Questions about Roland Digital

[steveninspiration]

Hi guys,

I am planning to buy a piano but I am living in an apartment now, so I guess I could only buy a digital one due to the space and the sound (I may be practicing at night and I don't want to annoy my neighbors).

Now the problem is which digital to choose. I've read some posts here and other sites, and I think the brands most people use and give commends are Roland and Yamaha.

Here are what I consider when I choose a digital piano:
1) The sound: This is definitely one important thing to take into account. The better the sound is , the more pleasurable wneh playing. I don't need planty of fancy sounds other than piano, but the piano sound must have a good tone color.
2) The reaction of the key. This factor is also very important to me when I choose a piano. If the piano can't react properly, that is when playing 16th or 32th notes the key won't go back fast enough, then it is not the one I want. And the touch to the key should not be like you are pressing a spring.
3) Beside the above two, the maximum polyphony is one thing I think is also important (I guess 128 would be the best, right?)

Based on the above factors, I've chosen some of the series of Roland, as follows:
FP-4,
FP-7,
V-Piano

The problem comes again. The  price of a V-Piano is three times as higher as FP-7. Is the V-Piano really a good one to buy? What is the v/p for this one? I noticed that the V-Piano has Hammer Action III and FP-4 and FP-7 have Hammer Action II. Is there a big difference between II and III? How does it feel like when playing with III? And is the sound quality of a V-Piano better than the others?


Please and welcome anyone who has played one or more of these models give me some suggestions. You are also welcome to give feedback about other models of Roland or Yamaha, or other brands that you would recommend. Please be specific on the Pros and Cons.

Thanks guys. Good luck with your practice!

[jcabraham]

You should post this to the instruments forum, and/or to the pianoworld.com website, which I believe has a dedicated digital forum.

[steveninspiration]

You should post this to the instruments forum, and/or to the pianoworld.com website, which I believe has a dedicated digital forum.

Umm, thanks for the advice. I'll move this topic to the instruments forum.

[steveninspiration]

Ok, now it is in the instruments forum.
Welcome anyone who has played Roland FP-4, FP-7, or V-Piano give me advices. Suggestions on other models or brands are welcome as well.
Thanks. 

[gyzzzmo]

You cant buy a piano from picture, and asking advice here doesnt mean either you'll get the piano you want.

The best way to buy a piano is to go to a pianodealer and try out alot of digitals, with and without headphones (!) Then you'll see the differences (or not) and will be able to buy yourself a piano that suits you best.

[steveninspiration]

You cant buy a piano from picture, and asking advice here doesnt mean either you'll get the piano you want.

The best way to buy a piano is to go to a pianodealer and try out alot of digitals, with and without headphones (!) Then you'll see the differences (or not) and will be able to buy yourself a piano that suits you best.

Yeah, of course I know...I actually went to a music store and tried FP-4 and FP-7 myself, but the problem is that I can't sit there and play it for hours to see if it is comfortable to play for a long time.....
so I need some advices from someone who own one of the mentioned and tell me what they think about them with their personal experience. Yes, it is true that ones opinion may be diffirent from others and that's totally depend on personal preferences. I just need some opinions and / or feedback from the users so that I can have more insight information.

Well, from what I felt by trying the FP-4 and FP-7 for about thirty minutes, I could only say that base on the touch I like FP-4 more than FP-7, because the FP-4 feels more like a real piano while the FP-7's keys bounced a bit after each press......I am not sure if you guys have the same feeling on that....

I think I'll go to the store and try them again anyway. By the way, how long did you try the pianos before you bought yours (just out of curiosity) ?

[gyzzzmo]

Yeah, of course I know...I actually went to a music store and tried FP-4 and FP-7 myself, but the problem is that I can't sit there and play it for hours to see if it is comfortable to play for a long time.....
so I need some advices from someone who own one of the mentioned and tell me what they think about them with their personal experience. Yes, it is true that ones opinion may be diffirent from others and that's totally depend on personal preferences. I just need some opinions and / or feedback from the users so that I can have more insight information.

Well, from what I felt by trying the FP-4 and FP-7 for about thirty minutes, I could only say that base on the touch I like FP-4 more than FP-7, because the FP-4 feels more like a real piano while the FP-7's keys bounced a bit after each press......I am not sure if you guys have the same feeling on that....

I think I'll go to the store and try them again anyway. By the way, how long did you try the pianos before you bought yours (just out of curiosity) ?

in total like 2 or 3 hours i think. You can hear and feel pretty quickly if you like the sound and touche or not. And why did you go for a Roland? Because of the portability? Because i personally (in general) found the Clavinova's alot better.