Roland FP10 Digital Piano Bundle w/ Stand & Headphones

Action

The Roland FP10 digital piano features their PHA-4 standard keyboard action with Ivory-touch and escapement, which is a pro-level action found in instruments all the way up to (and above) the $2000 price point. This makes the FP10 an absolutely incredible value for people seeking a highly portable piano where feel and overall weight are at the top of the priority list. This instrument is essentially a basic keyboard built around a stellar feel, for under $750, which is simply incredible given what that amount of money got you just 5 years ago from digital piano manufacturers.

The PHA-4 is the exact same action that you’ll find in the FP30 and FP60, but also the F140r and the RP501r. It has a very well executed ‘faux’ ivory keytop feel and ebony feel on the black keys, a believable escapement simulation, and rugged physical construction that doesn’t give off unreasonable mechanical sounds or ‘clunks’.

Were the action driving a more sophisticated tone engine, the lack of the triple sensor might be limiting. However, there isn’t a weak link here that might make any limiting factor stand out unduly, so everything remains quite satisfying, even from a professional perspective.

Tone

The Roland FP10 does include a slightly limited version of the SuperNATURAL Piano Sound Engine, and slightly lower polyphony than the FP30 has, but it really has no noticeable affect on the playing experience – which might be a combination of lowered expectations and the fact that you wouldn’t be tackling complex classical works on the FP10 anyways (or not likely, anyways).

The piano tone, Rhodes, and all the other standard sounds are well-rendered, and particularly with a good set of headphones, the piano is altogether fully usable as a PIANO, not some inexpensive substitute for one.

Other Features

The Bluetooth connectivity is another impressive inclusion for the price range. The stock sustain pedal leaves something to be desired, but a quick upgrade to the DP-10 is well worth it, and solves one of the only true annoyances of the model. The optional stand increases its aesthetic appeal if it were to live in a living room, although for the sake of stability, a double X stand or Z stand might do just as well.

Conclusions

Dollar for dollar, the Roland FP10 digital piano cannot be beaten in the marketplace right now for delivering the best touch. It’s a lightweight beast that will surprise experienced players and gives new learners an excellent experience at a price that previously only offered up keyboards and very poorly-made digital pianos.

About Roland

Ever since Roland introduced the world’s first touch-sensitive electric pianos, the EP-30, in 1972, it has been a leader in the design and manufacture of the digital piano. Roland instruments of all kinds are known by professional musicians, educators, and home hobbyists all around the world for their sound quality and durability.

Roland’s current line up of digital pianos incorporate their expressive SuperNATURAL Piano Sound with Progressive Hammer key actions to faithfully recreate the grand piano experience while providing all the advantages of the digital world.

The SuperNATURAL™ Piano sound combines the realism of multi-sampled piano sound with the extended dynamic range and realism of modelling technology gleaned from their flagship and revolutionary V-Grand piano.

Their Progressive Hammer key actions are precisely weighted from low bass to high treble to recreate the control of a grand piano action, with an ivory–feel key surface, and escapement.

Here at Merriam Music we have chosen some of the best current Roland models to add to the offerings in our digital piano showroom.

Early Innovators

Roland has been one of the lead innovators in electronic and digital pianos from the 1980’s onward. Many of the approaches to manufacturing and synthesis technology that Roland developed in their early years have become industry-wide practices. They were one of the first companies to bring Bluetooth MIDI recording to people’s homes, and also one of the first to develop truly life-like piano tone. Roland’s embrace of the entire range of instruments led to the development of the V-Series of instruments, encompassing everything from Accordions to Drums, to Pianos.