choose from in both divisions of the company- pro and home line - what I like about it is the ability to adjust key pressure, hammer response, and sympathetic string resonance all on the touch screen. Plus another great feature they now are including in their new line is a greatly improved sound system and 5-band EQ so you can tweak til your happy with the sound. They also make a KR-5 which has fewer features, but same piano sample.
Hope this helps.

Tim Schaeffer

Hi Judderman,
Well here's my opinion.

There are so many factors to consider that you are going to have to take a few months of playing and comparing makes and models.
I have checked out the following weighted boards. But I wanted a synth. Balanced vrs Graded really didn't matter to me. But I do like resistance.
Roland FP-3
Roland XV88
Roland RD150
Roland RD700
Korg SP200
Korg Triton LE 88
Kork Triton Studio 88
Kurzwiel PC2X
Motif 8
Yamaha P80
Yamaha P200
Yamaha P250
Yamaha S08
Yamaha S90

These above boards are a fair mix. They range from about 800 to 3500. My budget was about 1000. I happened to find myself liking the Yamaha keybeds better. I thought Roland and Korg's were lighter than Yamaha's. I really liked the Kurzweil PC2X but it was out of my price range.

I wanted to be able to play back sequences, but I do my creating of them with a PC based sequencer. I also wanted multi-timbral, some digital pianos are not, just about all synths are. I wanted some room for expansion. In the end, I purchased a used Yamaha S80 right at my price range.

Incidently, the S90 was my top choice at any price, too bad it was out of my reach. The S80 my second choice.

It seemed easy enough at first to go and pick out the right board for me, but the more I learned about features the more complicated it became. It took me several months to decide. I also like to have a lighter key keyboard for organ and strings work (and drums). So I'm not a strict pianist, although playing the piano allows me to most freely express myself. With that, I really wanted a board that would truly react to my dynamics. So look for that too. some boards jut didn't react the way I wanted them too.

I also think that right now there is no electronic keyboard to take the place of a real acoustic. the dynamics of a real piano can not be met yet. With that, you will most likely have to compromise on something, somewhere. Whereas the best sound to me was less important than the best reaction of my fingers. I mean when I play softly, I want the board to play quitely, when I stick a note hard, I want it jumping out.

best wishes
<><
Bob

Bob,

You've certainly done your homework. We use a Roland XV-80 in our worship band at church. Our keyboardists love it. We got the Concert Piano expansion board with it, which is exceptional. As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently purchased a Roland KR-7 for at home. It's a digital piano with all the bells and whistles. But it has a real wood cabinet (beautiful oak finish) which definitely contributes to the resonance of the sound. Most impressive is the fact that the hammer action allows you to do what you mentioned you wanted in a keyboard...you can play very soft or very loud and this baby responds. You can even adjust the hammer response(anywhere between immediate to delay) for soft passages. Sorry if I sound like a salesman, I'm not. I've only had the piano since Friday...I guess I'm still on the honeymoon.

Blessings!
><>Tim Schaeffer

Correction- I said we use an XV-80. I meant XV-88. We also use an XP-80...got them mixed up! Sorry.

Tim

Hi Tim,

Praise the Lord brother!
Wow i just did a search on the KR-7. A very impressive machine. I realize now that in my post to Judderman I did not mention that I was looking at portable keyboards/stage pianos. Boards that could be gigged with. I never even gave less portable pianos/keyboards a look see when I shopped around.

I'm very happy to hear your really enjoying your piano. That's awesome. You don't sound like a salesman. You just sound happy with your machine. More praises to the Lord.

I like the XP-80 too. I never had one but wanted one for a while. For my light keys I went with an Roland RS-9. I had an XP-50 and a JV1010, then traded in the XP-50 at Guitar Center and purchased the RS-9. It was a very good deal for me. The JV1010 gives me many of the XP sounds with Roland's session board. Right now I'm only using the RS-9 in our praise band mainly for strings and pads. Every now and then I'll play an EP or an organ. The RS-9 is doing a great job in the mix. The music director plays a baby grand. So I'm providing some ambience and additional runs. I must admit, though, I do not like playing piano parts on the RS-9. That's where the S80 comes in! . In fact I got it used not too long ago and I'm still learning it. Right now, there's no real need to play it on Sundays. But I have hopes of forming my own worship band some day.

Anyway, I'm gald to hear the KR-7 is jammin for ya!

<><
Bob