The market for the 88 key digital piano with weighted keys that is easy to move, compact and lightweight is vast. There are several good options on the market, and reading over the specs and reviews of similarities and differences may cause them all to blur together. However, there are a few that stand out above others. One such digital keyboard is the Roland FP-30 digital piano.
The Roland FP-30 digital piano has a modern digital engine, taking it beyond any standard acoustic piano. An acoustic piano will always hold its superiority with classic sounds and the overall nostalgic feel. However, a digital piano offers other sounds, such as organs, strings and voices, which allow the piano player to enjoy a broader musical experience.
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What Is the Roland FP-30 Digital Piano?
The Roland FP-30 is an ideal electric keyboard option for professionals and amateur musical enthusiasts alike. The Roland FP-30 stands out because of many of its advanced features that are not generally offered across the digital piano market board. Some of its standout features include the built-in Bluetooth wireless connectivity, which allows for joint connectivity and compatibility with smartphone apps such as GarageBand, PiaScore, Sheet Music Direct and numerous song banks. The Roland FP-30 digital piano is praised for its rich tone from the Roland SuperNATURAL piano sound engine. The Roland FP-30 has 88 noted keys with PHA-4 standard that provides an authentic weighted touch and feel for the ultimate digital piano playing experience. The built-in powerful amplifier on the Roland FP-30 pairs expertly with the stereo level speakers for an impressive sound quality.
What's In the Roland FP-30 Digital Piano Box?
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There are a few bundles options, but the standard Roland FP-30 box comes with the Roland FP-30 piano, music rest, AC adapter, power cord for connecting the AC adapter, damper pedal and owner's manual. The Roland FP-30 comes with a three-year parts warranty and a two-year labor limited warranty. You can purchase additional parts with the bundles options such as a sheet music stand, piano stand, sustain pedal, piano bag and piano stool. It does not include headphones.
The Roland FP-30 is available in both black and white. The FP-30 digital piano is a cool, sleek, slim bodied and lightweight portable piano that fits nicely in small living spaces. For live performers, piano teachers and producers, this digital keyboard is astoundingly mobile. If you would like a more traditional setup, the optional KSC-70 stand and KPD-70 three pedal piece will give you a classic playability while still only taking up a small amount of space.
Product Specs
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The Roland FP-30 comes has a headphone output for silent and private practice periods. The built-in wireless Bluetooth feature allows for connectivity through IOS technology to apps such as GarageBand, piaScore and Sheetmusic direct. You can also use MIDI through the wireless feature. There is a twin piano mode for piano lessons and duets.
The FP-30 features a USB memory which allows you to save your music with the SMF recorder, and you can play along with the provided WAV and SMF songs. All of the keyboard modes include whole, dual, split and twin piano. There are eight types of rhythms, and rhythm controls include rhythm select, start and stop, and tempo.
One of the best features of the Roland FP-30 is the weighted key action, which is comparable to the similar action on a baby grand piano. Classical performers love the action on this piano as it offers a more acoustically authentic quality to playing. The piano sounds best through the headphones but has a passable speaker quality.
Pricing
Depending on the Roland FP-30 package or bundle you choose, the price varies from $700 to $900. The bundles tend to offer the best value as you generally can get extra items at a discount. The three-year parts warranty offers a great incentive for purchasing the extra foot pedals.
How It Compares
We picked a few similar products to the Roland FP-30 available on the market to see how they compare.
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Ease of Use
The Roland FP-30 digital piano is easy to navigate and to play. The digital features are not too complicated to master and soon become intuitive.
Sound & Connectivity
The FP-30 sound is impressive through headphones and adequate through the speakers. The Bluetooth is a bonus.
Design Quality
It is beautiful and easily portable.
Warranty
There is a three-year parts warranty and a two-year labor warranty on this digital piano.
Pros
CONS
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The Artesis PA-88W is a full sized digital piano with 88 semi-weighted keys that have a spring action. This makes them lighter than hammer action keys but heavier than a synth keyboard's keys. The keys have a feature that allow you to adjust the sensitivity to complement whatever style you are playing as well as the volume you would like to project.
This digital piano is lightweight, weighing in around 27 pounds, and is the perfect slim size for a small bedroom or living room.
You can find several 3D stereo instrumental options to create various sounds for the most interesting learning, practice or performance options. There are eight different instrument voices to choose from, and the PA-88W also features special effects such as chorus and reverb options.
In addition to the USB/MIDI connectivity, there is also a class compliant USB connectivity for interaction with music apps such as DAW integration and learning software. The standard package comes with a power cord and sustain pedal. You can also upgrade your package to include headphones, an adjustable stool and piano stand.
Ease of Use
The Artesia is simple to use and is ideal for beginner piano students or for someone who loves to play as a hobby.
Sound & Connectivity
The speakers are not the best quality, but the sound is great through the headphones, and the USB/Midi features are a bonus.
Design Quality
Slim and lightweight, this piano is easy to move around and fits well in tight places.
Warranty
There is a one-year limited manufacturer's warranty for the digital piano.
Pros
CONS
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The Korg PA300 is a 61 synth style key digital piano. This is a professional level digital keyboard that is ideal for creative and experimental composers and performers. It is also slim, compact and lightweight, which makes is great for moving between performance and practice spaces. One of the favorite features is the five-inch TFT graphic touch screen offering access to musical resources and screen controls.
Two of the best features are for the ultimate sound quality, which include high-quality integrated amplification and output audio converters. The player has all the control over the assignable foot pedal for pliable sound and a screen joystick. There are 128 polyphony voices to choose from and a generation sound system that allows for clear and realistic sounds.
There are 950 various instrumental sounds and 64 drum kit options with this keyboard. You can also choose from 240 performance locations and four single touch settings for each songbook entry style. The Korg PA300 features a general MIDI connection which is level two sound compatible. You can edit the sounds and find four stereo Master FX with 125 effect types.
You can create custom styles of sounds to add to the over 300 factory styles. This digital synth piano features realistic guitar mode tracks to add to your compositions. There is also a standard MIDI file player and recorder and MP3 player. The LCD also includes a lyrics and score display with multilingual character sets. In addition, you will find a fully editable song book music database for quick retrieval of your favorites to play along with.
Ease of Use
The piano is pretty straight forward and the LCD screen helps with the learning process.
Sound & Connectivity
This digital piano has a beautiful, professional sound and a standard MIDI file player and recorder and MP3 player.
Design Quality
The design is beautiful, but not as advanced or modern as some of its competitors.
Warranty
There is a one-year limited manufacturer's warranty for the digital piano.
Pros
CONS
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The Yamaha P-125 is a great in-between digital piano option for both novices and professionals. It isn't as simple as some less expensive models and brands, but it is not as advanced as other more expensive options either. This keyboard is lightweight and compact and easy to pack up and move between practice and performance spaces. If you choose the home or deluxe bundle options, it will be less mobile, as the furniture stand is much heavier than the portable stand.
The 88 plastic keys are gradually weighted in blocks. There is a two-way speaker system for projection of sound in both downward and upward directions. You can also play quietly by plugging in headphones. Musicians can choose between 24 built in sound options and the keyboard boasts a 192 level polyphony. There are 21 demo songs and 50 piano songs built in that you can play along and learn with. You can use your IOS smartphone with the Smart Pianist App to read sheet music and record your performances.
Ease of Use
This is a simple piano and also offers some creative complexity to composers and students.
Sound & Connectivity
It does not have a MIDI connection, but it does have a USB port. Dual sound projection is also included.
Design Quality
It is slim and compact and lightweight and easy to navigate.
Warranty
The Yahama P125 has a standard one-year limited manufacturer's warranty.
Pros
CONS
Conclusion
Overall, the Roland FP-30 digital piano gets a rating of four stars. Out of all of its competitors, it has one of the most convincing, emotional grand piano sound quality and playability. The Bluetooth connectivity is also a favorite for those who want to connect to all the various smartphone or tablet music playing apps.
The non-piano sounds, such as the organ, strings, voices, drums and more, offer a creative complexity to traditional piano playing. The FP-30 is simple compared to some of its contemporaries, but it gets the job done at an affordable price.
Featured Photo by Austin Pacheco on Unsplash
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