Analysis and Opinion Roland FP 90: Review and Where to Buy It

If you’re looking for a digital piano that simulates the feeling of playing an acoustic piano you should definitely take a look at the Roland FP 90.

The FP90’s sound quality and 88 weighted and pressure-sensitive keys are two very important features that make it a great alternative for any pianist.

Where to buy it?

Features

88-key weighted keyboard with pressure sensitivity and hybrid structure in plastic and wood with exhaust technology, Ebony and Ivory Feel ( PHA-50)complete polyphony using concert piano voice, ballad piano and mellow piano and 384 notes polyphony for the other voices.

350 Voices ( 15 Piano, 16 E. Piano, 11 Strings, 15 Organo, 15 Pad, and 278 voices)
Super Natural Piano Sound
The sensitivity of 100 types and fixed sensitivity with responsive hammer.
Full, dual and split keyboard mode
Metronome
Effects( Environment, equalizer, compressor, doubling and echo)
Piano Customizer (only for voices with full polyphony)
LCD screen 132×32 dots
Volume control, equalizer, speakers
2 Speakers
MIDI
Pedal Port ( Damper/R, Sostenuto/C, Soft/L) TRS: ¼ mobile type
USB type B for PC connection
USB type A for memory port
Online entry and exit (L/mono, R) Jack: ¼
2 Stereo headphone ports from ¼
Bluetooth connection
Power consumption 12w
Dimensions 1.34m x 41.8 cm x 13.6cm (without lectern)
Weight 23.6kg

Sound

Roland has always stood out for its sound quality, the FP 90 is no exception, as it incorporates a technology called Super Natural Piano, which focuses on imitating a concert piano in addition the full polyphony in the piano voices provide high quality and clean sound.

Below is a video of the Roland FP 90:

As you can see in the video above the sound quality is very good, and the sensitivity of the keyboard allows you to interpret pieces with great precision.

Below is a video of Yohan Kim playing Our Love:

Connectivity

In terms of connectivity, the FP 90 has everything you need for a pianist, USB ports, online inputs, and pedal connection will give you the possibility to make presentations on a stage or studio recording.

One point to highlight in connectivity is Bluetooth, which although not indispensable can help you much when consulting scores on an iPad, as it allows synchronization with the keyboard.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Roland FP90

The advantages of this model are:

Quality of construction
Keyboard quality
Sensitivity options
Sound quality
Connectivity
Versatility
Personalization

The disadvantages of this model are:

Effects
Synthesizer

At first glance we can define that the FP 90 is an excellent choice, the reality is that this model performs very well, has good functions, and is high quality and very versatile alternative. A highlight of the FP 90 is the sound quality, although the keyboard technology is also somewhat out of the ordinary. Among the disadvantages of this model are the small variety of effects and functions of the synthesizer, however, the balance is totally positive for the FP 90, in short, is a keyboard with great versatility and good performance, ideal for any pianist. The Roland FP90 costs around €1.666/$1950/£1,499.

Roland FP90 vs Kawai ES8

The FP 90 and the Kawai ES8 are two models with high quality focused on pianists, these two alternatives aim to imitate a concert piano. The differences between the two models are shown below:

Both models have an 88-key keyboard with sensitivity to pressure and weighted keys, however, Kawai has a system of customization and adjustment of the keyboard.
The Roland polyphony in the piano voice is complete and in other voices 384 notes, while the Kawai has 256 polyphony notes for all voices.
The FP 90 has 360 voices, while the Kawai only has 34.
The sensitivity on the Roland keyboard is 100 types, while Kawai offers full customization technology with micro-adjustments, similar to an acoustic piano.
Roland incorporates Super Natural Piano sound technology to mimic an acoustic piano, benefiting from its full polyphony to achieve this. While Kawai only relies on his 256 polyphony notes.
The ES8 offers dual-mode, split, and 4 hands, while the FP 90 only offers dual-mode, split, and full.
Both models have excellent connectivity, however, the Roland FP 90 has Bluetooth, while the Kawai ES8 only has USB.
The Roland FP 90 features piano voice customization, in which virtually every aspect can be modified, allowing the pianist to have control over the sound.

Both Roland and Kawai have a high quality and versatility, both models offer excellent performance in their digital pianos, however, if your focus is on connectivity with mobile devices and high quality sound the Roland FP 90 is an excellent choice, however if you prefer an alternative with full customization the Kawai ES8 is ideal for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoAB9UJGHZU&t=14s

If you’re interested, you can visit our review of the Kawai ES8.

Roland FP90 vs Yamaha P255

The FP90 and the Yamaha P255 maintain as objective to imitate a digital piano. The similarities and differences between the two models are shown below:

Both feature an 88-key keyboard with sensitivity to pressure and weighted keys, however, the FP90 has a hybrid wood-plastic keyboard with exhaust technology, Ebony and Ivory Feel ( PHA-50), while Yamaha’s P255 has Graded hammer technology and synthetic Ivory Keytops.
The FP90 polyphony is complete for piano voices and 384 notes for other voices, while the Yamaha P255 has a polyphony of 256 notes.
The Roland FP 90 has 350 voices, while the Yamaha has 25.
Both models have MIDI, USB, auxiliary, pedal connection and headphone input, however the
Roland FP 90 has Bluetooth.
Roland allows the piano voices to be personalized so that the pianist can fully control the sound.
Yamaha has an approach to being a portable digital piano, so its weight is 17kg, while the FP90 weighs 23.6kg.

The Roland FP90 is a far superior choice to the Yamaha P255, as the quality of construction, keyboard technology, and user experience are much better, plus the sound of the FP90 features full polyphony and allows customization in piano voices. The Yamaha P255 is a good choice for those looking for a lightweight keyboard, as there is just over 6 kg difference between the two models, however, if you are looking for a better quality keyboard, Roland FP90 is a better alternative.

If you’re interested, you can visit our review of the Yamaha P255.

Roland FP90 vs Roland RD 2000

The FP90 and the RD2000 are two Roland keyboards with a different focus, however, they have interesting features for any pianist. The Roland FP90 costs around €1.666/$1950/£1,499 and the Roland RD 2000 is around €2.299/$2600/£2,090. The differences and similarities between the two models are presented below:

Both models feature 88 weighted and pressure-sensitive keys with ebony and ivory feel technology.
The FP90 polyphony is complete for piano voices and has 384 notes for the other voices, while the RD2000 has complete polyphony for V Piano and 128 polyphony notes for the other voices.
The RD2000 has 1100 Voices, while the FP90 has only 350.
The synthesizer functions of the RD2000 are better, it has 300 programs, fx modulation, 6 reverb types, 200 rhythm patterns, and 20 controllers for the synthesizer.
The sound recording of the RD 2000 is 2 channels with 24bits of power.
Both keyboards have similar connectivity, however, the RD 2000 incorporates LR inputs and outputs from ¼ and XLR, the FP90 has Bluetooth.
FP 90 has built-in speakers, while the RD2000 does not.

The comparison between the RD2000 and the FP 90 is complicated, since the approach is totally different, on the one hand, the RD2000 has a live presentations approach, while the FP90 is a digital piano with great sound quality. For those looking for a keyboard for live performances with great synthesizer functions the RD2000 is a better choice, however, those who prefer a keyboard focused on simulating a piano should choose FP90.

Conclusion

Before acquiring a keyboard you must make sure that it fulfills the adequate characteristics for the type of use that you will give it, each model has a particular approach and always you must look for an alternative that has to focus your principal activity.

The FP90 is an excellent alternative for pianists looking for a keyboard with a focus on simulating a piano, the experience provided by the FP 90 greatly simulates an acoustic piano. The sound quality and the construction of this model are really good, placing it as a great alternative. Those who need to simulate a piano and have synthesizer functions can opt for the RD2000.

If you are looking for a high-quality digital piano the FP90 may be your choice, however, if you are looking for other alternatives you can take a look at our guide to the best keyboards and digital pianos in terms of price and profit.

Where to Buy the Roland FP90

There are a wide variety of stores that offer the FP90, our recommendation is that you choose to buy it on the Internet, as this will save you a few money, here we show you the stores that we use:

Amazon

Free Shipping and the possibility of shipping in one day with Amazon Premium.
Full Guarantee but they are no experts in music equipment
A leader in fast shipments.
The price change a lot daily.
The best option in USA and ASIA

View Current Price at Amazon.com

Thomann

Free Shipping
Full warranty. If you have any problems, they take care of everything.
100% reliable payment.
A leader in trouble-free shipping.
Usually the best price.
Best Reputation: They are the leading online store in Europe and have the best catalog and information.

View Price at Thomann

For a similar price you have the following pianos and keyboards:

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Jaime Echagüe

Hi! I'm Jaime Echagüe, a musician and an authentic fan of musical instruments. With this blog I want to give general information about musical instruments in an easy, direct and honest way. I hope you enjoy my website and that you find it very useful.