We have our annual NAMM/MusikMesse type of trade show here in Budapest this weekend and Roland is exhibiting the latest pianos there: HPi-6F (which I bought this week), RD700NX and FP-7F (which I was also thinking about but my wife voted for the HPi).

Because of the noise of such events I cannot say anything about the sound, but the action was quite pleasing.
The FP-7F was stacked below an oldish FP-4 and the difference was overwhelming. I wouldn't advise anyone to buy FP-4, not even the old FP7.

Obviously the action of FP-7F was very similar to our HPi-6F, but still I felt it a bit more comfortable. The ivory feel is very similar, but without the brownish sides of the white keys.

I think I might buy one FP-7F for my personal use (leaving the HPi for the family). I also think the FP4 needs an immediate upgrade or price cut, because it is not competitive anymore in Roland's product line.

I just wandered around in my local music store and didn't spot the FP-7F yet. Do you know when these new lines will be available? Btw, didn't the FP-4 drop in price already? It's listed here (the Netherlands) for 1249 EUR.

Actually the Eur 1249 price is a result of an Eur 100 hike, at least in Germany. It was 1149 earlier this summer....

The dealer here says end of November.

... I can't beleive I missed that. Could you please provide a link?

(I do not really follow the local music scene...)

Hangfoglalas: http://www.hangfoglalas.hu/new/index.html

Kishonti, I'm interested in Fp7F too. May I know how much is the street price in Hungary?
Thx

The MSRP for FP-7F is HUF 554.000, currently that's around EUR 2000. See: http://www.rolandshop.hu/termekek/Roland_FP7_F_BK
Some shops give you up to 15% discount if you're calling them personally, but they deliver only locally. So if you're not in Hungary you'd better buy it from a trusted Western European online retailer. We also have the highest VAT rate (25%) which makes our consumer prices higher.
(The reason why we have some instruments earlier here is Roland Central Europe is located here in Budapest.)

My piano teacher works for Roland, so my lessons are located in the official Roland showroom in Budapest and (what a surprise) they are showing off the new FP-7F and RD700NX (these are the same pianos they demonstrated first last weekend, as I mentioned in my opening post.) So I could try them both!

RD700NX: I think it is the same touch (PHA3 ivory) as found in HP307. The default Grand Piano 1 was very familiar to me, but as my ears are not very trained I cannot decide if it is differing from HP307 or not.

FP-7F was more interesting: As I earlier recognized the touch was somehow different from standard PHA2/PHA3 ivory feel and so now I played it a bit more if I recognize the same thing. Now I'm sure FP-7F's new "PHA3 Ivory Feel-S" keyboard feels a bit lighter and less thumpier than the others. The noise of the keyboard is less audible and actually for me as a beginner it was a bit easier to play than my PHA2 ivory keys (HPi6F). (The Roland guys there said they also recognized the difference.) The sound seemed to be identical to HP307, but again I have no proof for this. All in all FP-7F is a really big improvement from FP-7 both sound and touch-wise.

Kishonti,

I am really interested in the RD-700NX, and was wondering if you've played it, and what you thought about the action between that and an RD-700GX? Was the action noticeably better than the PHA II Ivory Feel on the RD-700GX? How bout the sounds on the RD-700NX?

As for the FP-7F, I think Roland could really have a home tun with that board. Great action, sounds, built in speakers, less expensive comparable stage pianos-it seems like a great board. If I didn't need the options of a stage piano, I'd most likely opt for the FP-7F.

Unfortunately I have never tried RD700GX, because I thought it was too much for my needs. However it sits beside RD700NX at the same showroom, so I'll try it next week after my lesson. I think I'll be able to differentiate between actions, however don't expect too much from me sound wise, I'm not sure if I could tell the difference between SN and the earlier generation default piano sound from Roland.

Thats probably because it doesnt have this let-off mechanism (click effect).

Is there an Alpha version of the III?

No. FP-7F keys have escapement. I tried it and the spec also says it.

So, have we confirmed that the only difference is the lack of brown color on the side of the keys or are there other differences?

1) Tha lack of brown color 2) Less key noise 3) Bit different/lighter feel (maybe different weighting of the hammer?)
It is definitely made of a different material, and feels different from RD700NX which is the classic PHA3.

Would you say the FP7F PHAIIIs is a bit too light weighted for the (classical) piano player ? Or just a little bit easier on you fingers, but still heavy enough for serious use ?

Please don't get me wrong, I'm a beginner. The new FP7F action is much better than old FP7, but I'm not at the position to say it is better or worse than the classic PHA3. I think it is basically an upgrade of their plastic PHA2 (HP302 type), so it should be simpler/cheaper than PHA3 and positioned for low/mid range pianos.

May I ask you to explain why, please?
What are the main differences between the two actions?

Cheers,
James
x

By action I don't just mean the internal mechanism (which I dont know) but the "feel" of the keyboard. FP7 was shiny plastic, without the matte ivory feel, which feels better to touch. FP7 had no escapement which we all know should not be there, but again you feel it. So all my comparisons are personal and not at all scientific.

Thanks kishonti.

So the FP-7F's action has matte keys and escapement.
Are there any other differences that you are aware of?

Cheers,
James
x

The 3rd sensorrrrrrrrr !!! haha...let's open the box of pandora again ;-)

Beware of the RD700NX! I absolutely love it, however there is one MAJOR issue which basically ruins the whole keyboard for me, which is this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNNGiJjPEI4

People dare to say in 'real life' use this wouldn't happen, but you can't get any more real life than playing 8 notes... and I need to play along to backing tracks, and it can't handle what it says it can do basically. I have contacted Roland and have been in contact with them for a good while, and I'm still getting the same 'we're looking into this' answer... and I've had it for nearly 3 months now, so trying to decide what to do IF the piano doesn't get fixed.

I might end up 'downgrading' to the new FP, as it seems to have the supernatural piano, and doesn't have this problem (according to another user) because of a different processor inside. I can't for the life of me understand why Roland would release the latest NX with a processor that can't handle what it's meant to be able to do! So please do watch the video, and see what you think... I think it's ridiculous, and it's just not acceptable that this is happening, especially when paying 2k for a keyboard.

Ok, lets open another pandora ;-)

I have read a review about the FP-7F in a german keyboard magazine ("Tastenwelt").

They wrote, like the RD700GX the keyboard has Ivory touch, but unlike the RD700GX it doesnt have "Ebony touch surface" for the black keys.

Anybody noticed this? Is it a issue?
I personally think, good grip for the black keys is much more important than for the white keys....

"'downgrading' to the new FP, as it seems to have the supernatural piano, and doesn't have this problem "

Are you sure about that ? Perhaps it's better to first let Roland figure out what's wrong and fix it. If the same problem may arise for the rest of SN enabled instruments too, they will simultaneously release a firmware fix for all these instruments.

J

We have FP7F for past 3 weeks, which is an upgrade from Casio AP200. Daughter absolutely loves it and mentioned it is somewhat similar to the AP her teacher has.

Here is a clip, she playing on FP7F (sorry for the quality of playing, as she is only 1.5 years on piano / 6 weeks practice on this piece). Recorded straight from line out to Garage Band.

suniil, wow that's terrific progress for just 18 months - congratulations to your daughter...keep it up!

Cheers,
James
x

I also recently tried the FP7F. I have owned an FP7 for about 2 years and I like it very much. I was expecting to hear a big difference when I tried the FP7F but I did not. I'm not sure that the speakers used in the FP7F are different from the FP7 and so, to me, the sound that is produced is similar, despite the supernatural piano sounds that the FP7F offers.

I do think that the supernatural piano sound is vastly better than the FP7 piano sounds because I have an RD700GX and the supernatural paino sounds when played from this keyboard through my Rokit6 speakers is just fantastic.

What do others think?

Well I had the RD-700GXF, and noticed this same issue, but only after installing the K-RD700GX1 SN upgrade. I also spoke to a Roland tech on the phone, turned him on to the YouTube videos, and he said, said essentially the RD-700GX processor didn't have the oomph to run the SN stuff along with the original processor inside the GX. When I asked him about the NX doing the same thing, his only response was basically, 'I've seen the videos, and no keyboard is designed for that.' Such an asinine answer really, because he said even after I told him my stock RD-700GX (pre-upgrade) didn't do that...Something is deficient with the RD-700 processor.

BTW, I hear Roland is upping the costs on all of their instruments $200. The keyboard tech at my local dealer gave me the heads up yesterday when I went in.

always nice to here a classic piece that lightens up your ears as you work. A job well done.

upping by 200? If that's the case sounds like some defects came outa that factory in mass production.

Hello everyone,
I've ordered my FP-7F WHITE from Yupangco in Manila all is well. It sure is nice to hear the young people practicing and playing during my work day here in the Philippines. Notation is very good and the time couldn't be better! Play every day.
JIM

While everyone is opening Pandora's boxes I may as well too...if i was going to get another DP I would take into heavy consideration one that had the less thud when the key is bottoming. It's not really an issue when using headphones but if i'm playing through the speakers i can hear this thud and of course when i'm playing with headphones others in the house hear just the thud...this is on my yamaha p155 but in past discussions the Rolands have been mentioned as having this achilles heel as well. It seems the kawai's are the one which are best at having dealt with this issue and so i'm wondering how their models (cp33...?) might compare to the fp-7f in other regards, sound, feel etc., seeing that they apparently win out in the 'lack of thud' department.

The CP33 is a Yamaha. I think you're thinking of the Kawai CN33. I'd think the FP-7F is amongst the better DPs in sound and feel. It's a killer little home piano for the money.

I love my FP-7F but it wakes my wife up with the key thudding when I play after-hours with headphones. And the keyboard is in the living room while the master bedroom is one floor up and down the hall. So I'm just trying to convince her to stay up later

PianoZac, yes the kawai CN33, my mistake. ---I'm not in a position to be considering a purchase at this time (but maybe that's a good thing for more objective comparison!) but this is what I'd be weighing. As mezzie says the thud is something that can be noticed. On my P155 i mostly play with headphones but when no one's around I unplug those to get the vibe of playing in the room (with the cat and doggie as my audience!)---Then at times the thud will bother me and other times I'll hardly seem to be aware of it. Just hate to put that consideration ahead of sound and touch but have to admit for me anyway it is up there at any rate.

Hahaha ..... love the solution ... just make your wife tired

I wish it would be a firmware fix.... but I've been in contact with Roland for the past 3-4 months about this issue, and I just keep being fobbed off by Japan about the problem.... and it sounds like nothing is going to be fixed, as it's a problem with the actual processor (hardware) so they can't really do anything. I'm in contact with the head technician from the UK, and I've been talking to him.... and I finally got a message from the guy today saying how nothing will probably be done, and that the problem doesn't happen with the FP-7F.


So nice to hear theres no problems with the FP processor... I'll have to try one out for myself obviously, but I'm very annoyed that I'm 'downgrading' because i'm going to loose a lot of features... and it really has annoyed me, as I have a perfect stage piano sitting there but with this one big issue. It seems to be a problem with just the RD's processors that can't handle SN pianos....

What would you suggest I do???

Thanks

JHbackingtracks, if you don't mind moving the extra 14lbs, I'd suggest you look at the MP10. I think probably even better action, with really good piano voices, and all the features you need.

JHbackingtracks, I hate to sound like the forum police, but did you ask the Roland chap if you could repost this private correspondence on a public forum?

If you did, and he's has no problems, that's perfectly fine. However, if you didn't, I suggest it would be courteous to edit your message and wait for his approval.

Kind regards,
James
x

I have played two different roland rd700nx stage pianos here, and this problem didn't exist in for me. I used pianos wet and dry of all three models and had absolutely no problems. I couldn't reproduce the issue at all. I played fast notes and chords in the same manner and everything was fine. So either they fixed it a while ago, or something else is wrong. :-/

This also makes me questions roland's support personnel knowledge. To my ears it sounds like it's probably not processing issues. I've heard other sampled instruments with similar issues that were considered to be running normally. It is usually related to the release sample's decay time or 'cutoff', or however roland's release system works.

It sounds like there is a setting or something that is wrong causing a faster than normal release decay time. I would try resetting the board to factory defaults. And if that doesn't work maybe it is a defective model?

I'm not sure if any of this helps, but the model I played was a dream. I hope the issue is gone by now, because I plan on possibly getting this over the fp-7f for live shows...

It is a shame that RD-700NX has any type issue with the processor, because the NX is an outstanding board. I think for those unhappy with the issue should look into the MP10 hard for an 'acoustic-like' experience. I'd say Kawai's RM3 Wooden action/keys is the best (AG not withstanding) reproduction of grand piano action out in a digital piano, not to mention the UPHI in the MP10 has produced some outstanding sounding pianos. Just a thought for those wanting that acoustic vibe...

Thanks for the heads up

have edited it!

Thanks

It really is a shame, because to me the Roland was perfect for everything I wanted to do, expect this problem.

I don't particularly like the look of the Kawai (as in the way it looks) But I suppose it's not really about that, but after being used to a Roland... Will I still be able to completely edit my sounds (like the piano designer and electric piano designer etc.) and save custom patches that I can go through in a live show?? I think the main thing is the audio playback feature, it was nice being able to assign a foot pedal to trigger a backing track on the Roland... and I really liked the look of the audio key, shame it was taken away on the NX from the GX. However, Roland don't seem to be able to handle running audio and keeping 128 note polyphony, why it has to compromise it, I don't know!

I've been used to doing live shows on 'mainstage' that comes with Logic on my mac, and yes it uses more processing power running a backing track, but it certainly doesn't cut down my polyphony... the FP seems to do a lot of the RD features, and I like how it has SN pianos (But will they be the SAME or as good as the NX pianos I don't know) I could probably live with NON SN electric pianos, and the other sounds will be similar I guess, but I'll really miss having access to knobs and faders and being able to quicky press buttons to get to where I want to be etc. So really not sure what I should do... but what ever I do end up doing, I'm going to test these keyboards to the max while trying them out.

I'm really disappointed in Roland, all the hassle this has caused me, being my first Roland keyboard.... Aren't Roland supposed to be like the APPLE MAC of keyboard world!!??

No, the competition between Yamaha, Roland, Kawai, Korg, and Nord is much much closer than the Apple to PC competition, with Apple being the obviously superior platform. Gotta love Mac!

Haha, couldn't agree more

My girlfriend thinks i'm a Mac fan boy. Been struggling with that recently..

My FP-7F and MacBook Pro get on like a house on fire..