Roland V-Stage88 Stage Piano Used

Name: Roland V-Stage88 Stage Piano
Brand: Roland
Rating: 5 (8 reviews)

88-key Stage Piano with Weighted Hammer-action Keyboard with Escapement, 4 Sound Engines, Acoustic Piano, EP, Synth, and Organ Sounds, and FX Section

Write your review

Item ID: VSTAGE88U4

Used Savings!

Save $880 when you buy used! What is used gear?

The price below reflects your savings.

Used Savings:

880

.00

New for $4,399.99

Condition Notes:

This returned item is in good condition with some signs of use but is in perfect working order. There are small dents on top face. There is missing finish on both end caps. Includes all original accessories. This item ships in upgraded Sweetwater packaging.

! 1 person has this used item in their cart. Order now before it's gone!

Add to Cart

Ask An Expert

Our expertly trained Sales Engineers are ready to help!

(800) 222-4700

What is a Sales Engineer?

Have one to sell?
Check out Sweetwater's Gear Exchange!
Learn More

Roland V-Stage88 Stage Piano

Only 1 Left!

Add to Cart

Add to list

Most Popular Accessories & Related Items

Back to navigation

This article was Written By

Our Product Research Team

Get to know them!

Roland’s High-performance, Do-it-all Stage Keyboard

Professional keyboardists need a stage- and studio-ready instrument that provides immediate access to a premium soundset. Enter the Roland V-Stage. With your core categories — Organ, Acoustic Piano, Electric Piano, and Synthesizer — cleanly and logically laid out across its control panel, the V-Stage makes quick work of finding the right sound. Straddling a Master section with an LCD status screen plus compression and EQ for shaping the output for different venues, each section contains essential hands-on controls — knobs, buttons, and drawbars (in the Organ section) — to quickly nail the sounds you need. In addition, there’s a Total Effects section to tweak them to perfection. To suit a range of keyboardist preferences, Roland offers the V-Stage with your choice of keybeds. The V-Stage88 is fitted with Roland’s flagship 88-key Ivory Feel weighted hammer-action keyboard with escapement, whereas the V-Stage76 features a semi-weighted waterfall-action keyboard with aftertouch. Whichever V-Stage model you select, you can be assured of flawless Roland-caliber playability.

Four beastly sound engines — no waiting

For instant gratification, Roland equipped the V-Stage88 with four independent sound engines powered by its cutting-edge tech. Audiences will be delighted, and producers will be impressed by stunning grand pianos driven by the V-Piano engine; the chimey, growling electric pianos, courtesy of SuperNATURAL modeling; the searing synth leads powered by the ZEN-Core synthesizer engine; and the vintage transistor and pipe organs (complete with overdrive and rotary speaker FX) propelled by three-layer Virtual Tone Wheel technology. Packed with Roland's advanced technology, the V-Stage88 is a high-performance do-it-all keyboard designed to ace hectic live gigs and demanding studio sessions. Pro keyboardists would be well advised to give this superb stage piano a serious audition.

Powered by leading-edge technology

Leveraging Roland’s leading-edge technology, the V-Stage88 is yet another innovative musical instrument from this trend-setting Japanese company. With a rich history that extends back to 1972, Roland is responsible for many industry firsts, including the world’s first touch-sensitive electronic piano, the first microprocessor-controlled drum machine, the first guitar synthesizer, USB audio interface, wireless guitar amp, and physical modeling systems for guitar, bass, and accordion. In 1983, Roland produced the world's first MIDI sequencer and its first MIDI-equipped synth — two products that would contribute to the establishment of the protocol as an industry standard. Today, the company’s proprietary V-Piano, SuperNATURAL, ZEN-Core, Virtual Tone Wheel, and V-Drums technologies continue to advance the state of the art in modern digital pianos, synthesizers, organs, and electronic drums.

Roland: defining the future of music

Over the decades, Roland has released a cavalcade of groundbreaking, highly influential, and genre-defining products such as the SH-1000 (its first synthesizer), the RE-201 Space Echo, the JC series guitar amps, the TR-808 rhythm machine, the TB-303 bass line, the GR-500 guitar synth, the Jupiter-8 polyphonic synth, the Aerophone digital wind instrument, and its Boss-branded effects pedals, to name but a few. With the launch of the world’s first digital piano (the RD-1000) in 1986, Roland cemented its status as an innovator working to usher in the modern era of digital music production. Over the last half-century, Roland has altered the course of music production and live performance. And with its vast product portfolio and prolific R&D program, the company is poised to continue doing so well into the future. Sweetwater is excited to offer you Roland’s abundant range of advanced musical instruments.

Roland V-Stage88 Features:

High-performance stage keyboard with acoustic piano, EP, organ, and synth sounds
Available with your choice of keybeds to suit your playing preferences
V-Stage88: 88-key Ivory Feel weighted hammer action with escapement
Intuitive panel layout with discrete sections and hands-on controls
4 independent sound engines: V-Piano, SuperNATURAL, ZEN-Core, Virtual Tone Wheel
Premium soundset of acoustic and electric pianos, organs, and synthesizers
Acoustic piano section includes 2 concert grands, 1 upright, and 1 felt piano, plus Piano Designer tools for deep customization
Electric piano section includes tine, reed, digital piano, and clavinets with customizable parameters, adjustable key touch, and dedicated EP effects
Organ section includes 2 vintage transistor types and 1 pipe organ, 9 drawbars, overdrive, and rotary speaker effects
ZEN-Core synth engine includes over 400 sounds and support for SDZ Sound Packs and Model Expansions on Roland Cloud (free downloads for registered V-Stage owners)
Store and recall complete keyboard setups with 512 Scenes
Easily manage complex setlists via 128 Scene chains
Total Effects section with independent delay and reverb, plus Roland multi-effects
Master section with LCD status screen plus compression and EQ for shaping the output for different venues
Ergonomic design with grippy pitch and mod wheels, knobs, buttons, and sliders
Comprehensive connectible for easy integration into stage and studio rigs
Attractive, roadworthy metal chassis with wooden end caps

What Is Used Gear?

Nearly all the used gear at Sweetwater has been previously purchased as new from Sweetwater. You can count on the fact that we only offer used items that are determined to be fully operational. Our award-winning, factory-authorized service department meticulously inspects all used gear before releasing it for sale. Of course, we stand behind every used item we sell with our exclusive 90-day Used Gear Guarantee. If any used item malfunctions or doesn't perform as expected, simply call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer, and we'll do what we can to make it right.

When you buy a used item at Sweetwater, you get:

Used items that have been inspected and tested for full functionality by our factory-authorized techs
Quality used equipment that is built to last
FREE shipping on most items
The gear you want, worry-free with our exclusive 90-day Used Gear Guarantee

Please note that this product is available in limited or single quantities. While we do our best to keep our online product information up to date, we cannot guarantee that this product will be in stock at the time your order is placed (for instance, another customer could be purchasing this product as you read this text). If you would like to verify that this product is in stock prior to making your purchase, please contact us or call toll-free at (800) 222-4700.

Resources

Best Keyboards & Synthesizers for Worship

Apr 18, 2025

Roland V-Stage Piano: A Do-it-all Keyboard with Unmatched Versatility

Jan 21, 2025

Back to navigation

Tech Specs

Type: V-STAGE 88 Keyboard
Sound Engine: ZEN-core, SuperNATURAL Electric, V-Piano, VTW Organ
Number of Keys: 88
Type of Keys: Weighted Hammer-action, Ivory Feel
Escapement: Yes
Other Controllers: 2 x Assignable Wheels, 2 x Assignable Switches
Presets: 400 x Tones, 512 x Scenes, 128 x Scene Chains
Effects: 9 x Chorus, 7 x Reverb, 93 x Multi-effects (16 systems)
Audio Inputs: 2 x 1/4" (L/mono, R), 1 x XLR (mic)
Audio Outputs: 2 x XLR (L, R), 2 x 1/4" TRS (L/mono, R), 2 x 1/4" TRS (sub)
Headphones: 1 x 1/4" TRS (rear)
USB: 1 x USB-C (computer), 1 x Type A (memory), 2 x Type A (device)
MIDI I/O: 3 x 5-pin DIN (in, out 1, out 2/thru), USB
Pedal Inputs: 1 x 1/4" (CTRL 1), 1 x 1/4" (CTRL 2/L) 1 x 1/4" (CTRL 3/C), 1 x 1/4" (hold/R)
Pedal Included: Sold Separately
Display: 4.3" Graphic LCD
Bench/Stand Included: Sold Separately
Color: Black/Red
Power Supply: Standard IEC AC Input (cable included)
Height: 5.62"
Width: 52.4"
Depth: 13.89"
Weight: 48.06 lbs
Manufacturer Part Number: V-STAGE88

What Makes Our Sales Engineers Great?

Sweetwater Sales Engineers are a world-class team of experts dedicated to you. Hand selected from across the globe, each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of music gear to provide you with unparalleled service completely free of charge. Friendly relationships, real trust, and the right gear are only a call or a click away!

(800) 222-4700

Contact Your Sales Engineer

Back to navigation

I placed an order for the V-Stage 88 knowing that it had certain features that I wasn't too keen on, but I thought I could live with them. What follows are my thoughts after an entire night excitedly testing it out, plus a good afternoon of seeing how it would work in my setup....and then two more days after that putting it through its paces and WRESTLING WITH IT.
My primary gig, is in the House of Worship world, and though I play blues and rock on the side, my main focus is what you'd call "Modern Church Music"... so think, Pianos, Pads, B3, and the occasional shimmery string that can morph into a lead.

1. Build Quality: The V Stage 88, and 76 are both very well constructed, and I have to give Roland high marks for designing what seems to be a very road-worthy instrument. The build is tight, and sturdy. This is put together even better than their Fantom line, and is closer over all to a Jupiter X - but even better. This is a VERY well made keyboard. The display is bright and crisp, and I am happy to say, lives under glass. Knobs are sturdy and do not wobble (except those that turn as well as press down for data entry) and the wheels, "harmonic bars", ports, buttons, end cheeks, and entire chassis is as solid as anything I've ever come across. This is not the typical cheap synth that feels like it will fall apart in a few years. It is also not terribly heavy. Weight is distributed evenly, and I found picking it up to move it, not to be difficult at all. For some reason, my YC 88 is much heavier feeling, though it isn't actually heavier. To say it clearly, the V-Stage is even better made than the Nord Stage 4.

2. I/O: The V-Stage is LOADED with I/O. From the XLR outs, to the USB-C interface - and even an XLR INPUT for a dynamic mic... you've got most everything you would want, and then some. What other keyboard has TWO dedicated USB-A host ports, that function as midi connections for other sound devices? If that isn't clear, it allows you to plug any other sound module or keyboard that has USB, straight into the V-Stage over a USB cable, AND you still get traditional 5 pin MIDI In, Out, and Out/Thru. The USB-C interface was a joy to use with my iPhone and iPad, and worked instantly with Logic as well on my Mac.

3. The Sounds: Here is where I'll start to deviate from my glowing review, and you'll see some of the weaker sides of the V-Stage. To put it as honestly as I can... I knew going into this purchase, that I was not a lover, or even someone who likes - The Roland V-Piano technology. While impressive in many respects, and very fun to edit, what you end up with at the end of the day... is a piano sound that neither responds nor sounds like a real piano. The response is interesting. Whereas most keyboards have a sort of bottoming out point when you really dig into (what are usually sample based pianos) their pianos - the V-Pianos, feel more like you never quite know where that point of bottoming out is. While it is impressive that we have what feels like an infinite range of notes... I never quite feel like my fingers know how the note is going to respond when I play. In the same way, the TONE of the note, for all the adjustment and editing... never feels quite imperfect enough to fool my ears into believing I'm playing or hearing, a real piano. Now, I know it is not Rolands goal to have a perfect piano sample in this instrument... but after playing Nord Piano samples for years, as well as being intimately familiar with Yamaha and Kawai - and being able to easily pick out a Steinway or Bosendorfer when I hear it.. The V-Piano tones just frankly sound artificial to me, and they don't feel quite right. Now, I will say that the Uprights are better - but in the same way that you typically get "soft piano" - "bright piano" - "Old piano" in a keyboard, and you can instantly tell that the same sample is being used to generate all three (looking at you Kurzweil)... you get that same sense from the V-Piano Uprights. They don't QUITE sound like the Grands, but the same basic character is certainly there. The Felt Uprights, have the advantage of being something we've not seen Roland do before, so it is harder to discern that these are also sourced from the same "source material" as the Grand and Upright sounds... but when you brighten or darken the sound in particular, you can absolutely tell that we don't have truly different pianos, but just different versions of the same sound. These, even when mangled to death with Piano Designer - are just never imperfect enough to pass for real pianos. My ear - instantly knows and rejects that proposition. For an instrument that is heavily focused on Acoustic Pianos... this is a MAJOR FAIL. Roland have made it clear, that they are not interested in Sample based piano tech - but this modeled sound is not cutting it - sorry.

It is a shame - because the RD-2000 has both the V-Piano (from which many of these same presets are taken) AS WELL AS The SuperNATURAL pianos. I have always enjoyed the SuperNATURAL pianos.. but Roland have removed those from the options this time. I wish that it were not so... but this is one major reason, I will be returning the V-Stage.

The organ engine, is actually quite good, and with some slight adjustment to the ramp up and down and acceleration speeds, the Leslie is actually BETTER than what we get on the Nord Stage 4/Electro 6. The organ side of the V-Stage is quite strong, and I would say it actually outperforms the Yamaha YC in this regard.

The other sounds, including the free Models of the Juno 106, SH-101, Jupiter 8, and JX-8P.... are as spot on as you can get, and the offering of other ZenCore sounds on board - are well chosen, and work very well for layering with Piano and EP and Organ. The filter and Attack and Decay knobs, are welcome and simple, yet effective.
You have access to the entire catalog of ZenCore sounds which can be edited in Zenology, or other ZenCore compatible instruments, and dropped right into the V-Stage. This shouldn't be overlooked as it gives you a MASSIVE library from which to choose, and infinite editing from the software side. That said - be aware that your editing options for the Synth A/B on the V-Stage, are extremely minimal - by design. This is odd since the Organ and Piano are both very adjustable.

Electric Piano- Now this was a welcome surprise! The EP section is well designed and laid out, and contains the best versions of Rhodes, Wurli, Clavs, and SA EPs I've yet heard from Roland. The near instant access to the most usable effects (of which there are Many) makes designing your own EP quick and easy. LOTS of editing and further adjustments are available via the menus for this section - and again, these EPs sound and feel GREAT.

4. Control: Let me start with the action, since that is where we all spend the most time! This is a heavily modified version of the PHA-4, with Ivory Feel, and Escapement. Roland was wise to go with this action, because it is not only significantly better than the Fatar TP/40m in the Nord Stage 4, it is also calibrated in such as way as to be very playable for all types of sounds. I had no issue with Organ, Synth, or Clavinets. The action is fast and responsive, and works equally well for plugins and virtual instruments. Great feeling, light, and fast. Well done Roland.

Though this board is not advertised as being a MIDI hub... they do talk a fair bit about it being MainStage ready - and fine, it works well for that. However... Ed Diaz told me at NAMM, that the Drawbars would send MIDI and allow me to control something like B3-X on an iPad. I'm sorry to report that the drawbars do not send MIDI at all - in any mode that I tested with my iPad. Also, this is NOT a Controller in anything but the absolute most basic sense. You don't get TX and RX menus, or deep MIDI parameters to adjust - which is odd since each section can serve as either an internal zone, external zone, or both. This makes the V-Stage a potential powerhouse MIDI board, but you have to go into each section individually and make adjustments after lots of clicking into the MIDI menu - in order to make changes. You Also cannot assign the USB volume to any controller onboard the instrument. Instead, you have to go into the USB menu and make that adjustment on the fly, or go into the external zone control for whatever section you are using - and manually turn down the USB signal, from within said zone. Clunky to say the least. In this regard, Yamaha and their YC and CP instruments, are far far ahead.

Effects: This is a strong point for the V-Stage, but also a serious point of frustration. Reverb - is GLOBAL ONLY. Yes, really. One of the most sought after effects in the House of Worship scene, is Shimmer... so you'd think it would be easy to add shimmer to your piano, while leaving a nice Hall verb for your pads and organ.. right? Nope. The most sought after effects, are GLOBAL. While you can assign only the amount of send to each section you desire, on a Scene by Scene basis... this is needlessly complicated - and Nord gets it right when they allow you to have whatever reverb you like - on whatever section you choose - or all of them at once. Roland gives you a HUGE amount of excellent effects, but frustratingly, assigns some of them to only certain areas. As an example of the effects "stinginess" you have NO INSERT EFFECTS for the Acoustic Piano - PERIOD. You Can assign the Global effects to the piano, but those will also apply to all the other sections. WHAT!?

EDIT- AFTER MUCH MORE TESTING, I CAN CONFIRM EVEN MAINSTAGE CANNOT RECEIVE MIDI FROM THE DRAWBARS- THEY SIMPLY DO NOT SEND MIDI CC. So Your MainStage control is basically limited to scrolling through MainStage presets - the only controlling of parameters you can do, have to be manually mapped to mod wheel, pitch, etc. Again, for any Organ software - this keyboard is useless.

Bottom line. This is a very capable, well designed, beautiful sounding, yet frustratingly limited instrument.

It doesn't work for me - which is a shame because I wanted to love it.

EDIT PART 2: Full disclosure- I am adding this part after participating in a live chat with Ed Diaz, hosted by John Mike, and Sheridan. I asked Ed point blank- IS THE V STAGE CAPABLE OF SENDING MIDI CC FROM THE DRAWBARS. His answer was... Yes, but only as Sys-Ex. If you don't know what that means... System Exclusive Midi is an entire universe unto itself, and it related, but wholly unlike the usual CC messages we deal with when pressing "Learn" on a virtual instrument, and moving a controller on hardware. Is it POSSIBLE? Yes. Is it easy? NO.

My final thoughts on this instrument would be these-

The Roland V Stage is a very well made, highly capable, well equipped, and versatile keyboard. It is capable of being a mid-tier MIDI controller, and has the ability to send all 18 of its internal audio channels, right over the USB-C connection. That is HUGE. Pay Attention NORD. Even the new Viscount Legend One has a built in Audio/Midi Interface, and its drawbars can send MIDI CC! I personally could not, and cannot use the V-Piano based acoustic pianos sounds - though the upright and felts, are beautiful! I also found the onboard editing options for the Synth layers, to be extremely limited and very tedious to edit - but I am aware that this can all be done via Zenology, or even another hardware Zencore synth.
The organ and rotary parameters in this board, are capable of rivaling The Nord equivalents in the Stage and Electro series.
The actions are both, fast and responsive and well made. This is an AWESOME KEYBOARD- But I am extremely picky when it comes to pianos, and when you put such a great action on a board, your piano sounds should SHINE.. for me, they do not. For you, if you love them? Then you may not find a better, simpler, more capable "Nord Competitor" (though it cannot match The Nord Stage in FX routing, or synthesis) than the Roland V Stage.

I read about this keyboard in reading about the most recent NAMM Show, and it was clear that the Roland Stage-V 88 keyboard was designed for musicians like me who needed a very intuitive and easy to execute keyboard for live shows. The many tones and scenes are amongst the

Also, kudo's to Sean and the team at Sweetwater. He's always awesome to work with, and very accommodating. With limitless piano's, electric keys, organ and two synth engines viewed through a gorgeous display take my playing to the next level.

I couldn't be more thrilled - this could actually reduce me from playing three keyboards on gigs to one keyboard that does it all.

Also, kudo's to Sean and the team at Sweetwater. He's always awesome to work with, and very accommodating. With limitless piano's, electric keys, organ and two synth engines viewed through a gorgeous display take my playing to the next level.

Highly recommend this robust but easy to use board!

If you're a Nord Stage user and that's the only instrument you gig with, you don't need this keyboard at all. This keyboard is far better in a multi instrument setup where all the connectivity options can be fully utilized.

Comparing to my Nord Stage 4, there are some okay piano sounds and you can tweak a lot of parameters in the piano models, but the Nord piano sounds and Nord's free, ever expanding piano library are hard to beat here. I think the organ sounds are a wash. Though I will say the Roland's organ default settings were just closer to what I like, but you can easily adjust the Nord to get there too. I preferred the Roland E-Piano as I like it having its own section. I honestly don't like the NS4 or the V-Stage synth engines that much. Sure Zencore can do everything, but that really means signing up for Roland Cloud for Zenology or buying a Fantom to access more of the engine's capabilities. Those are both expensive options. YMMV, but I liked the NS3 synth better than the NS4. The effects on the Roland are good enough. They have a lot more variety than the Nord has, but not much ability to use them all together on all the layers the way the Nord does.

If you're a live tweaker, you will prefer the Nord, if you're an in the studio sound designer or need a piano centric master keyboard, you'll probably like the V-Stage better, but you'll like the Fantom or Montage M even better than that so the V-Stage feels a bit out of place. It's still amazing but kind of in its own market segment if that makes any sense.

Oh and if you're an RD2000 owner, and not persnickety about piano action feel, this is an enormous upgrade for you.

Beautifully made in quality!!!

This Flagship piece is one of the best I have ever played. You get the latest and greatest with this unit.
If your looking for the best with out the cost this is the one. We have 2 keyboardist at our church 1 a Nord Stage 3 and the other The Awesome Roland V Stage 88.

Roland has always had a name for great product lines in keyboards and electronic drums. The V-Stage 88 is no exception. This keyboard will do almost anything you desire it to do and the controls are easy to control and change your sound with the press of a button or turn of a knob. I highly recommend this keyboard, especially if the NORD Stage series is above your price range. I find this keyboard easy to use and comparable if not better sound quality.

Simply put, modern electronic music wouldn't exist without Roland. Many of the electronic musicians here at Sweetwater cut our teeth on TR Rhythm machines and fondly remember programming our first TB-303s. We owe a good part of our careers to this amazing and innovative company. It's been fun to watch and grow right alongside Roland, as they've introduced wave after wave of revolutionary keyboards, digital pianos, and more. For example, Roland's V-Drum Kits continuously redefine the possibilities of electronic drums, beginning with SuperNATURAL technology to the latest Prismatic Sound Modeling. We're huge fans, and we'd love to tell you all about them. Whether you want a pocket-sized synth or a cutting-edge video mixer, if Roland makes it, then Sweetwater is 100% behind it.

See also: Digital Stage Pianos, Roland, Roland Stage Pianos