Suggestions for digital weighted pianos

General Discussion
1

Hi all,
I’m shopping for a digital piano. Want great piano sounds and feel with some technology stuff like connectivity, blue tooth, recording etc. and some ability to add sounds like the Rhodes. I’ll use mostly in my home.

2

Hi Eric :wave:

My recommendation would be Roland digital pianos, here are 2 options:

For portability I would recommend the Roland RD-88:

  • Very lightweight and portable
  • Good selection of in-built sounds including electric piano/rhodes
  • MIDI connectivity
  • In-built speakers
  • I personally like the touch and feel of Roland keyboard. I have one of these in storage which I use if I’m travelling or on the road.

If you want something more resembling an upright piano take a look at the Roland HP 307:

  • Less lightweight and portable compared to the RD-88
  • Good selection of in-built sounds including electric piano/rhodes
  • MIDI connectivity
  • In-built speakers
  • I have a HP 307 with the glossy black finish and it looks very nice. Most guests mistake it for an acoustic piano! I use this electric piano to record my lessons for PianoGroove.
  • The shape/case of the piano is quite handy; one can put music notation or an iPad on the music ledger, and also fold down the music ledger and place a laptop/midi interface/cup of coffee etc… on the top of the piano.

Here’s a photo so you can see the shape…

hp-307-pe_angle_gal
hp-307-pe_angle_gal1263×1050 101 KB

You can’t see on this photo, but it also has a slide lid that folds over the keyboard which keeps the keys dust free.

I believe the Roland HP Series is quite extensive, but the HP-307 is my favourite, at least from the ones I have tried. The model I have is around 5 years old.

I usually recommend students to visit a few piano shops so that you can try the different brands and models and see which one you prefer. I personally like the matte effect on the black keys of Roland digital pianos and also the weighting of the keys.

Other Recommendations:

You can find more discussion threads in the “Software & Setup” section of the forum, here are a few threads which might be of interest:

I hope that helps!

3

Hi Eric :grinning:

Something to also consider adding to what Hayden has mentioned is the “budget” and how much you are going to outlay for a new keyboard. I’ve also been looking around and have looked at a few keyboards that are not cheap but have a nice acoustic sound that include:

  • Kawai MP7SE and MP11SE stage piano (useful at home given their weight)
  • Kawai CA901 (hybrid digital upright piano with soundboard)
  • Roland RD2000 ex (stage piano but again great for home studio)
  • Nord Grand 2 (expensive though)

Plenty to compare if you check out YouTube as well on top 2025 digital pianos and be aware of several new hybrids from Kawai due to launch around August of this year (Novus NV6 and NV12 both with soundboards).

Let us know how you go as plenty of people in this community using a variety of keyboards.

Regards

Paul