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Hello everyone!
I'm a beginner piano learner, and already have an upright YAMAHA U2 piano which I really love. Unfortunately I can't play on it most of the time as we moved to another house, and my Yamaha will stay in my parents house.

I'm looking for a sub-1000$ digital piano I can practice with, especially at night with headphones.
The most important factors of course are key action and sound quality, especially through headphones. I really want it to have a wood stand and 3 pedals to give an experience similar to my upright piano. I know that no piano in this budget will come even close to my U2, but I still want to enjoy playing on it. I will be able to play on my Yamaha U2 during weekends of course

I tried the Roland FP-30, I really liked the key action, but sound on headphones wasn't the best, and it's a bit over my budget when bought with the stand and 3 pedals.

I found a good deal on a lightly-used KORG LP-380 with a good piano bench, It has a really small factor, which is great, and a stand and 3 pedals.
O'm looking for reviews and real-life experience with this model, especially comparing it with other pianos in this price range.

- Do you recommend it for a beginner?
- How is sound quality and key action compared to other digital pianos in this budget like the Roland FP-30, Yamaha P-125 and Kawai ES110?
- Is the sound quality good through headphones, which will be my main use?
- WIll it be easy to connect it through a midi adapter to my iPad or android tablet to use piano lesson apps for improving my skills? Will I really notice the lack of wireless BT onnectivity ?

Thanks in advance!!

Any real-life impressions on this model?
Thanks !

From the lack of responses, I suspect there aren't many people here who own Korg DPs. While the same holds true for me, I do have some thoughts.

• The LP380 uses Korg's best action, the RH3. It is one of the better actions in the sub-$1,000 price range. However, most people would consider the PHA-4 action found in the Roland FP-30 to be the best of the lot.
• The LP380 has real midi jacks. So you shouldn't have a problem connecting it to any computing device using an adapter.
• While it comes with the stand and three-pedal unit and also supports half-pedaling, it is an older (2013) model. They launched the G1 Air in 2017-18 and that comes with bluetooth support. Obviously, the pricing will differ.

If you have a $1,000 budget, there aren't too many great choices once you have excluded the FP-30. I suggest that you try the ES110 and a couple of the newer Casios (the PX-S1000, for example) and compare them with the LP380. And, pick the one you like best.

Thank you for the reply.
There's are indeed not may reviews on this model, it seems to be much less popular than the other models mentioned above.
The other models' price becomes beyond my budget if I consider the stand and 3 pedals, but I'm interested to know if someone tried the Korg and can compare it with other models in the same category.
Although bluetooth is a nice addition, I don't think it's a must, and a midi to USB cable will do the job AFAIK.

Hello
I own the Korg G1 Air and while it is not the LP 380 it has the exact same RH3 action and I assume same sound
engine
I really love the RH3 action very much-- I previously owned the Kawai ES 110 and while that is very nice as well I prefer
the RH3 action on the Korg as it is firmer ( the Kawai was lighter action) and very responsive
Also the sound of the German Grand on the Korg is very nice and for that price exceptional
You will be happy with the LP380
Built in Japan so very well made and solid feeling

Thanks! That's good to know.
Did you ever try the PHA-4 action found in the Roland pianos? How is ti compared to the Korg?

Thanks

Hi there,

The Korg RH3 action is excellent and very solid. Much better quality and reliability compared to Fatar actions found on many DPs. I enjoy playing advanced classical piano repertoire on my Kronos several hours daily (when I can't use my acoustic grand piano). The action works as perfectly as in day one after three years. As a comparison, after only one year of similar practice, the Fatar action on an earlier DP was giving up with all kinds of noises and contact problems.

I'm sure the LP-380 offers similar piano experience as on my Korg. I also practice mostly in headphones with the digital instrument, so I recommend you invest in good quality headphones. I personally ended up choosing the Shure SRH840 for their excellent frequency range and slight natural bass boost which is perfect for the Korg sounds.

Yes I did try the Roland PHA-4 and it is very good but I prefer the Korg RH3 over it

I like the RH3, I think it's generally an underrated mid-range action, very similar in feel to Yamaha GH in a lot of ways.