Roland FP 90 Digital Piano –Review

The product is as easy as you need it to be, but its technology scales the applicable learning curve to the level of customized sound you desire. In other words, you can use it out of the box after plugging it in and work up from there, although it sounds fantabulous straight out of the box.

This particular model is definitely designed more for the home user, albeit it's a very expensive model for the home user. What it contributes to the home musician, or the traveling "gigger," is that it offers a built-in mic mixer and a built-in recorder that actually records your vocal performance atop the piano track on-the-fly for recording directly to USB drive.

This model is fairly basic and straightforward and super-portable for a Roland.

The external design doesn't strike us as particularly inventive or novel. However, it does work, and it works fabulously. We appreciate the built-in speakers that complement the sleek, contained design.

We already touched upon the voice-recording capability, which is somewhat novel and perhaps useful for when you want to get those ideas down that it would otherwise be inconvenient to record. Like many prosumer models, this Roland aims to do a lot in a fairly simple way, and that's fine because that's what most consumers and prosumers need.

Roland's warranty on the Roland FP 90 Digital Piano is two years for parts and labor.

Plug and play this Yamaha - kind of, sort of. Check the Assembly Timesection below for more on that.

Some assembly is required, of course, and it doesn't hurt to have a Phillips-head screwdriver on hand to help out with that aspect of your assembly journey. If you're planning to start playing this out of the box, you may find yourself sitting on the floor.

Since we began reviewing digital pianos here at Digital PIano Expert, we have experienced lots of pianos, from the touch and feel of the keyboards to the overall presentation. There was a time when we would have, and in fact have, given the Yamaha YDP 181 a five-out-of-five on design.

However, Yamaha has really made this the standard since then, so we're giving it a four out of five stars because since Yamaha helped establish this industry standard, it has carried this standard of fine exterior design ever since. We'd like to see something new and even more exciting. However, that said, you won't find much better than this in the way of living room looks.

Yamaha is almost universally known for its great warranties, and we give the Yamaha Arius YDP-181 four out of five stars by virtue of the fact that according to the latest sources we're aware of, its digital pianos are only warrantied up to three years. It's not a bad warranty among digital piano warranties in the industry.

As the title reads, this is an easy, beginner digital piano. However, let us say something. The keys are weighted, but they're not the kind of hammer action you get out of the more sophisticated Roland FP '90s. Remember, you're buying strictly on price when you pick up your Alesis Recital 88-Key Beginner Digital Piano.

The Alesis Recital 88-Key Beginner Digital Piano comes pre-assembled out of the box with no cumbersome cabinetry that attempts to look like an acoustic. All you really have to do is place the music stand atop the back, if you need it.

If you don't like separate power supplies, you're not going to like the design here. If you like fancy-looking, luxurious, furniture-esque cabinetry, you're not going to like this. Again, think of a toddler dropping this off a cliff, or spilling apple juice on it. Those are the reasons you buy this guy - or if you are really looking for a toy that has kinda-sorta weighted keys.

Alesis doesn't seem to like to talk about their warranty. It's surprisingly difficult to hunt down. But again, it's a minimal investment anyway, so if it breaks, you're not losing much. Pianos aren't really Alesis's main game, though they produce many fabulous electronic audio products.

Again, check the assembly time, but this is a relatively straightforward product. Now, it's not easy to learn how to play the piano, so you want a device like this that doesn't get in the way of your learning and executes so seamlessly.

You're looking at a little bit of assembly time, but the good news is that the product generally comes with the furniture stand and pedal system. You also get the bench included in the relatively economical price.

Furniture stands and included benches and pedals have become fairly standard in the Digital Piano industry largely owing to Yamaha's constant inclusion in their products. We're not sure why Korg decided to include so much at such a low price point compared to Yamaha's models, but they did. Therefore, you can expect a unit that will play well with the whole family, from the interior designer to the sound designer among your at-home pack of piano students and hobbyists!

We default here to four out of five stars because the Korg warranty for this product is surprisingly elusive and depends on the retailer and country where you're purchasing the product. Check with your product salesman or saleswoman for more details, as it may vary, particularly in the realm of used Korgs.