Hi everyone
I just found this forum and I must say that this was exactly what I was looking for... I'm considering which mini grand I should go for and I hope that the people here can help me choose. I'm looking for a mini-grand that has a very clean and beautiful look.

I have already tried the Yamaha CLP and CVP and none of those was my cup of tea. Think they were too soft to play on (hammer action and "key-feeling"). Haven't tried the GT-2, but It quite old by now and I would prefer the most up-to-date specs

This means I have narrowed it down to RG-3-PE:
http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.aspx?ObjectId=858&ParentId=21
and the HP-109:
Http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.aspx?ObjectId=773

I have just tried the HP109 and it was incredible. Very realistic sound from the cabinet, and the feeling was exactly what I'm looking for.

But then I heard the there was this new piano from Roland - the RG-3-PE... I haven't tried it yet because I haven't been able to locate the rg-3 anywhere yet...

Pros:
It has the newest PHA-II and the newest Grand Piano sample (like the RG-7). Furthermore it support USB input (E.g. rehearsel with music on a USB-stick). In my opinion the look has been upgraded as well. Still the very nice Mini Grand Black surface, but inside the "hood" the surface has changed from black (hp109) to bronze/kobber, which I like better. The LCD screen is also upgraded - 2 lines 20 char. - the 109 only had 3 char.

Cons:
On the "downside" the RG-3 has left out the jazzorgan sound that I though was a little gimmick on the 109 (but I can live with that afterall it's the piano sound I like) Another thing I can't figur out is that the 109 has metronome, but that spec. doesn't show on the RG-3 (anybody know)...?

I know that this post is very long, but I really hope that you can help me regarding these two Mini-Grands. Please help med make the decision easier.

The different between the two pianos (HP109 5060 euro - RG3-PE 5960 euro) is about 900 Euro.

Regards

You should definitely not miss out the GT-2. It is old but the keyboard action is as good as it gets in my opinion and the piano sound is not bad at all.

alright... I'll check it out But still I would very much appreciate any comments on the RG-3-PE

I can only comment on the action (and perhaps
the sampling), but the PHA-II on the RG-3
is a substantial improvement over the action
on the 109. I have spent hours playing both,
and the PHA-II action is slightly heavier and
gives much better, more realistic control over
dynamics. Sound I think is better too.

I'd wanted to upgrade to a top of the line
Roland (didn't care for the Yamahas or Kawaii's
I'd tried), but had not been comfortable on
the old Roland action (used on the 107,109,etc).
Introduction of Roland's PHA-II action (eg, on
the RG-3 or HP-207, which I just bought),
made all the difference.

Hi eJohn. Thanks for the comment. That was one of my main concerns - the PHA-II with escapement vs. PHA with escapement... But according to you it's diffinately worth the extra cash.

@eJohn

I saw that you've been playing on the hp-109 minigrand... would you care to give a few comments on that piano...
I have played it myself, and find it very nice indeed... I might end up with it.

Is the PHA really so much better?

Has the sound improved?
I'm going to a Roland conference tomorrow where I should be able to play the new RG-3... I'll post some comments afterward...

Regards
Regards

DrKoch

I did briefly play the 109, but spent
more time on the 107, which I think has
the same action.

Although I prefer it to other makes (Yamahas,
for example), overall I thought the 107/109
action was a bit light and that the volume
response did not seem quite natural, especially
when trying to play very softly. And there
seemed to be a bright edge during the attack
that bothered me. However, I think some of
that sound may be adjustable.

The HP-207 had less of that edge (again,
adjustable), but mainly I liked the action
better. Easier for me to control dynamics.
Also the action on the 207 (PHA-II) is
about 7% heavier (as measured by the amount
of weight on a key needed to produce a sound).

These are mostly subjective judgements,
and if you really love the 109, you should
definitely get it. But I hope you have
a chance to compare the old and new models.
I'd be very interested to hear your impressions.

Good luck,
-Eric

Hi again...

I've just tried the new PG-3 and I'm amazed. It the PHA-II as in hp207. The Grand Piano sample is the same as in the RG-7. It sound very nice. You can really feel that there a lot of layers when you play pianissimo/fortissimo, not just a "volume" change... The keyboard is with real "wood" and have got the Ivory feel, which I like... The Grand Piano sample is a bit different to the hp-109. A bit more dark (off course this can be adjusted in the menu), but with real deapth (don't know if that is spelled right). The keys are even more "hard to play" than the hp-109 - that's a major plus in my opinion (Yamahas digi-grands are very soft i.m.o.)

The sample sound can be adjusted so that it fits the environment that the piano i placed. You can optimize the touch, hammeraction, damper, etc, etc... REALLY nice...

The design is amazing. When you compare it to the hp-109 the Rg-3 it much more balanced. The buttons has been made almost invisible, and reduced so that only the most important ones are there... furthermore the display has been upgraded to a 2-line 20 char. LCD, which is nice. Of course the same feature is avaiblable that you can hide the controls by pulling the "keyboardcover" a bit out (very nice too)...

I must say that, i'm now pretty sure that I'll pick the rg-3-pe over the hp-109 (even though the £900)...

Regards
Koch

Dear Koch,

I'm glad you got to try BOTH the rg-3 and hp-109.
You seem to have the same impressions as I do
about the PHA-II action, the "ivory feel",
the improved sound, etc. I think these new
Rolands are great and beat any other digital
on the market. But that's just an opinion :-).

Enjoy your new piano.

-Eric