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The older FP7 had a very hard bottoming out feel to the keys and have noticed that nobody has mentioned this about the newer FP7F so I am to assume it has a better "easier on the hands" action than the former model? I haven't been able to try one out yet.

I don't find this to be a problem on the FP-7F, and these days my hands are quite sensitive to harsh keyboards (a few years ago a Casio PX-320 would leave me practically crippled after an hour of playing).

Thanks voxpops.

I played with a guy who has the Nero this past Sunday, and I played on his Nero. He was using sounds from both his ES6 Motif and Motif rack, so the pianos were ok at best. The action of the Nero and fit and finish were top notch. I was actually blown away by the touch. It felt like an acoustic, minus no escapement. Impressive controller to say the least.

I hope those posters who think Roland pianos sound "dull" are not basing their reactions solely on out-of-the-box auditioning or default settings.

The Piano Designer and other functions are important, indeed necessary IMO, for adjusting the sound and touch to one's individual tastes (my ideals of piano sound continue to evolve, I confess).

On my FP-7F immediately upon power-on I decrease Reverb to 2 or under, increase Master Gain to +6db, change Key Touch Offset to Medium +8, and make sure the Equalization light is off. Previously I had put some of my desired Piano Designer settings [Lid 3 (I've come to crave the mellowness), Cabinet Resonance 7 (which I find obviates the need for higher reverb), Duplex Scale 1 (the decrease removes unpleasant zinginess in some upper octaves)] in Memory Backup so they survive power-off. All these I can change on a whim, and probably will.

I had to move my external speakers elsewhere in my house, so I'm now relying on the FP-7F's internal speakers, which I find are surprisingly good, emit a lot of volume and are located perfectly for the player.

As has been pointed out, the lack of FX adjustment for enlivening the EP patches is disappointing, but careful layering helps a little.

I think the term "dull" is being used more comparatively than as an absolute (or pejorative) description. Whereas the Nord Bosendorfer is uneven and with a very distinctive character, and the Yamaha samples tend to be quite bright/harsh, the Roland SN piano is a very even piano with a darker character. It doesn't leap out of the board at you, and so could be described as less exciting or sounding more dull. IMO, this is a good thing. The board is consistently playable and doesn't tire the ears.

I agree that the Piano Designer can make a big difference to the way the piano sounds.

I was at a dealers the other which specialises in refurbed Yamahas, especially U1s and U3s. I can tell you there is a very wide difference in tones - it all depends on the voicing of the piano in question.

This post is very similar to my experience with trying digital pianos.

-- The MP10 had such a heavy action, that I found it tiring and ruled it out in a few minutes. I was surprised at how heavy the action was. That said, I believe regular pianists may enjoy this action.

-- The RD-700NX (I realize you are speaking of the GX) had an action that felt pleasing and very light; however, the keys felt like they were accelerating and picking up momentum as they closed on the keybed, which felt like unyielding granite on impact. It is difficult to describe this feeling.

I did like the RD-700NX, and in an odd way it was the most fun action to play, despite being a little hard to control. The sound has a slight metallic quality, but it was seamless and had depth. I may have purchased the 700NX, had the price not been so disparate from the MP6.

-- I liked the MP6 action the most -- an economical middle ground that seemed to follow the finger to the keybed without too much pressure required. The sound signature was pleasing as well, though not perfect. I ended up purchasing the MP6, with the intention of getting a computer later to upgrade and add more variety/options to the sound. I play the MP6 each evening, and I feel I will still be happy with it when pianos upgrade their sound, due to my comfort with the action.

-- I actually was surprised by the CP5, as I had never really liked Yamaha pianos for their brightness and unnatural decay. But the sound was easily configured and the action felt improved from past efforts. I had written off Yamaha, but I considered Yamaha after trying the CP5.

It is difficult to tell much from a few minutes in a very noisy store about sound. Kawai's pianos were so difficult to find, and there are limitations to their "dealer" approach, but at least their pianos were in environments that were not dominated by kids playing the one song they knew on 150 guitars with the volume turned up.

I've had the FP7F for over 6 months and am really happy with it. I play exclusively on grand piano 1 and haven't experimented with any of the features yet.