Opinions of Korg sp-100?

[Bobcat102122]

Hi...I think I have three posts up now in the last couple days, but oh well.

I've been doing a lot of research and I am thinking about possibly buying a korg SP-100. It looks like it's a decent board, but I head something about 16 note polyphony??? Is that going to interfere with regular piano playing? how does it sound? It is advertised in musicians friend magazine, so I figured maybe I could go to a store like guitar center and actually play one? the price is 600. Are there any other products (88key weighted stage piano) that would suit my needs for this price? thanks!

 

[Chriss]

unless you have more than 16 fingers, it's not going to interfere with your playing... it's a really good stage piano as far as i've been told and you should definitely be able to check one out at the music store...

 

[major240]

Just went through testing alot of them in the $800-1300 range. Took about 3 weeks.

The Roland FP-3 has some nice tricks and sounds. I actually took one home, but I returned it...I couldn't get used to the "thunking" that came with the action (very light). Very annoying, even came through on recordings. If you can stand it, it's nice for about $1200.

The Kawai ES1 is very nice, but has a very short warranty. That scared me off. Also about $1200

I tried the Korg sp-200...the action was up there, but seemed...shallow. Sounds were okay.

I went with the Yamaha P80. The action is a little heavier/stiffer but the return on the keys suited me better. Perhaps not as delicate a touch. If your really looking for piano sounds, it has a better variety. Other sounds are marginal, at best. (Strings are horrible). Got it for $880...so saved some money, too. I have only had it for 3 days...we'll see how it pans out... see if I can learn how to play it the action.
The P120 gains on the other sounds and some features, but cuts a few of the piano sounds.
Goes for about $1200.

For good comparison/opinions, go to Harmony Central.

 

[Krakit]

unless you have more than 16 fingers, it's not going to interfere with your playing... it's a really good stage piano as far as i've been told and you should definitely be able to check one out at the music store...

Not so fast Chriss. You're forgetting about sustained crescedos and the like. I'd run out of 16 notes real easy. I need 64 poly at a minimum.

Carl