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I have a grand, but thinking of adding a digital to my collection. How is the FP90? I'm interested in the piano sound for sure, but would also like good strings, orchestra, etc. For those who play acoustics, do you think the Roland is a good approximation. Also, how heavy is the touch? Thanks for any advice!

I been thinking of fp90, but I can’t seem to like the sound, however it has so many parameters you can change that it may sound good after some changes, but out of the box it sounds not as good say Yamaha or Kawai , based on the samples I heard online of Roland Yamaha and kawai

When FP90 came out, I was almost sure I'll get it, but the first moment I played it I felt so dissapointed. You can edit only some effects, the base unnatural, plastic sound base remains the same.
You dont have access to actual synthesis engine (cannot edit string lenght, "material" hardness etc). The piano "behavior" is very nice, interface is great, keybed is nice. Unfortunately, if you don't like the sound, do not hope you will tweak it.

This is exactly my experience. The basic underlying tone cannot be changed. If you like it, happy days because it is otherwise a very good piano. But I really do not like the tonality of the fully modelled Roland sounds.

Hmmm...thanks for the opinions. I would really like to try it in person, but not sure any stores around here have one. I was also considering the Yamaha DGX 660, which is quite a bit less money. Not sure it's even in the same league as the Roland, but my local store does have one to try out. Any other recommendations? Just looking for good piano sounds plus other common instruments, and a weighted keyboard with a nice, light touch.

Leaving aside personal opinions about piano sounds the Roland is a good deal better than the Yamaha in the important piano-centric areas such as key action, dynamic response and amp/speaker quality. Not that the DGX is poor in these respects but it is in a significantly lower price bracket. It does however have far more 'fun' features, including useful arranger functions etc. The pianos sound nice on the Yamaha but they are not particularly advanced.

One last point, personally I would not describe the Roland as having a particularly light touch. Nice, yes. Light, not really. The Yamaha probably has a slightly lighter touch, but is somewhat less realistic feeling.

Doing some more research, it appears the Kawai ES8 might be an alternative. Actually, it might make more sense for me since my acoustic is a Kawai.

If you want a "slab" DP, and don't like the FP-90 piano sounds, look around for a used Roland FP-80. The sound generator is "old" SuperNatural (_not_ modelled), and the action is good.

Some people don't like the "old" SuperNatural either. And there are several variants of it, and Roland doesn't make it clear which DP has which version --

. . . So listen and play, if you can, before you buy.

Get a Yamaha p515

I like mine a lot- especially the action. It was heavy to move for me at 48pounds but the FP90 is heavier- obviously this is my home piano.
I tried the FP90 but prefer the ES8 and personally like the P255 better than the Roland. I am also tracking the P255 price to see if it goes down.

Have you compared the ES8 to a Kawai acoustic? I guess the ES is sampled from the Shigeru pianos? Wondering how the ES action compares to the acoustic. Also, how are the orchestral sounds? I would probably be playing mostly on my acoustic piano, but looking for a digital when I'm in the mood for a different sound, and also non-piano sounds. Plus, if I ever want to pack it up and take it somewhere, it'd be much easier than trying to move a grand, lol.

I like my ES8, but it’s a bit different from my real Kawai. Much better than the Yamaha p255, but the new p515 would be a more fair comparison. The only “orchestral” sounds are strings. I think they’re fine, but I don’t use strings much. I like the electric pianos too, for what it’s worth. The ES8 has samples from two Shigeru Kawais (concert and parlor), an EX concert grand, and an upright. It also has tweaked versions of those that are useful for various kinds of music. I use the “Pop Grand” for playing in dance bands, because it cuts through better. The SK is great for classical, and the EX is brighter and works nicely for jazz.

Thanks for the info! It sounds like it's a really nice keyboard. I'll have to go to my local music store and see what they have. I'm not sure they stock either of these, but maybe they'll have lower-end models to give me an idea. The only places that are around here are Sam Ash and Guitar Center.

I think the Yamaha DGX660 is out. I tried it at Guitar Center, and wasn't too impressed with the piano sound and feel. It might be cool for all the other sounds, though. Unfortunately, no place around here seems to carry the higher end DPs. The ES8 is tempting, but I'd really like to try it in person before dropping 2 grand. I really wish there were more music stores around that actually stocked things. It's the same with piano stores; they are few and far between, and I live in a reasonably large city (Cleveland, OH).

Yamaha 515 isn't coming out for a while, huh?

If you haven't done so already, it may be worthwhile giving the dealer locator on the KawaiUS.com website a try. I entered a Cleveland zip code and the locator found the following dealer:

Mattlin-Hyde Piano Company
28699 Chagrin Blvd.
Woodmere Village, OH 44122
216-831-1600
Website

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
James
x

+1 on the heaviness of the action. I had 'mine' for about 2 weeks and had to return due to hand strain.

Also +1 on not being able to tweak the sound to something that... well, sounded like a piano ;-) (I'm being a bit harsh there, but I couldn't adjust it to something I liked).

Build quality seemed superb. And the keys themselves were very quiet.

I think the FP-90 has the best digital action you can buy. It feels alive under the fingers, and the piano responds in a way that digital pianos generally don't. While the timbre isn't the closest to an acoustic, the playing experience is (for me at least). Of course, i'm not considering pianos with hybrid actions like the AvantGrand or NV10, although if I were to buy one of those I'd probably use it to control a VSTi. I love VSL's Yamaha CFX, and I use the FP 90 to control it. I like how it feels like an instrument in its own right, and I enjoy switching back and forth between it and my grand.

Thanks. Yes, AFAIK, this is the only Kawai dealer in the area. Not sure if they carry the ES8, but I will ask. I heard the have some Shigerus, so it might be worth a trip there just to check out one of those. Never seen or played one.

Radio.Octave, I'm afraid I don't have any information regarding the stock that dealers carry, however the Mattlin-Hyde Piano Company website suggests they sell the ES8.

I appreciate that listing a model on the website does not necessarily mean it's available in store, therefore I would recommend giving the dealer a call to double-check the situation before setting off.

Kind regards,
James
x

They didn't have the ES8, but I did get to play a 7'6" Shigeru Kawai, so that was fun =)