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Roland RD-2000 88-key Stage Piano Reviews

88-key Stage Piano with Dual Sound Engines, PHA-50 Progressive Hammer-action Keybed, Advanced Controller Functionality, and Onboard 24-bit/192kHz USB audio/MIDI Interface

Featuring two powerful sound engines, impeccable action, and advanced controller functionality, the Roland RD-2000 gives you unparalleled performance onstage and in the studio. Roland is on the cutting edge of evolving digital piano technology, and they've packed their latest stage piano with the best of it. Benefiting from the latest V-Piano research, the RD-2000's acoustic piano sounds are stunning — natural, responsive, and lavishly detailed, and with full-keyboard polyphony. A separate SuperNATURAL sound engine serves up over 1100 additional sounds that cover any style of music, plus an epic selection of legendary electric pianos and vintage effects. The onboard 24-bit/192kHz USB audio/MIDI interface makes it easy to interface with your DAW and VIs. At once a world-class stage piano and a masterful controller, the Roland RD-2000 will take your performances to new heights.

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Highest Rated Reviews

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Best Digital Piano over the last 40 years

By Greg Berry from San Antonio on November 10, 2023

I've been using Roland digital pianos since 1986. I got my first Roland Digital piano back then, a Roland RD-250s. The feel and sounds even then were amazing. This latest iteration, the RD-2000 is fantastic, including the feel and sounds available. In my opinion, still the best overall digital piano on the market.

Simply the best!

By Greg from WA on April 26, 2023

Love it. Feels good and has tons of variety.

Love it

By Tyrone Thomas from Chauncey ga 31011 on March 17, 2023 Music Background: Sax, electric guitar/bass, keys. Since 12 years old

Love it love it love it.

Incredible Piano. Incredible Place to Buy it From.

By Nehemiah Paul from HARRISONBURG, VA on December 7, 2022

Meets all my needs as a professional and performing pianist. The action on the keys couldn't be better.

Rd2000 key board

By John from new hampshire on October 6, 2022 Music Background: None

As stated previously Delvin did a great job advising on my sons needs and delivering in a timely manor

If you take the time

By TLM from Va on March 25, 2022 Music Background: Pro musician

If you take the time to dial in your Rd2000 you will love it. The problem is into today's world everyone thinks in a fast pace mind set. The drive through window syndrome. If you take the time to learn this keyboard you can shape the Vpiano sounds with the tone designer control along with the on board EQ you can get that right sound you want and then save it. I've got mine sounding so real that you can hear the hammer action just like on a real acoustic piano. So if you want the perfect sound right out of the box and you don't how to tweak them this keyboard is probably not for you. But I love mine

Versatile Axe for Pros

By Stevie Saracson from Jacksonville, FL on January 17, 2022 Music Background: Resident Entertainer, American Cruise Lines

I had an RD 700 for a main axe for years and it served me well. I have been using Yamaha and Korg since 2015 because of weight, and were ok, but I play a lot of left hand bass now and needed a keyboard that was all in one and could run the bass through a separate amp. The RD 2000 does this through the sub outs. It is a bit heavy but worth it. Internal sounds are high quality and a good leslie effect for B3 use. I can't wait to use it in the studio.

Try Two RD-2000 Pianos at the Same Time

By Kirk Wimmer from Portland Oregon on November 16, 2021 Music Background: Amateur pianist for over 60 years and still learning.

I have a new Roland RD-2000 that I love. Last year I had a Korg Grandstage, but after playing it for a while, I decided the touch was too heave for my taste. The Roland touch is much better, much more responsive and is highly adjustable with regard to velocity. It is fun to play!

I agree with some critics that the RD-2000 piano sounds are not a nice as some sampled pianos in other keyboards. The Roland modeled pianos are a bit too perfect and come across as a bit thin in my opinion. I was able to fix that by combining two pianos at 100% level each: The S06 Bold Beauty from the V-piano engine, with the 0001 Concert Grand from the SuperNatural engine. Both of these are stretch-tuned with almost the same curve. The combination of the two makes a much richer, more realistic sound that is still quite acceptably in tune. By the way, I tried summing two sampled pianos on the Korg, but because of their tuning differences, the results were horrid. Since the Roland pianos are mostly modeled, the result is actually quite pleasing.

The RD-2000 is deep with features that will take a while to learn. So far, I love how almost everything is adjustable once I learn how to do it. I will use it mostly as a practice instrument. Since my wife is working at home, I cannot play my acoustic piano (Boesendorfer 280VC) as easily during the day.

Mind blowing

By Rick Matousek from Cleveland on July 16, 2021 Music Background: Pro

Too early to give a detailed review, but so far this thing is mind blowing. Right out of the box I took it to three gigs without even opening the manual, and it sounded great. I spent a little time here at home with it, messing with the plethora of EPs a little bit. Being able to actually dial in the level of "mechanical hammer on and off" noise adds a dimension of realism to the sound, and adds to the pleasure and enjoyment of playing. The action is wonderful, too. All sliders, knobs, buttons etc are solid and high quality. I'm disappointed with the brass sounds and the synths too, but the pianos, EPs and strings are wonderful.
For this unit or any gear you may need, contact Josh Kattner. The guy is Sweetwater's ace, an outstanding rep!

RD2000

By Sweetwater Customer on February 22, 2021

This is a world class instrument

Roland RD 2000

By Stan Thorn on September 14, 2020

This instrument is the best piano/controller I've ever played. My favorite piano sounds, are the modeled sounds. The action is perfect; not too heavy, no too light; and fast.. I wanted a beautiful piano sound for solo recording and this instrument delivers. I appreciate the excellent video reviews that helped me make the decision. Thanks to Roland, Sweetwater and Josh Strid!!!

Great keyboard

By BobbiHuelsmann from Phoenix, AZ on August 10, 2020 Music Background: High School and young adult

Just getting back into playing so I picked up this keyboard and boy is it great. Highly recommend this product because it's just like playing a piano but you get so much more.

best thing ive ever played

By dejay d martin-miller from CA California on July 7, 2020

the amount of things this thing can do is simply amazing.i use this to produce, mix, and everything in between. worth every penny that was spent. i can say confidently this is the best thing ive ever played.sounds crazy but i actually prefer this over a stage grand. this device is perfect.

Pefect Stage Piano

By Hector Reyes from Texas on June 10, 2020 Music Background: Producer & Worship Musician

Roland is the way to go(my humble opinion)! I took it to Church for a test, the pianist loved the RD (see below). He use a Yamaha Montage 88 Keys for each service it sounds good no complaints but it is very hard to use when it comes to setup your Live sound presets. the RD 2000 is simple and effective for live setup.

1. Keys quality
2. Sound
3. Response
4. Control distribution
5. 8 Layers

Excellent buy and a pleasure to play!

By c310av8r on March 14, 2020

I The
I am thoroughly enjoying the playing RD2000 and the sounds are outstanding. More than met expectations!

The player

By M.L.J. from OMAHA NE. on January 7, 2020 Music Background: I’m Ok at what I do, maybe.

Great player, Great demo, this guy really show’s what Roland has !!!
Roland does have a great product, but sill it takes a great artist to show it off.
So give this guy a raise.

Roland RD 2000

By E. Ring from Indiana on January 2, 2020 Music Background: Play for my own interest.

The piano sounds are of natural tone. I like the different organ tones. I like most of all is the pipe organ sounds. My view is keyboard would great for any music group or church or organization that wants a musical instrument. The keyboard is user friendly. It will work well with most sound systems. I recommend this keyboard as a number one choice.

Are You Kidding!

By Dante Star from IL on December 28, 2019 Music Background: I make my living making music!

I have one at home.
I have one at church.
I have one for travel.

Don't hate me because I love this keyboard!

Get one!

Dante Star

Amazing Instrument!

By Steve from Ohio on November 30, 2019 Music Background: Retired professional bassist

Very user friendly and intuitive. I wanted a baby grand and a B3, now I have both for a great deal less!

A great buy!

By Sweetwater Customer on November 8, 2019

So far I am very happy with this purchase. I bought this for myself although I’m also letting my church use it until I convince them to purchase their own ;-) I was looking for something easy for most anyone to use that could stand on its own but yet had room to grow into a more advanced setup such as with MainStage or Ableton. I was also looking for a keyboard with a medium piano action feel. The RD 2000 meets all those needs and more. The action is great, the sounds are numerous and great. I was a little concerned with some of the things I read about faulty key beds but I have had none of those problems, Roland has been good to fix those problems with others, and it comes with a nice warranty. Buy It!

As good as it gets

By Alex on September 10, 2019 Music Background: Keyboardist/pianist, multi-instrumentalist

I've had this for about a year now and I still love it every time I play it. Of all the stage pianos I've tested out, and I've tested most, this is my favorite--especially at the price point, which is much more reasonable than a lot of other boards on the market.

A lot of people have already mentioned how solid the sounds and the keybed are, and I definitely agree. What I think people haven't mentioned enough is what I consider to be the killer feature of this board which is the incredibly robust effects section. The effects--both in quantity and quality--easily outclass any similar stage piano that I have tried. Many of them are analog modeling effects and can recreate things like the classic Boss CE chorus, which sounds amazing and is almost impossible to find in vintage form. My favorite is the Space Echo tape delay, which I could spend hours playing around with. I really can't overstate how top-of-the-line the effects section is.

Another thing I like about this board is that it's surprisingly flexible for sound design and has a lot of depth. It's a stage piano, not a workstation, and yet the amount of customization that it allows you is far beyond what I would have expected in a stage-oriented instrument. With a little bit of menu diving you'll find that you can choose between multiple types of tremolo, for example, or various different amp models for driving epianos and clavs. And while it doesn't allow you to build synths sounds from scratch, there are a lot of excellent presets and with a little effort you can shape them more than you might expect via the cutoff/resonance controls as well as the effects, so don't underestimate how much you can accomplish with synth patches.

It is a bit heavy, but not unmanageably so, and it's built like a tank. It sounds great, it feels great, and it has so many features and so much flexibility that I doubt I'll ever take full advantage of its power. Simply put: highly recommended.

Awesome!

By Hubert Deans from NC on August 4, 2019

Finally a keyboard that seems to be made for church!

RD 2000 is still best stage piano / controller on the market

By MITCH from Florida on June 4, 2019 Music Background: Sound designer programmer, live and studio keys player

Roland RD2000 can really sounds great.
This board has a lot of potential but people missed when just playing the factory single sounds gorgeous review and the demos in comparison to Nord, Yamaha and others.
I have this board for over a year now, and I even like more now than before!
The keys fell"s great and it"s probably best recreation on the real fell of piano, in my opinion.
If you like to play real grand piano, you should like the keys fell on that board.
I"m used to play real pianos and synthesizers as well the older models of Roland RD series.
Roland RD 2000 is the most refined instrument that I play.
I"m very satisfied with keys feels, controls and the way sounds overall.
You are also with limited sounds editing functionality as a synthesizer, so you can change basic parameters of the sounds.
Controls of the sounds are flexible and programmable wit controls as master controller.
This board also have great variety samples and space for user sounds preferences and on top of that you can choose to of downloadable expansions from Roland free!
RD2000 has great midi functionality as a instrument and controller and is very easy to program and use.
For what it and the price, It"s probably the best keyboard piano instrumental you can get for the money.
Of course if you will compare this to Nord Stage 3, then the are some limitations.
On Nord you have great huge downloadable sample library"s and dedicated synthesizer with arpeggio.
Unfortunately Nord pianos-stage series or not that reliable and cost a lot more then RD2000.
Overall I am very happy with this product and I would buy again if I have to.

Amazing and The Fun Never Ends!

By Max Tharpe from Ozark, AL USA on January 14, 2019 Music Background: Very Little, tried to learn guitar for a couple years

I am a 63 Year old retired Truck Driver that has had small cheap junky keyboards before but never anything like this, so i decided to see what i have been missing. I knew I wanted a Roland and MIDI in out and beyond that i had no idea. Boy was I surprised at how awesome this keyboard is. I think if wanted to learn what all this keyboard can do i should have gotten it 50 years ago.

Myra G. Love's New Equipment

By Myra G. Love from Ohio on January 5, 2019 Music Background: Singer/Songwriter

I saw this keyboard on television while an artist was in an interview. I have had my eyes on it for a couple of years and now to have it in my house is Wonderful. I love all the special features, I love all of the lights and I love how it sounds and plays. I wouldn't trade it in for anything else.
It's like being able to choose any toy in the toy store, I would choose the RD2000.

Thanks Bob Mondock

By Lashman2000 from Tampa on November 30, 2018 Music Background: Blues

Did a ton of research on the RD2000 and finally pulled the trigger based on Bob Mondock"s advice. Ultimately it came down to feel which is why I chose the rd2000 over the Nord piano 4. I was just burned buying a used Yamaha s90 (which I LOVE also) that had catastrophic errors I wasn"t able to see when I bought it. I usually buy new and took a chance going used and got burned!!!! That being said I am always happy with Sweetwater. With Bob helping i am always super happy and inspired. Thanks Sweetwater, thanks Roland, thanks Bob Mondock. Yes this is a real review.

Best Stage Piano

By Michael Nicasio from Woonsocket, RI on November 26, 2018

Wow, what I can say. With the RD 2000, Roland went beyond of what we dream. This is more than a dream piano, this is a gift from Roland. This is like Roland saying: Hey we're still the best.
I really love the acoustic and electric piano sounds, i love it so much that I can't ask for more. The best in a stage piano. But don't just hear the first patch like most people do, please browse the sounds and you will find your dream piano, and if not, the RD 2000 has an extremely powerful sound engine that helps you create your own dream piano, easily.
The hammer action and feel is incredibly realistic. It is the best. This actually gives you the illusion of playing a real grand. Forget about what other brands say of their "authentic piano feel", I tried them, only Roland is actually giving the authentic piano feel. Roland is really serious on this.
The MIDI controller features are paramount. The way this piano let me combine the RD 2000 internal sounds with my DAW sounds, it's just amazing. With the RD 2000 you have eight independent zones per program, fully editable, and fully assignable, and you can convert them into internal or external, quick and easy, without the need to browse the screen, In fact, lot of things can be done easily without browsing the screen, and I love it because this saves me time. It is very intuitive (user friendly) and comfortable.
Another thing I appreciate is that the buttons, knobs, and faders have LEDs! (this is called: instant visual feedback!) this is much better than having a large touch screen.
Maybe one of my favorite features is the Scenes. WIth the scenes I can recall any sound, program (combination) with just clicking one button, and I can save up to 100 Scenes, in banks of eight scenes.
Lot of gorgeous sounds too.
When I take the RD 2000 to play anywhere, I see the reaction from the people, and wow! that always makes me feel that I was right when bought this piano. This stage piano really puts you in charge on the stage! and in the studio, this is a new legend too. I know this piano will be remembered as a legend, in the future.
This piano makes me feel the happiest piano player in the world.

Best piano yet

By Charlie from McMinnville Tennessee on July 26, 2018 Music Background: Church organist, pianist, composer, arranger

I am very impressed with the RD 2000. It is the best sounding and best playing keyboard I've encountered. It took me two days to audition all of the sounds on it. The first piano is the best sounding of the pianos. The electric pianos are absolutely awesome and there is no shortage of EPs. The same can be said of the synths. I am still learning to navigate the instrument, and I plan to woodshed with it for the next year or so, which I recommend too anyone buying the instrument because it's quite deep. Ergonomically everything is where it should be and responds perfectly. The escapement in the keys tends to eliminate most of the undesired artifacts in my playing; however, it also requires more intention in note striking to get the tone and dynamics desired, so it really needs that woodsheding time to train the hands. The sequincer and other apperatus I have yet to tackle, but Roland tends to be simple and intuitive in that area. The first piano, called Stage Grand is so very good, but the other pianos are not lacking sparkle. The EPs are addictive. My system puts the RD 2000 on the first tier, and the Roland Vr09 on the 2nd tier and the Roland VP770 on the 3d tier, that provides a powerhouse of sound that covers all of the music I ever need perform. Being a church musician I am picky and I am required to be the orchestra, using those three keyboards and the Hammond XKP200 I feel almost like I have at the console of some pipe organs, only better because having an eighty eight weighted action to give a real piano feeling.

Outstanding Keyboard

By William Bryza from West Hills, CA on June 19, 2018

Bought this to use at worship service. It is built like a tank so while heavy I don't have to worry about the constant travel from home. The touch is nice. Having a nice grand piano at home that really was the most important criteria. For a digital keyboard Roland has done a good job the hammer action with escapement. Loads of built in sounds with the ability to modify anyone of them. The XLR outs are perfect for going into a mixer. Very happy with this purchase.

To marry and have a million of its babies

By Dean Madonia from Kalamazoo MI on December 30, 2017 Music Background: Songwriter/producer/performer - been in over 40 bands, released 10 CDs, had songs cut by major labels and placed in movies.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this keyboard! I want to marry it and have a million of its babies.
I own the Arturia Keylab 88 and it is an awesome controller, but recently, I got caught with my digital pants down at a progressive rock festival when Bluecataudio Patchwork failed me onstage and none of my sounds worked.
I vowed to never take the stage again without a hardware-based main board again.

I immediately went online and started looking at all my options. I watched million YouTube videos comparing the Roland with the Kurzweil, the Yamaha"s, the Korea, Nord, etc...
There are a lot of great stage pianos out there and I would probably be happy with most of them. The things that sold me on the Roland where the amazing piano sounds and organ sounds, "other" bank which has great, useful stenth sounds, and the pièce de résistance was the amazing action on the Roland.
I own a grand piano and since I bought it I"ve been spoiled for piano sounds and feel. The Roland feels like an old friend. It actually reminds me of the uprights that I grew up playing that had the ivory keys. The tactile feel of the keys is amazing.

The fact that you can split it into eight zones either internally or sending out to mainstage, and route the audio back in through the board via USB is amazing. You can easily cover most songs with just this one keyboard.
Yes. It is heavy. Not as bad as the Kurzweil PC 88 that I sold when I bought the Arturia Keylab 88, but it"s not for weaklings. That being said, it"s a solid as a rock and a joy to play.
No the Arturia I will stay in my studio as a controller and I wI"ll use the Roland (along with my still trust Kurzweil K2000) for live performances.

I haven"t been this excited about a keyboard since my K 2000, and before that my Yamaha DX 7
I cannot imagine a scenario where I will ever sell this keyboard

Excellent Keyboard

By Sweetwater Customer on December 9, 2017

I got this back in September and as always I got a demo works great, I was amazed at so many sounds. This was replacing my aging Roland RD-700. Everything worked with all my other keyboard since I have them setup using midi. Keybed is overall good I was used to the 700 so I had to get use to it. Sounds are amazing and drum patterns are awesome since I play at church if my drummer is not around I can pick out of 200 patterns just to get me by. There is a learning curve but overall I am happy with my purchase.

Roland RD-2000

By John-Michael Mahnke from Florida on November 18, 2017 Music Background: Playing keyboards and Organ

I`ve played a Roland RD-2000... a while back it it has 1113 instrumental sounds on it, l spend 45 minutes to an hour learning it. It and has a Transpose button so you can play in different keys when you are not use to playing in to operate it you look up world wide web dot manualslib dot com, then Roland RD-2000 and it will take you right to it. so you can learn how to play it.

what an awesome piano!

By Tom W from Norman OK on November 16, 2017 Music Background: 10 years classical piano, 30 blues harmonica & vocals

I gave away my 1955 Chickering piano to a local assisted-living facility since I couldn't keep it in tune and didn't feel free to play any time I had opportunity. My piano teacher was aghast that I was going digital. I was hoping to find a digital piano with similar touch that would be more portable and flexible in its sounds. The RD-2000 has exceeded my expectations in all ways. The keybed is adjustable touch which is appreciated since I suffer some arthritis in my hands. My piano is almost always on "Concert" since I am learning jazz standards. At my lessons on the teacher's baby grand there is no adjustment in playing touch between the RD-2000 and the conventional keyboard.

My wife couldn't understand why I gave away the 'real' piano for this one - but now that she's listened to it for a month, she understands why songs sound better on a tuned instrument. I'm slowly experimenting with the rhythm options, slowly working through the many options, Between the user's manual and the separate.pdf manuals on sounds, I'm beginning to understand the various sounds. Haven't tried saving any music yet nor exporting sounds. That will be over the Christmas break, I think.

To conclude, this is a piano I enjoy playing. I have a 15-year-old Crate keyboard amp that I play through and it serves very well. But early in the morning or late at night I'm practicing with headphones not to disturb the household and the tonal quality through my Beats is much richer. Now it's time to upgrade my amp to match the headphone quality...

Brendan Murphy was very patient and thorough in describing different models and their advantages. This was the most expensive, the biggest, heaviest and is a purchase that I'm enjoying every day. Can't wait to get my chops to a level that I can actually get this stage piano onto a stage playing in a combo.

Sweet!

By Sweetwater Customer from IN on November 4, 2017

Wow! I've never regretted this purchase!

Now that's a piano

By TA Oklahoma from Eufaula on July 1, 2017 Music Background: Studio engineer and keyboard player

Love this keyboard, piano sounds are great it's great for studio and live, worth the money tried several but always comes back to sound , this is it

The One Keyboard to Rule Them All

By Jaymie Banti from Fort Wayne, Indiana on May 10, 2017 Music Background: Pianist/Keyboardist for over 15 years

Ever since I first heard a Roland being used during a show, I have always wanted one. I was about to jump on the RD800, but then this one was announced. I am glad I waited. The craftsmanship on this keyboard is phenomenal. You get a metal body with wooden keys. Everything flows together very seamlessly.

Roland has really outdone themselves with this Keyboard. The V-Piano sounds are unmatched to anything on the market currently. There is so much customization that you can do on this keyboard, it's ridiculous. With this keyboard, you can really shape the sounds to suit your unique needs.

The keyboard also plays beautifully. It has a great feel to it and I don't really experience any fatigue as I play. Everything is very easily reachable and the knobs and faders all move smoothly. You have a lot of control with this keyboard and it is very easy to set up song based sound which you can recall with a single button press.

Another great thing is the way this keyboard links into your computer, further expanding your available sounds. It is extremely easy to map all of the parameters on the keyboard to your software instruments.

If you need a keyboard that can do it all and something that will be able to handle the most demanding of performances, this is the one for you.

Flexible and Powerful

By Ben on January 13, 2022

I've owned an RD-2000 for a little over a year now, and overall I really like it. As far as piano sounds go, I prefer the SuperNatural engine with the Concert Grand and Mellow Concert Grand being my favorites. The V-Piano engine is meh and can often sound a little thin. Roland pianos aren't for everyone, but that's a fairly subjective topic.

However, where this keyboard really shines is with it's functionality. The interface is extremely easy to navigate, which means I can dial up and save a multilayered patch with effects lightning quick. In simplistic church settings the onboard sounds are more than adequate on their own, but being able to integrate plugins from my computer right alongside the internal sounds is the best. I especially love that the faders and knobs are all assignable, making it an extremely functional/useful midi controller for all of my software pianos and synths. It also has the built in audio interface, which saves you from having to set up an extra piece of gear. If you like to use software plugins in a live setting, this is a great board for doing that.

Lastly, I love the keybed. I'm extremely picky about keybeds, and this one feels fantastic to play on. It's a little heavy for organs, but for pianos it's absolutely perfect.

Overall it's great board that I definitely recommend!

Great Quality Keyboard

By Frank from San Ramon, CA on May 13, 2020

The RD-2000 has great piano and electric piano sounds. The action is pretty good too. As good as it sounds though, I still prefer the feel and sound of my real upright piano. I use the RD-2000 to practice and as a scratch pad for new songs. I use the built-in song recorder all the time to capture my ideas. It's easy to use once you know what to do. By using a set of headphones with this piano, I can practice and not worry about disturbing others in the house. This keyboard has a ton of high quality built-in sounds. Many of the sounds inspire new song ideas. I really like that this unit has reverb, delay, EQ, tremolo sound shaping available for most sounds. However, most default sounds are great as-is.

My only complaint (and this is a minor one), is that some of the built-in sounds are louder than others. I find that sometimes after switching to another instrument sound, the output of my audio interface distorts and I have to lower the keyboards volume level slightly. Since this is meant to be a stage piano, maybe a compressor/limiter is supposed to be in the output signal chain. I believe that would prevent this from happening.

Fantastic realism and playability

By Steve from Boulder, CO on September 29, 2018

I've been a long-time Roland RD piano owner, going back to the RD-500. I'm mostly focused on acoustic grand and vintage electric pianos for jazz and jam-band rock. I recently upgraded from the RD-700GX to the RD-2000. What an improvement in sound and realism! The RDs have always been great, but this one is awesome.

The Rhodes, Wurly and Clavinet sounds, combined with the built-in Amp models are so realistic, I forget that I'm not playing an electro-mechanical instrument running thru a Fender guitar tube amp.

I really like the new user controls for the built-in FX. Everything is visible and accessible from an illuminated front-panel knob. Makes it much easier to tweak your sound while playing and seeing what's going on for layered sounds.

The new piano action seems like an improvement to prior models (which were already the best IMHO) but not that huge a difference to my touch.

There are so many new features and capabilities, especially for MIDI control of external sound engines - I'm not using many of them - but there is a lot more versatility than previous generations for those who use MainStage or similar applications.

The user interface seems like an improvement over prior generations, especially because there is a lot of depth in the ability to modify tones, create complex patches and store/recall programs. I would have liked for the LCD display to be a bit larger. Sometimes, there is too much info on the screen and has to be displayed in a small font. But this is mostly an issue when you are creating patches. You really don't need to look at the screen during performance because all the performance controls have a knob.

The one drawback of all the user controls is that they span across a wide reach, especially to the left-hand side. The far-left knobs indicators in the FX section are a bit hard to see from a middle-C playing position. I don't really use the two mod wheels, but they seem like a bit of a stretch at the top left side. I would have preferred it if they had slid all the controls a bit to the right. The right-hand side controls are mostly used for programming and configuration and don't really need to be in front of you while you are playing.

One technical note: Some users have noticed an occasional keyboard glitch which I have also experienced a couple of times. It seems like the sound gets momentarily loud upon a key strike (just once). But it's a really fast transient event and I've never been able to replicate it. Its happened to me only a few times in the months that I've owned it. The latest firmware upgrade seems to have made this mostly go away, but I think I have still experienced it. It's really only something someone might notice if they are playing quiet solo piano. I don't think this is something that should prevent you from getting this piano. It may be totally fixed by the time you read this.

So all in all, the RD-2000 not totally perfect, but it is the best ever.

Great Sounds - Easy to Use

By Sean Wooldridge from Fort Wayne, IN on April 29, 2018 Music Background: Home Studio

It is very easy to get to a usable sound on this keyboard. That is something that you usually sacrifice when you have something with this much functionality. The core sounds really are excellent, too. As is the case with every keyboard in existence. the horn sounds are hilariously bad, but that doesn't count. You can definitely record keeper piano, clav, rhodes, organ, string, and pad sounds with this. And you can get to them immediately if you are gigging. It even has a "forget it, just give me a piano" button. You can also really hotrod the organ sounds with the free expansion.

A few cons: The piano feel is a little bit heavy. I'm not a real piano player, but if I was, this might bother me if I was doing really intricate stuff. The manual is pretty minimalist. It looks pretty robust until you realize that it's in 8 languages. You won't need it to start making some great music, but if you want to really dig into what this thing can do, you've got some googling to do. It doesn't even explain how to get the faders mapped to drawbars for the organ. (It's the Tone Designer button, you're welcome). Don't let this be a deal breaker. All of the info you need is available somewhere. Just understand that you are not going to be able to access any deep functionality right before a gig just by popping open the manual. This was enough for a half star penalty.

Overall, I am very glad that I spend the extra money to get this keyboard over some others in the $1500 range. It feels and sounds that much better.

Roland RD-2000

By John-Michael Mahnke from Florida on November 17, 2017 Music Background: Playing Keyboards and the organ

I played on the Roland RD-2000... back in October. It has 1113 instrumental sounds on it. You can set the organ sound and go from piano sound to organ sound, I spent 45 minutes to an hour learning it.It has a transpose button on it you can transpose it to an octave , or if your not use to playing in any other key. This Roland RD-2000 weighs about 47 pounds. You will need an amp for this keyboard, a good amp is a Beringer Ultratone KXD-15.

Performance piano

By Ron Bergamotto from Califon, NJ on September 6, 2017 Music Background: Classical

High quality Roland. I love the feel first and foremost. The built in sounds are great but this instrument excels as a controller. If you use MainStage, dive in head first. It's Roland's best RD yet at $.

Best Stage Piano---not necessarily best DIGITAL piano...

By Jason from The Deep South on June 15, 2017 Music Background: Writer, Engineer, Musician

Fantastic sounds---check!
Easy upgradeability---check! OS can be upgraded easily
EASY programming---check!
EASY splits and layers---check!
FANTASTIC pianos! FANTASTIC sounds! ---- check! Amongst the best I've ever heard---in fact, only the Kawai MP11 comes close. Nord??? Fogettuhboutit!

Key Bed?---well...it falls a little---just a LITTLE---bit short there. It's hard to get that "repetition spring" repeat feel when playing same note runs that you get with a true top notch Grand. But then, this is NOT a "top notch Acoustic Grand!".

It would be nice to have a slightly better repetition, but I can't complain given this things price. Roland has always been the king of Stage Pianos, until Nord took it over in the late 2000's. BUT, now...Roland FIRMLY now has taken the reins back from Nord. Congrats, Roland!

Great Action, Big sounds, and well made.

By Rocky Guarriello from Rutherfordton, NC on December 5, 2022 Music Background: Keyboard player, singer, sound engineer.

I have been a diehard Nord player for the last seven years. I priced out a new Stage 3 88 note hammer action. It was twice the price of this piano. I tried one about three years ago and I was comparing it directly to the Nord. What i discovered this time out is overall this is a very powerful and great playing piano. The action is a lot like a real piano, and how I know this is a have a 7 foot K.Kawai piano in my studio right next to the Roland and the Nord. I take lessons every Saturday morning and had my very accomplished teacher try the Roland. His first reaction was he loved the keyboard. Than we went through the piano sounds and he was equally impressed. He own my first Nord Stage 88 and although he likes it he is definitely going to buy the Roland, with the bang for the buck, and the action weighing heavily on his decision. I tend to agree with him. I am going to use my Roland for my solo gig because of the added features with drums and rhythm section. Plus the ability to import Stage back into the Roland with a computer and use internal and external sounds. Very powerful for that. I'm glad I re-tried this keyboard, and started out playing Roland's keyboards and owned many of them with great satisfaction.

The RD Covers Good Ground

By Carl curry on June 10, 2021

For my purposes The RD-2000's primary feature is the PHA-50 keybed and support of triple pedal. Anyone who periodically wants a realistic digital equivalent of an acoustic piano will be well served with this setup. That's without sacrificing all the versatility of synth timbres and DAW/VST connectivity.
Some random observations for the RD-2000;
The onboard V-pianos are good, but I still prefer using a VST like Pianoteq, which mimics treble bells, has a number of modeled pianos, and a very deep editing function. Still, what's in the RD is well suited for taking the unit out to play and have an inventory of sounds on board.
~Curious that a zone can be internal or external but not both. You can work around this. It's also possible I just haven't worked closely enough with the unit to unravel that functionality.
~The RD has Roland's joystick and a 'typical' pitch bend and mod wheel. This is important as some piano centric units don't include it (much less have two options).
~The transpose function (I saw this mentioned elsewhere) could be improved. It's a bit clumsy and probably limited in a live setting. An octave +/- button a la Fantom/Kronos/etc. would also be useful
~The tone selection on the RD can be tedious. Fortunately, I have a wealth of synth modules and VST's or I would wear out/get angry with that dial selector over time. Recommend completing scene/program setup as a separate exercise.
~ It should have a slightly larger display and be a touch screen. I have $100 electronic devices with a functional touch screen. Something with the complexity of the RD-2000 would clearly benefit from it.

In a perfect world I wish Roland would take the PHA-50 keybed and realtime controls of the RD, add them to the A88 mkII (which I bought first and felt I had to spend the additional money for the RD-2000 to be satisfied) and sell it as a premier (A88 Premier?) MIDI controller for, say, $1500. The PHA-50 keybed is excellent and supports triple pedal or other pedal controllers. The realtime controls on the RD are good. The unit is well made and likely will hold up for years of steady use. Anyone with a piano background who also is invested in DAW/VST music creation will snap it up for their studio.
Finally, if you are torn between an acoustic piano and digital remember, practice anytime you want with headphones, very good graded piano action with escapement, triple pedal, and all the versatility of the modern music world is within reach.

This gear grows:)

By Sweetwater Customer from PA on November 24, 2017

Recnt experiences with my RD2000aree good. Comparable to my Baby Grand in tone which was quite the pleasant surprise. Amazing soundbank with over 1200 presets including sound effects and just about every keyboard sound I've ever heard. The keyboard is exceptional with a wonderful touch/feel.I am just starting to investigate the abundance of tweaks and I doubt if I ever will.

Thank You
Yes I would buy another.

Great Piano - bad Transpose

By Ed from Tennessee on July 17, 2019 Music Background: I've been playing about 45 years. I play all styles of Christian music and at weddings.

I have had several Roland keyboards over the years. Roland XV-88, Roland XP-80, etc. Overall I like the sounds and most features of the RD-2000 keyboard. However, I am highly disappointed with the function and placement of the Transpose button. After playing the XV-88 for years, which had the best Transpose button / function, the Transpose button on the RD2000 is almost useless. I would request that the Transpose button and function be changed back to compare with that of the XV-88. Since I use the Transpose button to modulate during the song, the placement is very awkward and you are forced to take your right hand off of the keyboard to transpose. Also, if you press the button and bump a note at the same time, you have no idea what key you will get. Again, with the XV or XP that was never an issue. The Transpose setting is cleared when the unit is powered off. It must be reset every time the keyboard is powered on. The setting cannot be saved with the set ups. IF you forget and start playing, you have a problem.

I called customer support to request a software change to give me the option to save the setting in the set up and for touching the note to not affect the transpose value, but was told that would not happen. He said most people save the set up with key shifted in the set up. That means instead of using Transpose, you change to a different set. That does not work well when modulating during a song. Roland, PLEASE change the Transpose to function like the XV-88... Or at least give me a parameter to turn off "setting by touching the note" and to be able to save the setting.

Great instrument but lacking some fundamental features

By Sweetwater Customer on April 2, 2018

Beautiful instrument - returned due poor implementation of pedal controllers for live performance. Pedal functionality is somewhat lacking, as well. Bought this to be my stand-alone, do-all keyboard, and the sounds are well up to the task but the way the controllers work let me down. I have a keyboard that cost me less than $1000 that put the RD-2000 to shame in that department. I suppose if I were to buy a Mac or an iPad and use his keyboard to control software on that I'd be distracted from all of these feelings come, but that's not my thing. If it's yours, this keyboard well probably be great for that. Like I said, beautiful instrument, loved playing it but I can't spend that much money on something that doesn't work for me.

Some keys are out of tune

By Glenn Keohane from Marysville, WA on April 9, 2020 Music Background: Musician for 60 years and a keyboardist for 35 years.

I've owned my RD 2000 now for 3 months. Overall the keyboard is not bad, I hate the LED screen because if your not looking at it square on there is a problem reading it, also way to small to read. Very old, poor design. Another issue is I'm having running issues in the low and upper note being out of tune with a lose of timber. No ring to the notes but a thud. and how needs over a 1000 sounds of junk. Only a handful are useful. So I bought a Korg Grand Stage and wow what a great keyboard. The piano sounds are really great and I do like the feel of the RH3 keyed much better that the RD2000 keyed. Bottom line is the Roland RD2000 is not for me and I will be selling it soon.

Roland 2500

By Richard Janes from TAYLOR, MI on February 20, 2023 Music Background: Music geek, I do my own radio shows for a hobby.

to, be perfect;y honest I bought this keyboard a few years ago. I really, I was love with this keyboard.. Now, I have lost complete in this keyboard all together. I have thought about either purchasting Kurzeil digital piano. or maybe thekawai stage piano. I, am not really sure at this point. as, far as I am concerned all the pianos sound completely fake.

RD2000 digital piano

By Richard Janes from USA on March 15, 2023 Music Background: musicgeek,

I would, not recommend the RD2000 dihital piano to anyone. the organ and piano tines all sound the same and very fake. I am saving for a Kurvweil pc4 keyboard. I cannot believe that I spent close to $ for the RD2000. I was totally disappointed in this keyboard. Save, your moneyand check out other digital pianos. I am sure you find something more to your liking.

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