Has anyone had a chance to see or play one of these latest offerings from Roland?

If so, what are your impressions?

Check out the specs for the FP-4, FP-7 and
HP-201, HP-203 & HP-207 at:

http://www.rolandcorp.com.au/PDF/Catalogs/NPC2007V1.pdf

If you want to see a video demo of the FP-7, check it out at:

http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.aspx?ObjectId=856&ParentId=72

The specs sure are impressive, especially for the FP-4. It sounds like they are using the same piano samples from the RD700SX (full 88 note samples), coming out with a new keyboard action, 33lbs and this thing includes speakers (is this a mistake??). My local vendor said he will start selling the first units on Monday. Going rate is around $1500 with stand I believe.

Compared to the FP-5 at the same price point the FP-4 looks like it weighs almost 15 lbs less, a new keyboard action, but the biggest thing I can see is the 88-note sampling that the RD700SX uses.

That last point was the thing I was looking for in a Roland keyboard but didn't want to pay 2k for it. Now it looks like I can have it for under $1500 with a stand and speakers. I'm looking forward to trying these two boards out. No wonder everyone is getting rid of their inventory of FP-5s

EDIT: It is now confirmed that the FP-4 piano sample is NOT the same as the RD700SX piano samples.

Does anyone know what this means? It's taken from the spec sheet for the FP-4, under the Recording features.

"Song : 1 song (Max. 99 songs to Internal Memory)"

From a different website I found out that the unit can store up to 99 songs. Pretty neat feature seing as how the FP-5 could only store 1 and it was erased after power shutdown. This thing must have a pretty large memory.

From Roland customer service I found out that the piano samples are NOT the same as the RD700SX. They use the same technology, 88-note sampling, but it is not the same sample. The guy on the phone couldn't tell me how many, or the names of, the piano samples, which was kind of disappointing. All he did was read me the information on their website.

Bottom line, we have to wait until someone actually tries one of these things out to see what it sounds like. On the plus side, you won't see a whole octave worth of bad notes if one note is sampled badly, but if the overall sample isn't that great then it could ruin a nice looking piano.

larraby, I'm surprised that you and I are the only ones interested in these two boards.

I am also very interested, but also have been unable to play one yet! Marc

My dealer says that none of the FPs arived in today's shipment. Hopefully tomorrow. Drat.

Agent:

I'm looking forward to reading about your impressions on the FP-4/7. Hopefully they'll be positive since this is the DP that I've got my eye on.

Just called my dealer. He says he got in the shipment of FP-4s today. Going down there after work to try one out.

Ok, got back from the Roland dealer. The FP-4 sure is a nice looking instrument. Really slim, and it's still made out of metal.

The new action was quite interesting. It's stiffer than the older Progressive Hammer Action. I'm tempted to say it's closer to Yamaha's GH3 action. The keys push up on your finger on the release, much like the GH3. I'm a little disappointed about that. I really liked the feel of the old PHA. It may be all in my head but I could have sworn I felt the hammer with the PHA. With the new PHAII it's more resistance so I don't quite feel anything. I'm thinking squishy or spongy are the closest words.

The piano sample was much improved over the FP-5. I found it close to an accoustic. One thing I didn't like was a ringing sound on C3 through about c5 when you strike the keys at their max velocity. It reminded me of the ringing in the Yamahas and the Kawais. This is probably caused by placing the microphone right up to the strings. When I tested the baby grands that they had in their showroom, I could hear the same ringing on max velocity but it wasn't as pronounced. Can someone weigh in on this ringing? Is it the same on the RD700SX? The dealer didn't have one for me to compare with.

The piano samples also sounded brighter than the FP-5. Not as bright as the Yamahas but noticeably brighter than previous samples.

I played around with the onboard songs. Most are the same from the FP-5 so I was able to compare apples to apples. Again, the superior sampling is quite evident here.

Only had an hour and a half with it so I didn't have time to check out the other features. The lights on the intrument panel keys are much brighter than the FP-5. They aren't opaque like before so they almost look like lasers. It may bother people who are sensitive to light. With the red and green colors it looks like a Christmas tree.

The headphone jacks are in the back of the unit so your headphones need to either go under or around the side, which may be a bit inconvenient if you ask me. They did upgrade to 1/4" jacks though!! Woo hoo! I don't remember, but I thought I also saw a headphone holder. Don't quote me on that one. I'll have to check the next time I go back.

Overall first impression. I was very happy with the improvements they made over the FP-5, and to top it off they reduced the weight by 14 lbs! I didn't have time to talk to the dealer so I'll have to go back to discuss purchasing one. I don't think anyone would be unhappy with this machine, especially at the price point. If you want the additional features in the FP-7 though, I hear there is at least a month wait.

EDIT: I went to the store with the RD700SX and found that the ringing sound is the same. I think it's more pronounced because I was using good quality headphones. It's akin to sticking your head under the lid of a grand piano while someone else strikes the keys. If you can hook these machines up to some good speakers the sound would probably be more authentic.

EDIT 2: I just noticed that the FP-4 is a PHA Alpha II. It's a compact version of the PHA II. Funny that it is heavier than the PHA which is heavier than the Compact PHA. I'm curious how the PHA II will turn out, but I think I'm happy enough with the PHA Alpha II.

Agent:

Thanks for the review! I'm wondering how the FP series compares to the RD-700SX.

I'll have to wait until these models arrive in my area.

larraby,

No problem. I'm going to go down to the dealer and see if I can pick one up tomorrow, IF the price is right

I updated my review to include my test with the RD700SX samples today. I think the ringing sounds are authentic reproductions that would be better appreciated without headphones and using good quality speakers.

I think I'm going to miss the old Progressive Hammer Action though.

Good luck in your search!

How much does the FP-4 cost? How about the FP-7?

On the internet, the FP-4 is going for $1295 without stand and $1495 with stand. The FP-7 is not out yet but I believe it will be approx $300 more.

Ok, updated with another edit on the PHA Alpha II action.

larraby:

I don't think the FP-7 is meant to compete with the RD-700SX. It has some of the same features but the stereo samples on the RD700SX are still superior and the amount of customization allowed on the RD700SX is rediculous. You can get seriously lost on the instrument panel. If you are going to be gigging the RD700SX is the better choice IMO. For home use though the FP series shines. With the custom stand it's basically a home digital with smaller speakers. Plus it's about $400 cheaper than the RD700SX.

I was reading and old internet post where a user loved the Roland FP5, but also liked a Yamaha SO8. He was able to take them home for a week's trial and ended up liking the Yamaha. He thought the reason was because the Roland's touch did not allow for very very soft playing. No matter how softly a key was struck you would get considerable volume. This would be something to observe with the new Roland action of the FP4 and FP7
Marc

I'm not sure if this answers your question Marc but the touch can be adjusted on the FP4 and FP7. Four settings for the FP4 and 100 settings for the FP7. The stiffer you make it the harder you need to press the keys to produce a louder sound.

Agent, It sounds good! I hope to try one soon. Sorry I mixed up my models it was a roland fp-3 compared to the yamaha. Here is the link if you are interested: http://xahlee.org/UnixResource_dir/writ/piano_action4.html Marc

Marc, just fyi, the FP4s are available now but the FP7s are scheduled to come out some time in March.

Agent:

I don't understand what you mean by PHA Alpha II. What's the 'alpha' mean??

larraby,

Remember the Compact Progressive Hammer Action? This is the new word for "Compact". It's misleading though because the action is stiffer than the regular PHA. So as far as I can see it's:

PHA Alpha II > PHA > Compact PHA

As far as stiffness is concerned. We won't know where the PHA II falls on this spectrum until it comes out. Hope this answers your question!

No, I don't know anything about the Compact Progressive Hammer Action. I've only just recently been looking into getting a DP.

So the FP-7 does have PHA II. I guess I'll have to wait a month to see what that's like.

Also, how do you know the stereo samples on the RD-700SX are superior to those on the FP-7, when the latter keyboard isn't even on the market yet?

According to the descriptions on the Roland website the FP4 and FP7 use the same piano samples.

larraby and Agent,

I ordered the FP7 and it will arrive in early March. I will post my impressions shortly after.

NYC_GUY

Thanks NYC_Guy! Looking forward to hearing your review.

Anyone else had a chance to play these boards yet?

Seems one can buy the FP-7 for $1,595.00 USD.

That is around $1,855.00 CDN, which is a fairly good price considering the features. I don't believe it will be available in Canada for a few more weeks.

Same in the US larraby. My dealer won't get it until March some time.

I'm very interrested by the FP-4, and I have somme questions concerning its action :
Is there an important difference between PHA alpha II and PHA II (which is present on other models) ?
What do you think of the PH-4 keyboard action in comparison with Kawai ES-4 ?
thank you for your answers (and sorry for my bad english)

It's been a while since I've played on a PH-4 keyboard, but if memory serves, the PHA Alpha is stiffer than the PH-4. The PHA II hasn't been released yet, to my knowledge. No one in the US has said they got their hands on one yet. One person in Europe has though.