Roland FP-60 Digital Piano Review Complete. A Good Choice?

Roland is a Japanese electronic musical instrument company that has always been known for its electronic synthesizers and keyboards, as well as professional products for electric guitars, drums and more. This portable digital piano offers exceptional sound and touch sensitivity in a stylish cabinet that looks great and is easy to transport. The specially designed on-board speaker system produces impressive, luxurious sound with wide projection for small room performances, while the selection of sounds from other instruments allows you to cover a variety of musical styles. You can’t expect anything less than a €1.329/$1500/£1,199 instrument.

The Roland FP 60 is a more advanced version of the ultra-modern Roland FP 30. Let’s go with your analysis and that of your competitors:

• SuperNatural Sound Engine
• 88 weighted keys (Weight that the keys of an acoustic piano have and that digital pianos try to imitate to equal the touch of the piano. The keys in the high register are heavier and in the high register less. This is different from the sensitivity on the keyboard which serves to regulate the volume of the note. But a counterbalanced keyboard always has sensitivity in the keys) with escapement and ivory touch
• 288 notes of polyphony (Number of notes that can be played at once. This includes accompaniments that also consume notes. So if you play over an accompaniment more notes will be accumulated)
• 15 sounds (different piano sounds and other instruments) from acoustic pianos
• 16 electric piano sounds
• 11 types of sound
• 15 organ sounds
• 15 pad controls
• Metronome (Basic study element to study and practice the tempo of a piece of music)
• Transposition function (Transposition allows you to move the note spectrum of a keyboard. This is to be able to play with transposing instruments. It is not an easy concept but it is made to facilitate the writing of an orchestration for instruments with very different bass and treble registers)
• 30 tracks for the user to create and store their own sounds
• Dual mode (Dual mode allows you to combine two sounds to create a more complete one. Typical is the combination of piano + string sound)
• Duo mode (Duo mode allows the keyboard to be divided into two pianos so that four hands can be played or the teacher and student can play on the same keyboard) with adjustable midpoint
• Split mode (Split the keyboard into two different instruments)
• 3-band equalizer between effects
• Effects for organ tones
• Effects to enrich electric pianos
• Recording in SMF format while playing
• Plays audio in WAV and MP3 format (requires flash memory)
• USB midi (MIDI allows you to do such wonderful things as connect your keyboard to your computer, record a sound track and with certain programs click through what you’ve played to musical notes on a score. MIDI tracks store the information of the musical notes), it is also capable of playing and storing midi files (MIDI allows you to do such wonderful things as connecting the keyboard to the computer, recording a sound track and with certain programs passing with a click what you have played to musical notes in a score. MIDI tracks store the information of the musical notes) in their internal memory
• High quality LCD display
• 8 very powerful built-in 12 cm speakers
• Line input and output for live
• Accept three pedals. All you need and a sustain pedal is included (The sustain pedal of a piano or keyboard is used to keep the note playing even if you stop pressing the key)
• It has Bluetooth 4.0 MIDI and a USB for pendrive
• Includes network adapter and comes with lectern
• 2 helmet jacks
• It weighs 19 kg and has dimensions of 1291 x 344 x 125mm (width x depth x height)

Now that we have listed and described the features of this keyboard there is no better way than to take a look at the following video where they tell us more about the Roland FP-60 and you can hear how its different sounds sound.

Related post you can be interested in

• Ranking with the best digital pianos
• My selection of cheap musical keyboards.
• Basic concepts you need to know about digital pianos.
• The best resources to learn to play the piano by yourself.
• The best Roland Digital Pianos.

Now let’s compare the Roland FP 60 with its more common alternatives. Also at the end of the post you will find a section with the best shopping possibilities for this digital piano. But you can go directly to that part of the post by pressing the following button.

Roland FP-60 vs Roland FP-90

Let’s compare the Roland FP-60 digital piano with a price of €1.329/$1500/£1,199  and the Roland FP-90 digital piano with a price of €1.659/$1999/£1,499. We will check according to their characteristics if it is worth choosing the more expensive one or if you keep the FP60. Maybe those almost 300 euros make a considerable difference:

• Both digital pianos have 88 sensitively weighted keys, the Roland FP60 has a PHA-4 exhaust and ivory touch, while the FP90 has a PHA-5 (Progressive Hammer Action with Tapping Point Simulation) that integrates a combination of wood-finished elements and other modern, highly wear-resistant materials, which also emulates the feel of a grand piano. Weighted Keys (This is the weight of the keys on an acoustic piano that digital pianos try to imitate to match the touch of the piano. The keys in the high register are heavier and in the high register less.) and sensitivity refers to the dynamics between notes, when one is played more strongly it sounds higher.
• The Roland FP60 has 351 sounds in total and 288 notes of polyphony, while the Roland FP90 has 350 sounds in total and 384 notes of polyphony, although the manual mentions that for piano sounds polyphony is unlimited. Polyphony means the number of notes that can be played at the same time.
• The Roland FP60 has 7 editable piano parameters, while the Roland FP90 has 13 editable piano parameters.
• Both have 30 tracks (slots) to create your own sounds and store them.
• Both pianos offer Modes: Dual (combining sounds), Split (certain parts of the keyboard with one instrument and another part with another instrument) and Duo for two people to play.
• Both digital pianos have effects such as: Ambience, 3-band EQ, rotary speaker effect (Leslie) and modulation rate.
• Both digital pianos have: metronome, transpose function, MIDI In and Out, a sustain pedal, and input for triple pedalboard.
• A very noticeable difference is the output power which, in the Roland FP60 we have 13W x 2 and in the Roland FP90 we have 25W x 2 and some tweeters (high frequency speakers) 5W x 2, which becomes a much better quality output.
• As far as connections are concerned, both pianos are equipped with MIDI Input and Output, 3.5mm (minijack) and 1/4” (jack) outputs, input for triple pedalboard, auxiliary audio input, and Bluetooth connection for both audio and MIDI (and be used as a MIDI controller in a computer). However, the FP90 also has a 1/4″ microphone input (jack) that can also be modified with effects such as Echo, Compressor, and Dubbing.
• Both pianos can record in SMF format and play audio in WAV and MP3 format
• The Roland FP60 has a weight of 19 kg and dimensions of 1291 x 344 x 125 mm (width x depth x height), while the Roland FP90 has a weight of 23.6 kg and dimensions of 1340 x 390 x 136 mm (width x depth x height).

Both excellent digital stage pianos, however in the Roland FP 90 it has its clear advantages which are: a more realistic keyboard (similar to an acoustic piano), with premium SuperNATURAL sound engine, Bluetooth functionality and triple pedal input.

We will put the characteristics of each of these pianos in 2 different columns to make it easier to see the differences:

And now a video comparison of the Roland FP-60 and the Roland FP90

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N9exacUAwg

If you want to know more about this model don’t miss our review of the Roland FP-90.

Roland FP-60 vs Roland FP-30

Now let’s compare the Roland FP-60 digital piano priced at €1.329/$1500/£1,199 with its little brother the Roland FP-30 priced at €619/$700/£555, a big difference in price, with one being almost twice as expensive as the other. Let’s review their specifications to see which one suits you best.

• Both pianos have 88 touch-sensitive weighted keys and a PHA-4 system with ivory touch and exhaust and a sound generator called Roland’s own superNATURAL. Weighted keyboard, is the weight that the keys of an acoustic piano have and that digital pianos try to imitate to equal the touch of it. The keys in the high register are heavier and in the high register less. And sensitivity refers to the dynamics between notes, when one is played more strongly it sounds louder.
• The Roland FP60 offers 351 sounds between acoustic and electric pianos, strings and organs, with 288 notes of polyphony, while the FP30 offers 35 sounds also from acoustic and electric pianos with 128 notes of polyphony. Polyphony refers to the maximum number of notes that can be played simultaneously.
• Both pianos have the modes: Duo, Dual and Split. And they have two headphone outputs. In effect they share the: Ambience and the FP60 has: 3-band EQ, rotary speaker effect (Leslie) and modulation rate. While the FP30 gives us Brillance.
• In speakers the FP60 has 13W x 2 output and the FP30 has 11W x 2 output, being the output of the FP60 more powerful.
• As far as connections are concerned, both pianos are equipped with MIDI input and output, 3.5mm (mini-jack) and 1/4″ (jack) outputs, input for triple pedalboard, auxiliary audio input. The FP60 has Bluetooth connection for both audio and MIDI, where it would serve as a MIDI controller to a music composition or production program. The FP30 also has a 1/4″ microphone input (jack).
• The Roland FP60 weighs 19 kg and measures 1291 x 344 x 125 mm (W x D x H). The Roland FP30 weighs 14.1 kg and measures 130 x 28.4 x 15 cm (W x D x H).
• Both pianos have connections: MIDI input and output, 3.5mm (minijack) and 1/4″ (jack) outputs, input for triple pedalboard, auxiliary audio input. The FP60 has Bluetooth connection for both audio and MIDI, where it would serve as a MIDI controller to a music composition or production program.

Well, given the differences, what we have to do is reflect on what we want this piano for. It is clear that the Roland FP 60 is much superior but the Roland Fp 30 gives a lot for a small price. If we play live from time to time and our level is beginner or intermediate. The Roland FP 30 gives us plenty. That’s all we need. If you’re looking for the Roland FP 60 that’s because you’ve already enjoyed one or more keyboards and you want to go for something more professional.

We will put the characteristics of each of these pianos in 2 different columns to make it easier to see the differences:

If you want to know more about this model don’t miss our review of the Roland FP-30.

Roland FP-60 vs Yamaha P255

Finally we will make a comparison of the Roland FP60 at €1.329/$1500/£1,199 euros with the Yamaha P255 which is around 1500 euros to 1600 euros. We will check according to their characteristics if it’s worth signing up for the more expensive one or if you stay with the FP60. Perhaps that nearly 300 euros makes a considerable difference:

• Both digital pianos have 88 sensitively weighted keys, the Roland FP60 with PH-4 technology and the Yamaha P255 with GH technology, both with synthetic ivory touch. Counterbalance is the weight of the keys on an acoustic piano, which digital pianos try to imitate to match the touch of the piano. The keys in the high register are heavier and in the high register less.
• The Roland FP60 offers 351 sounds with 288 notes of polyphony, while the Yamaha P255 offers 24 sounds with 256 notes of polyphony. Polyphony refers to the maximum number of notes that can be played simultaneously.
• Both pianos have the modes: Duo, Dual and Split. In effects they share the FP60 has: 3-band EQ, rotary speaker effect (Leslie) and modulation rate. While the Yamaha P255 features: Reverb, Chorus, Phase, Rotary Speaker (Leslie). Both have a 3-band EQ.
• Both allow for SMF recording and playback of WAV and MP3 audio.
• In speakers the FP60 has 13W x 2 output and the Yamaha P255 has 15W x 2 output, being the most powerful output of the Yamaha.
• The Roland FP60 has a weight of 19Kg, with dimensions of 1291 x 344 x 125mm (width x depth x height). The Yamaha P255 weighs 17.3Kg and has dimensions of 1333 x 351 x 148mm (width x depth x height)

Once again we come face to face, where the Yamaha has certain advantages: its synthetic ivory keyboard helps to simulate a real acoustic keyboard, its curious Rotary Speaker effect (Leslie) gives organ lovers an advantage. However, the Roland FP 60 shines in its amount of sounds and polyphony notes. According to your needs you will make the best decision.

We will put the characteristics of each of these pianos in 2 different columns to make it easier to see the differences:

If you want to know more about this model don’t miss our review of the Yamaha P255.

Where to buy Roland FP-60

Thomann

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