Korg SV-1 Stage Vintage 88 Key Stage Piano Review

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(More customer reviews)Amazon is, perhaps, not the best forum for this review, but what the hoo. I've done so many reviews here that i may as well not stop now.
I acquired this instrument about a month ago and have taken it through its paces (including updates). You'll read elsewhere that the SV-1's sounds are mostly superb with the minor disappointment being its organ sounds. I do agree with those reviews and because of the updates I've been able to replace some of the sounds. The two transistor organs (the Vox Continental and Farfisa) are history. I have no need for 'em. The 6 organ sounds I now use are three of the Hammond jazz type and three of the 3/4 to full bar/registration type. In essence I can go from Jimmy Smith/John Paul Jones cool to Jon Lord/Rick Wakeman thunder.
I haven't replaced the stock pianos (Yamaha C7 & Steinway) because they sound fine - not great but fine. I still recommend these ppianos because I've auditioned several hi-end sampled pianos and NONE of them sound like the real thing. About the only "electronic" paino I've heard that makes me shiver me timbers is the modelled piano Pianoteq. It's chock full of character, depth and warmth that simply cannot me "snapshot" sampled. At least Korg makes an attempt by using a "hologram" 3D sound concept. Which brings us to their electronic pianos.
The included clavs (a little thin but still recommended), the Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer 200A sounds will make you **** your pants. They sound so realistic - warts and all - that it's scary. When you play a tune on one of the pianos then switch, for instance, to a Wurlitzer it's as if you've simply just played a real piano, turned on your bench to the right, and started playing a Wurlitzer. Eerie.
Much has been said about its digital effects and real tube sound. A keyboard with an actual built-in tube pre-amp/power amp. How cool is that? So far I've made this keyboard sound like the holy grail of stage pianoss, right?
It's of personal taste but some organ players might be turned off my the real weighted piano keys. They might also be turned off by the lack of drawbars. I'm confident that as more sound sets are developed by Korg, and as its editor gets improved upon, the shortcomings in the organ will be lessened.
Unlike, say, Korg's own M50, you need a computer to edit the internal sounds. Kinda inconvenient if you're not attached to one out in the field. It's, of course, impractical to build that many knobs/parameters into the SV-1. Korg is hoping that you'll simply edit the sounds to your liking at home then take it out on stage as is. That concept may or may not appeal to all. This particular keyboard suits me (and my band) perfectly because its focus is real organic sounds not synthesized ones. I actually did have the 73-note version thinking I wouldn't miss the other 15 notes from the 88 version - but I did. I couldn't live without the full piano-sized version. I felt like I was selling myself short.
So, really, just for the Wurlitzer and Rhodes sounds alone the SV-1 is worth the price. The 88-note Yamaha & Steinway is simply icing on the cake. Highly recommended.
P.S. One final but extremely important note. It doesn't matter how great your keyboard sounds if it's played through a crappy or inappropriate system. I've read where users have lamented about the piano's one-dimensional sound on a guitar amp. Duh! Actually, even through some keyboard amps, the sound is still lacking. In my home I plug the SV-1 directly into a pair of Alesis powered monitors (USB 520). The sound is excellent. Live on stage I plug into the mains so the sound is clear. I can't understate the importance of a good sound system. 'Nuff said.
Addendun: January 15, 2011. Oops! Amazon has a photo of the Korg SP-250 above instead of the the SV-1.

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Yamaha P155S Contemporary Piano with Cherry Top Board, Silver Review

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(More customer reviews)We got this piano for our daughter.
it sounds great and it looks good too.

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Yamaha CP50 Stage Piano Review

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(More customer reviews)The previous reviewer obviously is into instant gratification, and can't be bothered with RTFM or such other unpleasant things. My previous keyboard was a Yamaha DGX-620 and there is no comparison. The piano sound and the keyboard are simply worlds better. My non-technical wife immediately noticed the difference. I consider the money as very well spent. I did the firmware update from version 1.11 to 1.20 today and it was completely painless. Sounds even better now. The only thing I miss is a way to display the chords being played. As for the weight, many other stage pianos are much heavier. The weight is because this stage piano is not a toy and built to last.

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Studiologic Numa Piano Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been a professional gigging musician for many years and the Numa Piano is exactly what I've been looking for. The action is outstanding, the internal sounds are all excellent. Unlike even some 'very high end' keyboards that I've owned, the Grand Piano sounds great by itself AND in the mix. Creating splits & layers on the fly is so simple that it's almost not even necessary to store setups in memory. Even controlling external modules with it is a breeze. If you're looking for a lightweight piano with a great action and a handfull of meat-and-potatoes sounds (Piano/Electric Piano/Clav/Strings/Organ) at a price that won't break the bank. Check it out!

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Casio Privia PX830 Digital Piano BUNDLE with Bench, Headphones, and Book Review

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(More customer reviews)I did lots of research and 'test-driving' and I am so pleased with the Casio PX830. It sounds great, the weight is very good for such an inexpensive instrument and it has lots of bells and whistles. It's simple and sleek and looks great in my apartment and plays as well as instruments 3-4 times its price.

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Korg SP250 Digital Piano White Review

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(More customer reviews)I cannot distinguish a difference between the sound of this Korg and my Baldwin Hamilton studio piano. The only thing it lacks is a real piano's "oomph". The tone is beautifully rich. The keys respond like the Baldwin, both in touch and sound. It never needs tuning. The keys have the look and feel of a real piano. The sound doesn't fade no matter how many keys are played at the same time.
This keyboard weights around 45 pounds. It isn't really ideal for portability, if that's what you need.
It comes with built-in sounds that can be combined to your taste (choir,organ, strings, etc), as well as a metronome. You can also adjust the tension of the keys to accommodate a light to heavy touch. It does not have a means for internal recording.
The earphone jack is wonderful. You can play this thing at 3 AM and no neighbors will complain. It actually accommodates two sets of earphones.
The stand is very sturdy. No wobble. The keyboard rests squarely on top with no jiggle room. No need to worry about knocking this off the stand.
A metal stabilizing bar rests on the floor and attaches to the bottom of the legs. The sustain pedal hooks over that bar to prevent it from sliding and getting away from you.
The quality cabinet is rich looking.
I've owned this Korg for two months. I haven't touched the Baldwin since I bought it. You might be able to talk me out of my Baldwin studio, but you'll never get my Korg.*** IMPORTANT UPDATE *** 5/24/2010 - This Korg has developed a ringing/vibration in its left speaker. It started a couple months ago, very slight and only occasionally at first, but it has been increasing in both volume and annoyance. It becomes noticeable within 30 minutes of activating the keyboard. It worsens the longer I play.

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Williams Overture 88 Key Digital Piano Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm certainly not a professional, however, I do know what a piano is supposed to sound like, and I know the difference between a Harpsichord, Organ, and a Harmonica: 'nuff said.
First of all I would like to say that the Williams Digital Piano is by far the best instrument I have ever owned, next to my toy, an old Casio keyboard that I owned for quite some time, I was happy to finally sell that off in a garage sale. When I went hunting for another piano, I took my Sony headphones and headed off to various stores with digital pianos. This one by far sounded the closest to a real upright piano (Well, the Yamaha was closer, but another 1K more expensive...), and it had the features and look I was wanting.
Pros ---
1. The weighted digital piano keys mimic perfectly the hammer-action of a real piano, and the sound is equally amazing. As I said I tested it out in headphones, and even at home in total silence the headphones are clear as anything and sound perfect. The built-in speakers that are attached to the piano work equally as well. I 'tested' it note-for-note, unplugging my headphones and listening to the built-in speakers, and I can safely say that I don't hear a difference at all. No "fuzzy-sounds", no buzzing, no humming, etc. Sounds nice.
2. After listening to several Harpsichord songs, I played a few notes on the piano to compare. So far I can't tell the difference between the notes played in the song and the ones I played on the piano.
3. Same with the Organ and string setting, both sound equally realistic and about as close to an acoustic piano as I'm going to get without spending thousands of dollars.
4. I actually bought this piano online, yes, from Musicians Friend. No, I am not an employee there, nor have I ever heard of it. I did call them up to see how exactly it was going to be mailed. I mean, sure it is less than 1K for the digital piano, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't going to end up in several pieces on my doorstep. I have to say the piano box arrived in no less than perfect condition. Go with Musicians Friend if you are going to buy this!Cons ---
1. Okay, so again I'm new at this. So, of COURSE I played the Play-Along songs while I waited for my real books to arrive. One of the irks I have is that when you use the digital piano to listen to the play-along songs, be forewarned that it is MUCH louder than when you are playing the piano normally. Also, if you are trying to play along, you have to compensate the volume by turning it down to hear the song correctly, but I also had a hard time hearing what I was playing on the piano!
2. Same thing goes with the metronome. It is MUCH louder than the 'volume' of the piano. If I had to change something, it would be how loud the Metronome sounds as compared to the piano. The volume, when recording songs and playing them back, however, is at the 'same volume' as the piano. Don't know if it is just my piano or what, but listening to the Play-Along songs and using the metronome is quite annoying.
3. I'm a computer programmer. I bought this piano because it came with a USB cable, anddd I thought I could use my computer knowledge to retrieve the songs off of the Williams Digital Piano. Not-so-much. There is no way to get the recorded songs off of the piano, the only thing the USB cable does is transmit the MIDI messages to a computer if you have the correct software installed. For me, kinda pointless.
Well, I think that about sums it up. Oh yeah, well, I don't think that this is a "Con" per-se, however: this piano comes disassembled. Which means that you have to assemble it. Fine, but the problem lies: this piano does not have instructions included to tell you how to assemble the piano. I, personally, was able to assemble is promptly. However, at first it was irksome laying out all the pieces and figuring out what goes where.

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Casio Privia PX-830 Digital Piano (Standard) Review

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(More customer reviews)It doesn't feel and sound as good as acoustic piano. But it's the best looking digital piano in my budget. No regrets.

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Korg LP350 Lifestyle Digital Piano White Review

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(More customer reviews)SOUND AND FEATURES: 4.5 STARS
Let's get this out of the way--Korg designged an excellent sounding piano. You should compare this with the less expensive Yamaha Arius YDP-S31 if you want to make an apples to apples comparison. They are similar in features. I've little doubt that they are made from the same components somewhere in China. We don't plan on doing any producing on the piano, although we have entertained using the MIDI controller for some computer learning tools for our children. The only feature that I absolutely have to have is the volume control. It has one.
The sound of the piano is rich and authentic. I am not a piano player at all (I can, however, appreciate sound fidelity), but my wife is--she learned on an old acoustic and has played on dozens of different types and brands and understands the feel and sound of a good piano (and organ). She finds it more than acceptable in terms of simulating the playing of an acoustic piano. As my children learn to play, we are more than confident as their skills progress that they will be able to transition to the authentic acoustic pianos without having to relarn the weight, feel and sound of them.
DESIGN AND BUILD: 2.5 STARS
I assembled it myself in under 30 minutes. Piece of cake. I was mostly disappointed in the finish--I had assumed that it would be a glossy black- it is not. It's a matte black and silver, a thin easily chipped paint that covers medium density fiberboard. The frame isn't as sturdy as I would like it, and not as attractive as Korg makes it out to be. For a piano that is supposed to be a decorative accent that suits a particular lifestyle (read more expensive), I was expecting a higher quality build.
Which brings me to my other problem. The Hammer Weighted keys. When I assembled the piano and took the securing tape off of the cover, I noticed that the three top keys were out of kilter. I'm not talking the out of kilter you usually find on traditional string and hammer pianos, where the lighter keys offer a looser play, the keys were literally rattling around in the frame. I requested a replacement.OVERAL PURCHASING EXPERIENCE 1.5 STARS
The 1.5 Stars is for the inital sale there is no redeeming quality about the rest of my purchasing experience. The price is excellent. My biggest gripe, of course is that I still don't have the piano. After returning it to be replaced, the piano went on back order. It's been on backorder for a month and then the store (name redacted) will start shipping the pianos out. The first time they estimate they will receive the piano will be February 5, one month and two weeks since I requested a return, and almost three months since I initially ordered it. My family loved the piano for the one week that it stood in our home, but I have to say that I'm less than thrilled about the fact that I haven't been able to enjoy a piano that I paid almost a thousand dollars for due to the shoddy manufacturing process that caused me to send it back even before I had the chance to enjoy it.
TOTAL SATISFACTION: SOMEWHERE AROUND 3 STARS
The sound and features bring this back up to average. Without the excellent sound and feel of this piano, you would definitely be looking at another piano. The SP-250 seems to be this piano's sibling in terms of features. A little more work on the manufacturing process could go a long way. Who knows? Maybe the delays in the ordering are to increase the quality of the build for customers. I tend to doubt that, as the more rushed someone is to produce something, the more mistakes they usually make.

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Roland HP-201-MH Digital Piano - Mahogany Finish Review

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(More customer reviews)I have one - and I loved it so much, that I shipped it from my home in Saudi Arabia to my home in South Africa, upon ending my contract.
It is very good for an adult beginner, because, if linked up to a computer, one can record and see (by means of a music writing program) how one's own efforts compare to "the real music." There are different sounds, i.e. organ, which makes it interresting if one has to practice the same things over and over, i.e. scales.
I will recommend this product any time.

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Casio PX3 Digital Stage Piano Review

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(More customer reviews)Received my PX-3 from JR Music through Amazon a little over a month ago. It arrived on the date promised with no problems with the packaging or the setup. The PX-3 is what it is; a lightweight, small footprint, digital piano and midi controller. That is what I wanted and I am very happy with it.
It fits on my desk, it is easy to move around, and it is not flimsy. I'm big and play rather heavily and it seems stout enough.
I like the feel of the matte keys and the piano action. The piano samples are good, I don't use the EP tones much but they sound fine to me.
It works my JV-1010, "Band-in- a-Box" and "Power-Tracks" with no problems. Setting up the layers for internal tones and external controls is easy after reading the manual. On the controller side I would have liked knobs, sliders and after-touch. It is possible to change the volume of an individual zone on the fly, but it takes a lot of coordination if I'm playing at the same time. Even given that, as a controller it is a lot easier to set things up on it than my old SL161 and it has the nice piano action.
I received the free gig bag for registering the piano from Casio within a month, it is very nice.


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Yamaha CP33 Stage Piano Review

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(More customer reviews)Nice upgrade from my Yamaha P90.
I purchaed this piano for the piano sound and feel. Any additional instruments or features that come with it are a bonus. The acoustic bass, strings and jazz organ sounds are done very well also.
While nothing replaces the feel of a real piano, this keyboard comes very, very close and the lighter touch on the higher keys really takes you there.
I only wish that the power transformer was inside of the piano instead of requiring a wall wart (transformer).
If you want a great piano sound and feel get this keyboard. If you want speakers to go with it as well as some more sounds, look into the CP300, but then you will need to add $1000, 30 more pounds and a deeper frame.

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Casio AP6 Celviano Black Polish Digital Piano BUNDLE with Bench, Headphones, Book, and Lamp Review

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(More customer reviews)Santa brought the AP6 for my son for Christmas.
Great packaging and easy to put together with additional set of hands.
Sounds great, the keys feel great and it looks fantastic.
Great job Casio!!!

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Korg SP250 Portable 88 Key Digital Piano With Keyboard Stand Bundle & Bench; Headphones; Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased the Korg SP250 as a practice piano, a recording piano, and as a MIDI controller for a Ketron SD2 sound module.
As a practice piano it is completely acceptable. The touch of the keys is pretty good and the piano sound is fine too.
As a recording piano it is not entirely acceptable. Even with lots of added reverb, the sound tends to come across as "too close". This is a pity, because the recorded piano sound itself is quite realistic, better than it sounds over the SP250's built-in speakers.
As a MIDI controller this is all but a complete bust. The Korg ignores MIDI control changes above 30 (30-128), so it's extremely limited as a controller. This was by no means made clear in the literature or reviews for the keyboard. I came across it in the middle of the owner's manual as I was puzzling through the fact that I couldn't access most of the banks and sounds in my sound module.
As it stands, this will be a fine practice piano for my husband, but I've had to purchase a new controller and digital piano.

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Korg MICROPIANOBK 61-Key Portable Keyboard Review

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(More customer reviews)Korg uses their mini-keys for this, and at first glance you'd think that would lump it into the "toy" category. Not so. I'm a classically trained pianist and I can honestly say -- this is the first mini-key controller that I felt I could actually play expressively. The piano sounds are exceptional. I played with it at NAMM and was blown away. I think Korg has done an exceptional job at making these things musically useful. Granted it is not a full-featured controller. But look over the feature set, and if it's got what you need, rest assured that it's actually a pleasure to play. A+

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Yamaha P155 Contemporary Piano with Mahogany Top Board, Black Review

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(More customer reviews)I recently did an exhaustive review of the digital piano world as I am trying to teach my children to play the piano. Accoustic pianos are not a choice due to the size, weight, cost, and tuning requirements. I love the idea of a piano that is always in tune (and can move if we move), but I wanted to be sure I was teaching my kids in a way that they could easily play a grand piano if presented with one. The biggest concern is muscle memory, and making sure their fingers are used to the feel of a real key.
Roland makes some of the top-of-the-line pianos, but they also come with a high cost. I am sure the sound might be a bit better, but I could not justify the expense. I tried out some of the higher-end Yamaha pianos, and while I was impressed, still was shocked at the cost. The P85 was the lowest cost Yamaha piano I tried that seemed it could be good for teaching. It sounded nice, feature the weighted keys with "graded hammer standard" (GHS), and was reasonably portable. However, I felt the P85 keys were a little hard to push with a little too much return. I had a higher-end Yamaha nearby (non-portable) and found the keys much better. The store also had a grand piano, and the higher-end Yamaha was much closer than the P85.
With a little research, I discovered that the high-end Yamaha pianos (the ones that cost $2k and up) use "graded hammer effect" (GHE), a step up from GHS. Since the discontinuation of the P-140, the P-155 is the least expensive piano to support GHE. It also has 128 note polyphony, 14 voices with 4 tonal varieties, and support for a sustain pedal (you only need 1 pedal for most playing).
What are the downsides to the P-155? Some other digital pianos have far more voices, more recording capability, and louder speakers. The P-140 only had 6-watt speakers. This was improved with the P-155 (12W speakers), but it is still not the best.
For the class of piano that this is, the improvements do not justify the price upgrade from the P-140 to the P-155, but if you are just starting out, there's no better piano for the price. And if you can get a good used deal on a P-140, it will be just as good.

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Yamaha YDPS31 Arius Console Piano with Folding Key Cover, 3-Pedal Cabinet Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had the digital piano for about 1 year already and still loving it. Totally converted to a believer in digital piano. Even though it is in the lower end of the line, it doens't feel that way. The weighted keys have a real acoustic piano feel to it, and it is very sensitive to touch. The sounds are beautiful. It actually sounds better and feel better than the 15 year old acoustic piano that I had when I started learning piano as a kid. The most beautiful part of it is that I can play it in the middle of the night without waking anyone up.

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Drawing on over a hundred years of experience and craftsmanship in making world class acoustic pianos, Yamaha's YDPS31 Arius digital piano offers an exceptionally natural key touch that virtually replicates that of an actual grand piano. It features a Graded Hammer Standard keyboard with realistic matte black finish key tops, and a damper pedal that includes an authentic Half Damper effect, giving you nuanced expressive control over the sustained sound--far more realistic than a simple on/off footswitch.
The Yamaha YDPS31 digital piano. Click here for a larger image.

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