Roland FP-7F - Black Reviews

This DP is a fantastic instrument. But first let me qualify my comments.
I have played piano for over 30 years and traveled around the world playing professionally. I have been fortunate to work with some great players in many different genres of music. My love is jazz. If I had the cash, I would buy a Bosendorfer Imperial and forget it...but I have to pay off a house and you can't really lug a Bosendorfer to a gig too easily.
That said...the Roland FP7F is an excellent substitute. The positives far outweigh the negatives.
First off, I love the action. The key surface is an obvious fake ivory texture that I think pulls off the illusion. It feels good under the fingers to me.
The actual action (which is always somewhat subjective) is perfectly weighted to feel like a well-regulated Yamaha C5. It doesn't feel like a spinet. It feels heavier than that but not too heavy. (If you only play organ or synths then you will say that this action is too heavy...but as a piano player, I love this action.)
Second is the sound. I do like the sound of the SuperNatural grand. It is different than just samples. It is modeled. You will hear the difference. I couldn't afford the V-Piano but this is it's little brother...sort of. The piano seemed to respond well to my playing and I really liked the sound.
On many of the small jazz gigs that I played, the sound man would ask me what type of piano this was. Many would tell me that this was the best or one of the best piano sounds that they ever mixed. I have to add that it really sounds like a well-miked grand piano and not a digital through a PA.
As far as the other sounds, I really only occasionally use the Rhodes sound and maybe the strings layered. These sounds are very usable and pleasing to hear. Another favorite of mine is the Acoustic Bass. It isn't Trillian but it will definitely work when you need to play left hand bass parts.
I am not a big tech guy as far as using all the other stuff that this board contains. I basically wanted a good piano sound and good action. I actually think you could record a good solo piano album or trio album with this board. I run my FP7F through a Mackie DLM 12 and it sounds amazing.
Oh, I forgot to mention...the internal speakers aren't bad at all. I use them for practice and on the gig to reinforce the piano sound from the monitors.
I'm planning on keeping this piano for awhile. If you are a serious piano player then you should check this one out before you commit. There are a lot of options now. I used to own the Kawai MP9000 and loved it...but this one has it beat.

I am a professional jazz pianist with over 25 years of gigging experience (unless you include all the nursing-home gigs I played starting at age 12-- Haha!). I've played with some of the best players in the business and have recorded for MoJazz Records. Given this, you'd think that, by now, I'd know PRECISELY and IMMEDIATELY the type of keyboard action I require. But alas...! After demoing every weighted keyboard at Sweetwater and being unsatisfied with the action of all of them (though many of them SOUNDED great), I was on my way out the door when I just happened to casually turn to the Roland FP7F on my right and wiggle a couple of fingers on the keys-- I was both surprised and impressed! The key action was EXTREMELY precise, and it felt significantly lighter than every other keyboard action I'd tried that day (the two exceptions being the Nord Stage and the Kurzweil PC3x). Since I have some chronic weakness in my right side, I was pretty exhausted after playing for about two-and-a-half hours on the other keyboards; I felt spent. But I was astonished when I was able to sit down and play the Roland for about another 40 minutes! I knew I had to have it. But... After practicing on the Roland for about two months, I found my right side becoming more more fatigued in less and less time each day. I was, needless to say, very disappointed and confused. I finally unpacked my old Nord Piano 88 and tried it again-- It felt SO much lighter than the Roland! I did numerous A-B comparisons between the Nord and the Roland, and there was no doubt that the Nord was considerably lighter and less fatiguing... and the piano sounds on each board were pretty comparable (with the Roland perhaps winning out by a hair or two... perhaps! It's really a matter of taste at this level of professional keyboards). I've been practicing on the Nord for two months now, and it still feels great. So... Why did the Roland action seem so much lighter than all the other keyboards I tried that day at Sweetwater? Well, I still think its action IS lighter than all of those other boards (again, with the exception of the Nord Stage-- which I couldn't afford-- and the Kurzweil-- which has a slightly "clunky" action and a piano sound I find a bit too brittle). So, after playing all those boards with very heavy actions, the Roland was a welcome relief. Plus, the action on the Roland is pretty fast (it has very fast key repetition) and, again, is EXTREMELY precise, even, and "tight." But... It is by NO means a LIGHT action! Now, I'm sure some pianists will really dig the heavy action. Pianists that play with an aggressive touch, have no arm/hand/wrist issues, and have a high endurance level will LOVE the Roland FP7F. As for me, I'll stick with my Nord Piano. My hands and arms (as well as my back-- the Nord is about 15 lbs lighter) are already thanking me!