Buying a Digital Piano

[DreamScape]

Hi everyone :)


I currently own a roland xp 30 keyboard, but i´m thinking of buying a digital piano.

All i´m looking is a good weighted hammer-action keyboard with some good piano sounds, with multilayer (not so important).


And hey... not too expensive 8)

I´ve seen good reviews on the roland rd - 170.


Did anyone tried it? or could make me some other suggestions?


Thank you :D

[merijn]

yes! I know the Roland you mentioned. Personally, I think the keybed is really heavy. I can't play fast at it at all. The sound is pretty good, as in almost every digital piano these days. But I think that Roland is about 1000 USD. I'm sorry to do it again but, you have a Kurzweil SP88X for 800 USD, perhaps even cheaper on ebay!

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RD170/


http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SP88X/

[ShagWill]

As a professionnal keyboardist, I ASSURE you that the Roland keybed of the RD170 is better than any cheap Kurzweil keyboard. The only good keybed Kurzweil used in their products is the one found in the PC2X and the K2600XS (it's the same). I can ASSURE you also that the Roland is physically better built that ANY Kurzweil. I own a K2600XS, a Motif ES 8 (and a XV-5080 + Fantom XR, etc...) and I'm ordering soon a Triton EX61... I LOVE my K2600XS and I would NEVER sell it... but the quality of the construction is really poor. I also work in a music shop and we sell all theses company and I can say that Roland and Yamaha keyboards are physically well built. They are easy to fix and the parts are easy to find. I repaired twice my K2600XS !!! and it took me one full day to disassemble and reassemble it. Like I said... The Kurzweils has a "signature" sound... but if you're looking for a good overall piano, don't look at them.

Please take a serious look at the RD170 and the Roland FP5.

William

[Deceit]

RD 700 has even a Joystick, so you can use it as a complete master keyboard. The feeling is fantastic. The sounds as well. It's even expandable. The price is a bit less fantastic (2120 euro), but you get all you need as a master keyboard and a digital piano, and much more. I guess the concept is much like PC2X, maybe the price is even higher, but the sounds are amazing, I tried both and the Roland piano sound really better to me.
RD170 is an affordable choice anyway :D. I think I'm gonna sell my old Korg EC500 in some way and try to get the RD170 for a better soundset, even if there's no internal amplifier - I'll get a couple monitors for all my wannabe-studio.
Deceit.

[merijn]

As a professionnal keyboardist, I ASSURE you that the Roland keybed of the RD170 is better than any cheap Kurzweil keyboard. The only good keybed Kurzweil used in their products is the one found in the PC2X and the K2600XS (it's the same). I can ASSURE you also that the Roland is physically better built that ANY Kurzweil. I own a K2600XS, a Motif ES 8 (and a XV-5080 + Fantom XR, etc...) and I'm ordering soon a Triton EX61... I LOVE my K2600XS and I would NEVER sell it... but the quality of the <a href="http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=construction&v=56">construction</a> is really poor. I also work in a <a href="http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=music&v=56">music</a> <a href="http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=shop&v=56">shop</a> and we sell all theses company and I can say that Roland and Yamaha keyboards are physically well built. They are easy to fix and the parts are easy to find. I repaired twice my K2600XS !!! and it took me one full day to disassemble and reassemble it. Like I said... The Kurzweils has a "signature" sound... but if you're looking for a good overall piano, don't look at them.

Please take a serious look at the RD170 and the Roland FP5.

William\

William, I didn't know that the keybed from the k2600X is diffirent from the SP88X. Sorry for that. And I haven't experienced any problems with my k2600X so far, but William isn't the only one who complains about pour contruction. I think in this case I'll agree with Shagwill, and that you should go for the Roland.

[merijn]

RD 700 has even a Joystick, so you can use it as a complete master keyboard. The feeling is fantastic. The sounds as well. It's even expandable. The price is a bit less fantastic (2120 euro), but you get all you need as a master keyboard and a digital piano, and much more. I guess the concept is much like PC2X, maybe the price is even higher, but the sounds are amazing, I tried both and the Roland piano sound really better to me.
RD170 is an affordable choice anyway :D. I think I'm gonna sell my old Korg EC500 in some way and try to get the RD170 for a better soundset, even if there's no internal amplifier - I'll get a couple monitors for all my wannabe-studio.
Deceit.

Hey Deceit! Cory said that you hate Keytars right?

[Geo_Van_Deaq]

I bought an RD-170 last christmas and it kicks ass 8) , the hammer action is great, it fits everything you've listed. you could get an RD-700 which offers a lot more, but like you said you just want some decent piano sounds.

[Deceit]

Hey Deceit! Cory said that you hate Keytars right?
http://masterkey.homeip.net/images/Live%20Rig.jpg
Do I? :lol:
Deceit.

P.S. There are both a K2000 and a Behringer MIC200 missing.

[Scrap]

I have owned a Kurzweill SP88X. The piano sample used is single layer, mono, and very thin - on Roland KC amps, it seems to cut through the mix rather well, but once plugged into some bi-amplified studio monitors, its limitations make itself known. It has accentuated mid-range, paired with unbalanced bass levels. Also, very little subtractive low-pass filter-like dynamics - the sample just decreases in volume gradually based on velocity and does not get realistically duller as you play softer.

My opinion? Don't waste your time.

[merijn]

Hey Deceit! Cory said that you hate Keytars right?
http://masterkey.homeip.net/images/Live%20Rig.jpg
Do I? :lol:
Deceit.

P.S. There are both a K2000 and a Behringer MIC200 missing.

Heheh Ok my bad! Nice eh, Keytar :roll:

[koma666]

Well I use the GEM Promega 2.
It realy has fantastic Piano sounds also including the original Fender Rhodes sounds.
Everything you want to control (effect, piano patch, eq) you can directly control via the knobs and wheels on it. That makes it realy easy to find the right sounds in 30 sec.!!!
Then its also cool as a live stage piano! You easily can transport it. (well its a bit heavy, but with the case its ok).

AND: no Roland Stage Piano has such a good Piano sound as the GEM Promega 2.

http://www.generalmusic.us/pro/PROMEGA2.htm

koma
........
:D :D