The Best Roland Digital Pianos – Product Reviews

If you’re looking for the best Roland digital piano, you have quite a few options. The Roland Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer that develops all sorts of electronic musical instruments, including grand, upright, portable, and stage pianos, and apps that can help you get more functionality out of your digital musical instrument.

Everyone from average consumers to professional musicians loves this brand’s high-quality products. But which Roland piano should you get for personal use or to kickstart your own musical career?

In this buyer’s guide, we’re going to take a closer look at five of Roland’s most popular models and offer some helpful advice, so you can choose the right one. 

Essential Features to Look for in Digital Pianos

Before you start shopping for the right digital piano, you should consider the type of piano you need. These musical instruments can vary a lot in size and function and their price ranges can also differ significantly.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the most important features to consider.

Portability

Do you want to take your piano with you to performances? Or is it going to be stationed in your home?

For portability reasons, it is always better to get a digital keyboard that is light in weight. For home use, something with a compact design and sturdy stand is a much better option.

Polyphony

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skAxKtDXnpU

Polyphone is the number of individual notes or tones a piano can produce simultaneously. Higher-quality pianos have a much higher polyphony range. Beginner pianists should have a piano with at least 32 polyphony notes but digital pianos can have a range of up to 264 notes. 

Speakers

Not all digital pianos have a built-in speaker system. With some, you need to connect it to an external amplifier and speaker. This is important to keep in mind when you go shopping for a piano.

Sounds

Some digital pianos can have over 3000 different sounds stored on them. This sound range can make it fun to create different sound effects or tunes. A huge variety of sounds can however be overwhelming for a complete beginner and most people only use a handful of these sounds. 

The 5 Best Roland Digital Piano & Keyboards

Roland has a great many digital piano models to choose from. In this guide, we’re going to take a look at five pianos we believe are extremely functional, affordable, and ideal for the average musician or student. Let’s take a look at the best ones to get right now. 

Best Digital Roland Piano for Beginners: Roland F-140R Compact Digital Piano

The Roland F-140R is an ideal piano for complete beginners because this full-sized piano is incredibly compact, simple, and affordable. It also includes free online lessons. 

This entry-level piano might be a bit basic, but it still has a lot of great features to love.  The piano is available in black and white and includes a minimalist cabinet design that’s perfect for containing the keyboard and keeping the keys clean.

The F-140R is a full-sized 88-key piano with weighted or hammer action keys. These keys have a 5-level touch sensitivity adjustment and produce a polyphony of 128 notes. This polyphony count might not be excessive, but it’s enough for beginners and intermediate players who need something affordable to practice on. 

Modern digital piano technology includes 316 different built-in sounds and a 2-song track recorder that you can easily access or adjust with the control panel on the piano’s left side. 

This affordable piano outshines many other models with its vast connectivity options. It features a USB port for your computer, Bluetooth so you can connect smartphones, and audio out and in ports, so you can connect speakers.

It even features a handy headphone jack, so you can practice playing the piano without any risk of playing too loudly. 

Specifications

Dimensions – 53.5 x 13.5 x 30.6 inches

Weight – 76.1 pounds

Color – Black or white

Number of keys – 88 weighted hammer action keys

Type – Digital piano

Design – Upright fixed design with fixed pedals

Pedals – 3 pedals

Speaker – Built-in stereo speakers 2 x 12 cm

Connectivity – USB for computers, Bluetooth for smartphones, audio out, audio in, and headphone jack

Polyphony – 128 Notes

Tones – 316 built-in sounds

Touch Sensitivity – 5 levels and off

Additional Functions – 189 built-in songs, MIDI 1 song track recorder

Included – Online lessons

Best Portable Roland Digital Piano: Roland RD-88 Professional Digital Piano 

Musicians who have to perform on different stages usually have a tough time hauling all of their heavy equipment around. Pianos are some of the heaviest musical instruments out there. This is exactly where the Roland RD-88 digital piano comes in. 

This stage piano is ideal for traveling pianists because it is very light with a weight of just 29.8 pounds. The piano is so light because, instead of metal, plastic casings are used. This might weaken the piano a little bit, but it’s extremely helpful for those who are constantly moving around and playing at different gigs.

This portable piano has lots of other great features to love. It has a full-sized 88-key keyboard with weighted keys. The polyphony of these keys isn’t excessive, with a 128-note count, but the piano does make up for that with its 3,000 different preset tones. These tones can also be adjusted to create different sound effects or to play a wider range of music types.

The control panel of the piano can seem intimidating with lots of buttons and turn knobs to try. This wide range of sound options and settings means the piano isn’t exactly suitable for a complete beginner but is better suited for someone who plays in a band or might want to play different types of tracks to accommodate a variety of audiences. 

A small LCD display on the screen is useful for keeping track of your current note selection or making adjustments. The digital instrument also offers various connectivity options, like MIDI output, USB connectivity, and MIC input, and it also has a headphone port so you can practice without disturbing others.

One thing to keep in mind about this portable piano is that it doesn’t include a stand or pedals. You will have to get these extras in addition to the basic piano. 

Specifications

Dimensions – 6.3 x 50.5 x 10.1 inches

Weight – 29.8 pounds

Color – Black

Number of keys – 88 full-sized weighted

Type – Digital Piano

Design – Portable design

Pedals – None

Speaker – 2 x 4.7 Woofers and 2 x 0.78 Tweeters

Connectivity – MIDI out, USB, headphone port, and MIC input

Polyphony – 128 Note

Tones – 3,000 preset sounds

Additional Functions – LCD screen and control panel

Included – 3 months of piano lessons

Best Roland Piano for Stage Performing – Roland RD-2000 Digital Stage Piano

The Roland RD-2000 is ideal for advanced players or professional pianists who do a lot of stage performances. This elite device transforms the pianist into a semi-DJ because it has so many adjustable features on its dashboard.

The MIDI keyboard itself isn’t too light, with a weight of 47.9 pounds, and it also doesn’t have speakers. But when you have this keyboard propped up on a stand and connected to a set of speakers, it will produce beautiful, clear sounds.

The instrument has a 128 polyphony note count and features 1100 tones which include lots of acoustic piano tones, authentic piano sounds, and other digital features. 

Another cool feature of this piano is its LCD display and huge control panel: they allow you to modify and change the pre-set sounds on the keyboard. Trying out these different adjustments and settings can be a lot of fun. 

The digital keyboard also features quite a few connectivity options. It has USB, MIDI in and out connectors, and an easy stereo connector that allows you to set up within minutes.

This advanced instrument might be pricey but it’s a perfect choice for anyone who is serious about making a career out of their musical journey. 

Specifications

Dimensions – 55.6 x 14.5 x 5.56 inches

Weight – 47.9 pounds

Color – Black

Number of keys – 88 hammer action keys

Type – Stage Piano

Design – Portable design

Pedals – Damper only

Connectivity – USB, MIDI in and out connectors, stereo connector

Polyphony – 128 note

Tones – 1100 tones

Additional Functions – LCD display

Included – User manual, power cord, and damper pedal

Best Digital Roland Piano with Built-In Speakers – Roland FP-90X Portable Digital Piano 

The Roland FP-90X is a great option if you want a piano that will produce beautiful sound even without the use of additional speakers. This digital keyboard features built-in speakers and a powerful amplifier. It’s also nice and portable despite its slightly heavy weight.

The full-sized piano is quite advanced with its premium 256-note polyphony count. The keyboard also features 362 tunes so you can play music that mimics another instrument.

The 88-note keyboard has hammer response keys with 10 different intensity settings, or you can switch the touch sensitivity to weighted keys, which gives you 100 different touch sensitivity settings.

For its simple and sleek look, the piano offers a wide range of impressive features. The dashboard is smooth with an LCD screen that allows you to easily navigate your settings. It also offers various connectivity features which include Bluetooth so you can connect a mobile device, USB to connect a computer, MIDI in and out for speakers and a headphone port. 

This piano can be a good beginner keyboard because it does include free lessons. We do, however, recommend this piano for those who are serious about becoming a pianist, and not for those who want to play for recreational purposes. 

Specifications

Dimensions – 52.82 x 15.4 x 5.4 inches

Weight – 69.23 pounds

Color – Black

Number of keys – 88 hammer response keys

Type – Digital piano

Design – Portable design excluding cabinet or stand

Pedals – Damper pedal

Speaker – 2 x 12 cm

Connectivity – Bluetooth, USB, phone jacks, MIDI in and out, and more

Polyphony – 256 notes

Tones – 362 presets

Touch Sensitivity – 100x fixed key touch and 10 hammer response

Additional Functions – LCD screen, touch control panel, 34 internal songs, 3 track recording

Included – 3 months of free lessons from Piano Partner 2

Best Digital Piano for Intermediate Players – Roland RP701-CB Digital Home Piano 

If you are looking for a luxury musical instrument but cannot afford a genuine grand piano or solid upright piano, this model by the Roland piano brand can be a terrific option.

The RP701-CB has a lot of luxury features but is still affordable. The piano comes in four different colors and includes an upright cabinet in which the keyboard can be placed.

The overall look of this cabinet and keyboard is very sleek and stylish. The 256 polyphony note count and fully weighted keys give the piano a very realistic acoustic piano sound and feel. 

The piano has lots of features that can easily be selected since the dashboard is located just above the keys. Here you can access the 324 different instrument sounds, and modify the way these sound to your liking. The weight of the keys can also be altered with 100 different intensity settings. Additionally, you can record up to three tracks on the keyboard.

The keyboard also features lots of connectivity options. It has a USB port so you can easily connect a laptop or computer, it’s Bluetooth compatible so you can connect a mobile phone, and it has headphones that are ideal for listening to your favorite tracks. 

The audio in and out jacks are also perfect for connecting a set of speakers, even though the built-in 12-watt speakers do produce enough sound for a pleasurable playing experience.

Specifications

Dimensions – 53.8 x 18.25 x 40.45 inches

Weight – 101 pounds

Color – 4 color options

Number of keys – 88 fully weighted keys

Type – Digital piano

Design – Upright design with fixed pedals

Pedals – 3 fixed and one damper action

Speaker – 2 x 12 Watt speakers

Connectivity – USB, Headphone jacks, audio in, Bluetooth

Polyphony – 256 note

Tones – 324 instrument sounds

Touch Sensitivity – 100 types and off

Additional Functions – Graphic display, 3-track recorder

Included – Damper action pedal and bench 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Roland a good digital piano brand?

Roland certainly is a good digital musical instrument brand to consider for pianos and many other musical instruments. The Roland Corporation has been producing fine-quality musical instruments since 1972 and has a wide range of piano types for different budgets.

You can almost create an entire band with just Roland instruments since they also produce guitars, drums, wind instruments, amplifiers, and other accessories. Roland is an ideal music brand for anyone looking to stock a music room or small studio.

Are Roland digital pianos expensive?

The Roland brand has some of the most expensive digital pianos on the market. They do, however, have a wide range of piano types and sizes, including various budget models. Their digital grand and premium upright pianos are quite costly, but their basic budget range and portable pianos are quite affordable. 

Pianos with a full polyphony of 256 notes are typically much more expensive than those with a lower note range. This could be true even for high polyphony pianos that don’t have a lot of other features.

Roland’s pianos can be a bit pricey compared to cheaper brands. Many do, however, feel that they offer market-related pieces considering the features and sound quality that these devices offer.

Where are Roland pianos made?

Roland has factories in various countries. The Roland Corporation was founded in Japan by Ikutaro Kakehashi in 1972. The headquarters of this music instrument brand is based in Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. However, they have factories in areas like Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. 

Despite that Roland only has factories in four different countries, their products are distributed across the globe and can be purchased in just about every country on earth. 

Many believe that Roland has a huge influence on the electronic music industry and with the popularity of its products, this brand is likely to continue producing quality products: they might expand and create more factories in other regions.

Do Roland pianos have weighted keys?

Yes, most of Roland’s digital pianos are designed with weighted keys, so there is no reason to worry about not getting that authentic acoustic piano feel. Some Roland digital pianos are designed with hammer action keys, while others feature weighted keys. 

Those that are created with hammer action keys sound and feel just like an acoustic piano, and are ideal for students who want to invest in an acoustic piano in the future. 

Digital pianos with weighted keys are a little bit different since these keys have the same weight across the key, whereas hammer keys tend to be a bit easier to press down toward the front of the key. 

Roland does produce a couple of hybrid pianos that have both weighted and hammer keys. Most of these modern instruments are also designed with adjustable features, so you can alter the weight of your keys until you find a comfortable fit. 

A piano can be set at a very lightweight for children or beginners, and the keynote weight can be slowly increased as the player’s hand dexterity improves. 

Final Thoughts

We hope our guide was useful for finding the best Roland digital piano!

If you’re looking for something different or want to learn more about pianos, have a look at some of the other guides we have on Improve Piano.

With our guides, you can find all the latest and best information on pianos, and learn heaps about this rewarding hobby or career path.