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Hi, I need some help buying my first DP. I went to a music store today and tried both pianos and can’t really decide right now what to buy... I do not feel much of a difference in key action but I am newbie so I do not know what to look for. Roland keys felt better and seems overall less plasticy. I liked sounds of Kawai better though... There is also a price difference - Kawai costs about 38% more than FP-30 which is a lot in my opinion and I am not sure if it is worth spending this extra at this moment. Any thoughts or similar experiences?

I recently bought the Kawai after reading a lot about the Roland models (FP-10/30), Casio, Yamaha etc. I tried the Roland FP30 as well but it didn't do it for me. The keys are heavy and the sound is bright and metallic. FP-10 is the little brother and I'm not sure if the key action is the same but most likely.

A week ago I was thinking the exact same as you, but with a week of researching, it's not a fair comparison to look at FP-10 and Kawai ES110. The Kawai has a much better sound but also at a different price. I ended up with the ES110 as it has received so many great reviews for a long time. Many consider it to be the best DP there is to find for under 1000 dollars. That being said, there's not one obvious choice for everyone. Someone will say the love the sound and key action on FP-30, and some others will say they dislike it.

Years ago, I had the same reaction, initially. But when I changed the touch to "Heavy" or "Hard" (I forgot the exact name), that problem disappeared:

. . . the key-striking force at which the SuperNatural sound started to 'clang', or get "metallic",

. . . more-or-less matched the point where an acoustic piano would have the same effect.

This judgement is _very_ subjective. But it's worth being aware of the effect.

Yes, comparing ES110 and FP10 is not quite fair, more proper would be a comparison with FP-30. I would rather take cheaper Roland for now as I don't really need features of FP-30 and they both seem to have the same keys and sounds.

Overall, I didn't feel much of a difference between FP-10 and ES110 actions... maaaybe ES110 was a little bit lighter but it definitely wasn't night and day difference. FP-10 keys surface felt a bit more grippy probably due to imitation of ivory. I have not idea though if it actually makes any difference in playing.

I nejoyed sound of ES110, but sound of FP-10 wasn't a deal breaker for me either... speakers could be better, but on the other hand I will probably play with headphones mostly anyway.

I know one thing for sure that any of those will be a super upgrade from my M-Audio Axiom 49 MK2 which I felt sad for yesterday after coming from shop :-)

It will be an awesome upgrade whatever you choose - the entry level weighted digitals are very good these days.

I also found quite cheap Casio PX-160 on Thomann... which is even cheaper than FP-10. Does it make sense to think about going for it at all? Or just 2 other options are superior to Casio?

Hiya. Do try the FP-30 just to see what it possible with the built-in speakers (they're surprisingly good for the price).

I would also compare headphone quality/volume - due to the different speaker setup, there may be differences in headphone amplification on the FP10/30.

I know that on the FP-30, headphone volume can be low if using cheaper/less sensitive headphones. Perhaps take your own and try them out just to make sure that they work as you intend, else you might find the cost goes up if you have to get a different set.

I've never tried the ES110 myself - a salesman played it to me, the main piano sound was warmer and there were some lovely electric piano sounds too. It was my first ever piano purchase, so I based my decision on price as I had no idea how far I'd get with lessons.

In the end, I had the FP-30 for a year before selling it to get something with a better & lighter action... it was fine up until exam time where I increased the amount of practice - I then found that my finger tips started to hurt a bit. It's not been an issue since replacing it with something else. That doesn't mean that your experience will be the same - perhaps it was peculiar to my fingers.

I'd have kept my first piano for longer, provided that the action didn't cause me the same issue. It all depends on how long you've been playing and what you're used to I suppose.

I probably shouldn't weigh in since I no longer have my FP-30 (I sold it on eBay after I upgraded to an N1X) but since my family owned both an FP-30 and an ES-110, and still owns the latter, I should probably say something.

What I will say is that I found within 2 days of owning the FP-30, that if one isn't happy with the sound, then you can use a VST on a PC or laptop with the FP-30. For example, Pianoteq is a VST with a free trial. Until I upgraded, most of the time I owned the FP-30, I used Pianoteq myself.