Kurzweil SP-76

I bought my Kurzweil SP-76 in March/2007. First of all I done some tests with piano sounds, and they're really amazing for a portable low-cost keyboard. Electric pianos are good as well, but I think there are too many "DX" pianos - it could have some more Fender Rhodes presets (there's only one - the patch no. 18). Organs aren't that great, but they work if you don't have money for a B3-emulator (like Hammond Suzuki XK-2, Roland VK-8, Tokai TX-5 Classic, aot.), as you can use the Ribbon B for Leslie. Strings... Well... I think 29 and 31 are pretty nice (Slow Strings); the other ones I don't liked too much - they sounded a bit artificial for me. But... Why they put a Synth Pad at the preset no. 32?
As the Kurzweil SP-76 is not a synthesizer, it doesn't edit any preset sound. But you can add effects to them. It has some cool effects, mainly Reverb, Chorus and a "Deep Space" (I think it's like a different stereo Chorus).
The manual is so complicated... I had to ask a friend for help on editing effects and creating MIDI Setups. The manual give me headaches...

The Kurzweil SP-76 has 32-voice polyphony. That's not too much, but the enough for live performance. It's OK, except if you use complex sound combinations and a lot of dense chords. But for usual playing, it works.
As I said before, it has built-in effects, like Reverb and Chorus. It doesn't have Wah Wah, Tremolo, Ring Modulator, aot., but why a stage piano should have those? The few effects included are very nice and make some ambience for the sounds.
It doesn't accept expansion boards, cards and new accessories, but...
... it has great MIDI capabilities, as a controller. You can literally "expand" the SP-76 with modules (and notebooks with softsynths). It doesn't just control modules pretty well, as it truely "incorporates" them, so you can, in example, call elaborated preset combinations (MIDI Setups) using both module and internal sounds, in different zones and MIDI channels. Actually, MIDI is the strongest feature of the SP-76.
There's no sequencer on SP-76, but why should I care for it on a live-performance instrument?

Most of the Kurzweil SP-76 sounds - if not all - come from their MicroPiano module, released in 1992. But the Grand Piano sound itself deserves prominence. Unfortunately, the only one Rhodes preset doesn't sound as it had to be. It sounds like they toke one of the DX piano sounds and just EQ'ed to look like a "Rhodes". It's a very easy-to-use instrument, aswell.
I think the best genres for the SP-76 are rock and pop, due to it's easiness of operation (unfortunately masked by it's too much difficult manual...) and because the preset sounds work well for those kinds of music.
There are only few onboard effects, but they're great.
The keys are very comfy to play. I think they make some noise while playing, maybe they rub each other. But when playing on a gig, with loud volume, the noise disappear and there's only music :-)
Still talking about the keys, I think they react well for velocity. Does it have aftertouch? I don't know. Maybe they transmit aftertouch through MIDI OUT, but the instrument itself doesn't recognize it.

It's a very strong instrument, so you can use it without worries. It doesn't need a backup at all.

I have no opinion as I never needed customer support.

If I lost my Kurzweil SP-76 or if it gets stolen, I would try the new Kurzweil SP2 - or the SP2X, as it has 88 hammer-action keys. It's worth that I paid, at all, but it's an instrument released in 1999, and I have no idea if it will continue to be produced.
I play since... 1990, maybe? I don't know, but I play live since I was a 7-year old boy (I'm currently 24-25). I also own a Roland GW-7 arranger/synthesizer/workstation (?) and a Roland SC-880 sound module.
Compare with other products? Well... I think the Kurzweil SP-76 is in the same category of Yamaha NP-30 and NP-30S - they're all 76 semi-weighted keys stage pianos. I choose SP-76 due to it's reliability for touring.
I wish SP-76 had some more Fender Rhodes presets and better Organ sounds, also a 64-voice polyphony. So it could be "perfect".
I think I told enough about the Kurzweil SP-76. If someone has something else to talk about, feel free.

There is so much to be said about the SP76. First of all, it is AWESOME. The acoustic piano sounds are great. I have 7 digital pianos and keyboards from Yamaha, Roland and Korg and I have to say the piano sounds on this take the cake. Secondly, the feel of the SEMI weighted keys. Dont underestimate the feel of the keys. My Roland pianos with hammer action keys are no btter than this SP76. I was surprised with how much weight is found in the keys. I love the feel. Thirdly, You can adjust the key pressure which is great. If you are lookin for a lightweight , quality built digital piano for gigging or home enjoyment this is for you. I use mine with a Behringer 300 watt keyboard amp and it is amazing at outdoor worship concerts. Also, the piano is NOT purple. IT is black - what a relief! Back to sounds, my favorite sound for worship is Warm Electric Grand ... sounds like you are in a big church with a Baldwin grand! The only thing I wish is that the bass side of the keyboard had more punch. But that is minor. Easy to use. Easy on the ears. Easy on the pocket book. Buy it

Using the SP76 is a breeze when simply using the on-board sounds, just press and play. If using it for a MIDI controller, that is another thing altogether. Difficult to figure out and setup zones and the manual does not help to explain this much better. Too few buttons on the interface for quick on the fly editing.

I find the keyboard action quite good amd responsive - definately not a real piano, but still feels good and is fun to play. The on board effects are OK, but wish there was more independent control over the chorus and reverb. Very disappointing as a MIDI controller and way to hard to figure out. Too few buttons on the interface makes editing tedious. Another big thing is the labels or graphics - they are extremely hard to read under any performance conditions or in a dimly lit studio. Why they chose these colors, i'll never know. The slide controllers - who designed these goofy things? Could have left'em off IMHO.

I purchased this for mainly for the paino sounds and the keyboard action, which is quite good and responsive. The piano sounds over all are a little thin but quite passable in the lower and upper octaves. I must point out that I find the the middle octaves (C-C) to be very eletronic or "synthy" sounding for some odd reason. Unfortunately this is right in the middle of the keyboard. The Sustain Piano and Piano with Strings are the best presets for me and tend to use these often. Most of the electic pianos are typical of synths, but the rest of the sounds are on the cheezy side (organs).

It feels solid and seems to be built very well. Lighter weight and easy to move around the some other piano/controllers.

Have never had to deal with them.

Overall for the price, the piano serves my purpose for gigging/studio and fits nicely into the mix (especially rock and blues), but as a stand-alone solo piano for jazz, etc, it's a bit on the thin side for my ears. My biggest complaint is the cryptic MIDI control and the labeling is hard to read. I do wish it had a little more independent control over the chrous and reverb settings. I play rock, blues and jazz.

See for "General Opinion" to see my comments on the sound. I'm tempted to give a 10, but due to the lacking sustain it's only 9.

Please note: This is an update of my review below!

It took some time, but a few weeks ago I had my first real gig with the SP-76. It was a little Jazz gig and I didn't want to haul my heavy Roland around. We played mostly standards, so I used the piano patches all the time.
My first impression was already a very good one, because I had my set ready in about 7 minutes without any help. Great! I just dialed the Kurzweil directly into the local PA and used the floor monitors (some older EV 15" wedges).
I found basically two flaws: The big one is the lacking sustain of the piano patches. If your singer loves ballads and slow tempi you've got a problem. "Sustain Piano" is a bit better than the others, but still far from good. The little one is the "pp"-sample: I love it becoming softer and mellower, but it is a bit too much, sometimes the chords become too muddy. However, from "mp" or "mf" on you get a great sound: it is transparent and cuts through the mix without becoming plastic-like and too aggressive. Great job, Kurzweil!!!!

I don't know if there are different software versions at all.
It needs a bit tweaking before you can use it properly. The way the touch velocity is set doesn't make sense to me - you have to beat the hell out of the keys to get a "fortissimo" - and there's too much reverb on all patches. Well, editing is easy when you have understood the system (which is easy, too). MIDI is a bit more tricky, but as I don't own an expander to use as a slave unit, I can't tell more yet.
Overall the ease of use is ok, the manual is fairly good, but you have to push a lot of buttons for things you have to edit very often when playing live, like reverb adjustments, so let's give it a 8.

Polyphony is 32, not very much, but ok for most things.
Keyboard action is great for a board without hammer action. The keys are a bit noisy (due to the many hollow spaces I suppose), but the feel very good.
Effects are reverb, chorus and a combination of reverb and echo calles "Deep Space". You have to push a lot of buttons to edit them - Roland is better.
I've heard that this board can do more MIDI than you'd expect. But honestly, I haven't tried it yet.
So far it's pretty simple and straightforward - a dedicated stage piano.

The sound quality is better than I had expected. The pianos are rather thin and hard than full and rich, but I like them. Classical pianists should look elsewhere, but for Jazz and Funk they should are good. Rock, Pop etc. should work, too.
The Electric Grands sound mostly cool, I'm not sure if they are totally realistic, but they sound good - and that's what counts!
The Electric Pianos are all no sampled Rhodes or Wurlitzer patches, they sound more like some synth emulations like on a DX-7. But I like them. Especially the one with a slight phase shifting is nice.
Forget about the organs, but the strings and pads are nice. There are no Clavinet sounds included. That's a pity.
The onboard effects are good, especially the chorus is nice and gives the Electric Pianos some extra flair. However, on all presets there's way too much reverb. No problem to solve that problem.

The keyboard velocity is kind of the weakest point of the SP-76. It's hard to get a "fortissimo" as well as to play really soft. I hope I'll get used to it...

I give it an 8, because I like most of the sounds, not a ten because of the velocity "problem".

Well, that's the reason I bought the SP-76. It's full-metal.
So there shouldn't be any problems.

I've never dealt with them

I was looking for something light and portable to save my back and the harp cover of my Rhodes. Furthermore I wanted something reliable with a good 76 key action that didn't cost too much.
The Kurzweil SP-76 was the way to go, because it offered 76 great keys, because it brought some good built-in sounds (saved me one expander), because it was light enough, yet strongly built - and because it was purple. Yes, I saw it and liked it right away, and Kurzweil are quite rare in Germany I think.
A serious reason was money. A Roland A-37 in a plastic enclosure would have cost 150 Euros more - without sounds! A CME UF7 and a used Micropiano would have been quite the same price, but I don't really trust CME's quality.

So, yes, I guess I would buy this little purple keyboard again. I'm not sure if I would really pay the price for a new unit, as the sound engine is already a couple of years old - which doesn't mean that it doesn' sound good. The only shortcomings are the external power supply and the slightly weird velocity curves. Apart from that I like it.

If not the SP-76 again I could imagine trying either Yamaha S-03 oder Roland Juno-D. Maybe their sounds are even better and they offer more possibilities to edit the sounds. But they have less keys - and they aren't semi-weighted. Maybe I would look at the Roland A-37 again, but I prefer my instruments to be made of metal.

The user interface is minimalist, but this isn't a problem for me (or
for most people, I would think). I can't give it really high marks but
I change my setup only rarely, and I'm just as happy not to spend extra
money on a fancy display. The manual is fine, certainly better than
the industry standard.

I think people should know that the mechanical action in this keyboard
may have changed recently. Older reviews on this site speak of a
problem with metal weights breaking off of individual keys. I opened
mine up and there are assuredly no weights, just a metal spring at the
back of each key. On the plus side, I guess I will not have to worry
about weights breaking off, but it also concerns me that this board
had a very good reputation for its action and I may have something new
and different. The action on my SP76 is practically indistinguishable
from that on the cheap M-Audio boards, you feel you are just pressing
against a rather stiff spring (well, you are). It's NOT anything
special or desirable. Look elsewhere if you care about the action.

I can't really imagine anyone buying this for its sounds, which are
few and mediocre even considering the price. After comparing it above
to the miserable M-Audio keyboards, I will say that it seems to send a
full range of midi velocities and seems consistent from key to key -
not something you can count on these days. At the default setting it
is actually difficult to hit a velocity over about 120 (but there are
several alternate curves) and it may be true that it skips over some
of the possible midi velocities. Personally I think this is a common
problem and out of several keyboards I've owned the SP76 has less to
apologize for than the others.

After having it only a few weeks I obviously can't rate reliability,
but the thing seems solid and stageworthy. I'd class it with the pro
gear rather than the cheap junk that seems to be crowding out the
keyboard market lately.

No idea.

I'm disappointed in the action which seems toy-like, and if it were
stolen I suspect I'd go for one of the Yamaha stage pianos and put
up with the extra weight. I do like the build quality. But keep in
mind that for this price, you could buy about three cheezo plastic
keyboards which have the same feel, destroy two of them on stage, and
still break even.

Overall the SP76 is pretty easy to use. My intention is to mainly use the unit as a master controller, so I'm very happy with ease of switching MIDI channels. Adjusting the effects on the internal voices involves some clicking, but it's not horrible.

The manual is average - not the worst but not the best.

The presets are alright, although they all have too much reverb on them.

Polyphony is alright, I don't really hear noticable voice stealing when I'm using the internal voices.

Previously I was using a Roland A-33 as a master controller, which had a lighter action - so at first the SP76 was tougher. But now I'm liking the action. I haven't played with velocity curves yet, but I have noticed that you really really need to dig in to get to 127. I mean, pound the crap out of the keys to get there

No sequencer or expansion capabilities - but I don't care - I'm just using this as a solid MIDI controller with a few backup voices if my main rig goes down (Laptop).

The pianos aren't bad, but my *free* Garageband Grand Piano smokes the living hell out of this thing. I've only been gigging on keys for a year, but it's always been the controller/laptop rig - so my basis for determining piano realism is higher than most I guess, because I'm always shocked at how poor most keyboards sound.

To be fair, the SP76 sounds good and is fun to play - and in the middle of the mix with my 7 piece rock band, most people aren't going to notice the difference - but still the overtones, sustain, and overall sound of the software pianos I use are MUCH more realistic.

That being said, the SP76 has the advantage of being hardware (less latency, quicker uptime, more reliable, will not start to crackle if I pump too much data through it).

In terms of the Rhodes & Organ sounds, I'm not stopping using my Scarbee libraries or the B4 anytime soon. They'll get me by in a pinch, but they're by no means show stoppers.

I haven't had the unit long enough to comment, but I must say this thing is built like a tank! Not the wimpy plastic M-Audio MIDI controllers I'm used to. Every piece of the unit appears to be built for the long haul.

Not dealt with them.

OK, I got this thing because my Master controller started going on the fritz (an old Roland A-33 I bought used for $60). I wanted a rock-solid keyboard with great semi-weighted action and decent sounds for use in a pinch.

I expected the piano's to be better, but they're only bad when played next to software. They're on par with most of the hardware out there and the SP76 absolutely smokes the stock pianos in my XV5050. So, if you're used to hardware pianos it's good, but if you're an Ivory user (or other soft pianos), you're not going to be stunned.

So, 10 for the build, action, and quickness of MIDI channel changes and 6 for the sounds.

Very easy to navigate through. I had rented an SP88X prior to buying this but found the weighted board quite noisy. The SP76 is the perfect balance of semi-weighted synth action useful for a variety of playing styles.

Presets sound great. It's amazing that the sounds are ostensibly from the MicroPiano that was released more than 10 years ago. How many manufacturers can lay claim to having a product that ages this well. I find this the case with most Kurzweil products to be honest. Not flashy- just great.

Polyphony is said to be only 32 notes but I don't hear any voice robbing. Another credit to Kurzweil programming. Keyboard action, as mentioned above, is excellent. The effects I find to be very good and not excessive like some reviews pointed out. They are on as a default when you power up the board but can be turned off easily enough. I managed to get around the OS without referring to a manual when I rented the SP88X so this board isn't hard to get into and edit velocity curves and such. Speaking of which, you CAN achieve 127 velocity without much effort when using curve 2. I don't know why the other gentleman had such difficulties with this.

The volume slider doubles as a controller for CC7 but I am assuming you could change that to any other controller. I have a Evolution UC16 so I use it's knobs for various MIDI controls.

The board is basically a stage piano with some controller features. The ribbon mod and pitch wheels are actually more useful than one would think from looking at them. I primarily got the SP76 as a controller first and piano secondly but the sounds are easily good enough to gig on.

Pianos aren't the triple strike variety that come with the PC2 and PC1x but still have clarity and depth. I have played classical, jazz and rock using the various piano patches and all genres trnaslate well onto this board.

I really like the string patches in particular. The warmth and breadth of those patches are extraordinary. I would buy the board again just for those sounds to be honest.

Onboard effects are quiet and useful. Can be switched off or depth can be altered via the editing section.

8 velocity curves all of which are good. This is a very sensitive board. If you play lightly, you get light velocities. If you bang it, you get fortissimo, the way it should be on all boards.

Have had it only for a day but the thing weighs 30 lbs and is only a semi-weighted board. Kurzweil are known for building their boards like tanks. Should hold up.

n/a

for the price, nothing comes close. I've sifted through the CME UF8, the Korg SP200, Novation reMOTE 61, Edirol PCR-M80, and only the SP76 gave me everything I was looking for and more. For the extra $250, the SP76 blows the CME out of the water for quality and durability. If this were lost or stolen I would surely get another one unless I won a small lottery in which case I'd step up and get the PC2 board which has a few more controller features and presets.

I need some basic piano sounds - grand, electric - which the SP-76 excels at. I also needed a Hammond B-3 sound (rotary organ) and after my first gig "out" - decided the organ sounded a bit too much like a carnival ride. Bought a Roland VK8-M synth to get much better organ sounds.

Action is great (I'm a former classical pianist) and very comfortable to use standing up. Not really using the MIDI features except for simple one channel out to the organ synth.

I played several stage pianos (Yamaha, Roland, etc.) - this one had the best sound to "my ear". Price was attractive as well.

Rock solid - I don't like the small power transformer/plug in - will probably be a problem over time - but the box itself is a true performer.

Haven't had to deal with them (and hope I don't have to).

There are other "similar" products - I would probably replace it with an 88-key version if I did it again - but there are other decent stage pianos out there - this one holds the bar for price/quality/sounds.

As a stage piano, it is very easy to use. If you plan to use as a midi controller... this is another story. The manual is reasonable well written.

It is a stage piano. No unnecessary features. Just what you need to play one of the most beautiful piano sounds. It has 32 internal sounds. The polyphony is 32 (not much but enough).

The action is semi weighted. Not too light like traditional keyboards and not too heavy like real piano. The piano sounds are excellent and very realistic.

Don't know about reliability yet...

I haven'y had to deal with Kurzweil.

I've owned a lot of keyboards through the years but this one is the best

First off, I am a guitar player and I don't know crap about MIDI and such. I just needed a good sounding piano with less then 88 keys, and a somewhat piano like action. Kurzweil filled the bill perfectly. This has to be the best playing keyboard I've ever touched. Perfect blend of hammer/synth action. I love the pianos, both acoustic and electric, and the piano/string 2 preset was worth the cost alone.

The keyboard action is the best I've ever played. The effects are nice and lush and most of the presets have a slight amount of ribbon control to them, very subtle, but very usefull. I plan to add a Korg X5D module in the near future for more sounds, but the ones this has already are very, very nice. I'm just learning about MIDI, so I don't know what the MIDI capabilities are. No sequencer, don't need one.

The pianos and strings are great, the organs are lacking, but with the ribbon control leslie speed changes they are passable. I think this should be in every home studio, it's a great keyboard right out of the box, and the action makes it the perfect MIDI controller. The keyboard not only feels great but the aftertouch and responsivness to how fast you hit the keys is right on the money.

Don't know about reliability yet, I just got it.

Don't know about Customer support, hope I never have to.

I would buy another one of these, just to have as a backup if I could afford it. I'm not a keyboard player, but I have learned more songs, and written more stuff in the last two days than I have my entire musical life. I've owned a lot of keyboards through the years but this one makes me want to play, and that's 99% of the game.

I am Alvin English. I would like to correct a statement made in my 01/20/2004 review of the SP76 Kurzweil Stage Piano. In my original review I stated the velocity curves are limited to 5, but the SP76 is actually limited to 8 velocity curves.

I am Alvin English. I would like to correct a statement made in my 01/20/2004 review of the SP76 Kurzweil Stage Piano. In my original review I stated the velocity curves are limited to 5, but the SP76 is actually limited to 8 velocity curves.

I did not purchase the SP76 for it's sounds. This stage piano has 32 basic sounds consisting of acoustical piano, electric piano, organ, and strings. Being a stage piano it is no surprise the acoustical pianos are the best sounds of the lot. The builtin sounds are easy enough to access. Editing may require a lot of button pushing to get the parameter you want. You can only do basic editing such as reverb, chorus, and very limited velocity curve changes. You can't "mangle" the electric piano sounds - no phaser, wah, etc. And the two organ sounds are nothing to write home about. The manual is very poor.

I purchased the SP76 for the EXCELLENT semi-weighted keyboard action. The action is identical to a Baldwin console piano I used for many years. The effects are limited to reverb and chorus. You can't expand it - think basic stage piano. It can be used as a midi controller for piano sounds only! See my comments about velocity curves in the following section. The SP76 does not have the velocity range of the PC2 which is a true midi controller. Selecting external midi programs is slow and cumbersome. The ribbon controlers are easy to use, but they offer no visual clue as to their setting. On the other hand, I can't speak highly enough of the Kurzweil keyboard action.

The acoustical piano sounds are very realistic. Is it the perfect piano sound? I don't believe any two people would agree on what is the ideal piano sound. The acoustical sound is better than many of the acoustical piano sounds I have heard. I prefer the upscale Yamaha piano sounds, but do not like the Yamaha keyboard action. The Kurzweil piano sound can work well with classical, jazz, and pop. The organ sounds are bland. The electric pianos are uninspiring. I purchased the SP76 for the natural piano action. The on-board effects are very limited, but that is ok for a dedicated piano. I hoped to use it as a midi-controller, but the SP76 has a limited velocity curve selection, only 5 predefined settings, fine for piano only. This keyboard shines as an acoustical piano, but it will not work well as midi controller for a synth module. You can't get the synth dynamics with out a good velocity range. I discovered this when trying to get phaser effects with the electric piano sounds on a couple of my external sound modules. The rhodes, wurlies, and clavinets on both my Roland VX3080 and EMU Vintage Keys were very static no matter which velocity setting I chose on the SP76. I eventually purchased a Roland A37 synth keyboard for the synth, organ, and electric piano sounds on my external modules. The Kurzweil is still my favorite piano, because of the keyboard action.

I only use it in the home studio, but the Kurzweil's metal body could take a lot of abuse. The quality of the workmanship is very high on the Kurzweil line of keyboards.

Customer support helpful, when you can reach them. There seems to be only one person manning the phones.

I am an amateur musician and have been using the SP76 for two years. I prefer the sound of the Yamaha pianos on their upscale keyboards, but don't care for their keyboard action and price. I have not found another keyboard that quite matches the semi-weighted feel of the Kurzweils. This stage piano is well constructed, reasonably priced, and has a decent acoustical piano sound and feel. I was hoping it would be both a piano and synth keyboard, but the 5 predefined velocity curves are too limited for my use as a synth midi controler. Besides you really need a separate synth weighted keyboard for those synthy sounds. As a low price acoustic piano, (IMO) you can't beat the SP76.

Yes, I would purchase the SP76 again - I love the action on the keyboard.

Some my other equipment is Roland XV3080 sound module, EMU MP7 sound module, Roland A37 synth weighted midi controller, MIDI-MAN midi controller, assorted computer sequencer and recording software, misc studio gear.

It's terribly easy to use in terms of choosing sounds and playing them. As a midi controller, it's a bit peculiar--a skimpy digital-watch-style window shows precious little data, but the well-written manual mostly makes up for that. It's programmable and tweakable; but it's a bit like editing a submarine sandwich with a pair of tweezers.

Honestly, I don't use it for the sounds, so I don't know how the polyphony is. The effects, as I recall, sounded good. The fact that it is so programmable makes a huge difference to me--that and having two zones per controller preset. Not back for such a cheap keyboard.
As far as I know, it does not transmit pressure.
One thing that's crucial if you're flying to a gig: this thing weighs VERY LITTLE. 27.5 pounds, if I recall correctly. One of the main reasons I bought it was to go play a showcase in Canada, and I needed something that the Airline people wouldn't raise a big stink over. This keyboard plus an SKB rolling case kept the whole package under 55 pounds. Righteous.

I didn't particularly like the piano sound, but that's a very subjective thing--I'm of the Roland SRX-2 camp, and I've never been fond of Kurzweil's pianos or electric pianos. The strings, surprisingly, are lush and gorgeous.

This thing is rock solid. I've dropped it, it's fallen off a keyboard stand, and I beat the living crap out of the keys at a couple of gigs where I lost my temper. The only thing that happened is I knocked a couple of the metal weights out of the keys, but after opening up the keyboard dumping the little metal weights, the whole thing was good as new. Except for the unweighted coupla keys.

I've retired it from my road rig because I got my Roland A-90's keyboard replaced. I prefer weighted keyboards, and this just wasn't weighted enough for me. That said, it's a great flying keyboard if you can't rent something where you're flying to. I'm amazed that it's held up to the abuse I've hurled at it--my hat is off to Kurzweil for the sturdiness of this board, and also for the well-written manual. They did good.

This is an addendum to the review I submitted yesterday:
There is a stupid quirk that affects all of the internal piano sounds:
namely, if you play very soft notes (with a velocity of "1"), the piano will not make a sound at all. This is not true for the EP's, Organs & Strings, just the ac pianos.

Another perhaps important thing to know:
As I mentioned in my other entry, it is very difficult to achieve velocities of 127. When I changed the "touch" parameter, I noticed that the upper velocities were quantized to 115, 119, 125, 127. (In other words, 116-118, 119-124 and 126 were unattainable.)

I wish a manufacturer would specify in their MIDI specification that certain output velocities are omitted.

Basic use of the rig is easy and self-explanatory. For editing, the user-interface is not so elegant, this is due to the minimal display elements and lack of cleverness in how they were employed. There is a 3-digit numeric display, a vertical row if LED's, and a few other status LED's. To access the 30-some edit parameters, you must select columns & rows (if the LED flashes it's one parameter, if it's solid its another). I think with a little more thought, they could have made it less messy. The manual does a mediocre job of explaining it. Suprising for Kurzweil.

BASICS:
Sturdy build, 76-semi-weighted keys. 30 lbs. Sleek design. Small footprint.

RELEASE VELOCITY:
I love having release velocity. When I set the release velocity to control release times (in my external synth module), I found it very satisfying to use.

THE RIBBON CONTROLLERS:
I didn't think I'd like the ribbons, but now that I've messed with them some, I like them. There are some cool things you can do with them. Pitch bending can begin from non-centered points. You can lift your finger and the pitch "snaps" back to center. You can tap the ribbon to get trills (of whole chords). Tapping in a certain spot will give you ethnic sounding micro-tonal trills. The "mod" ribbon is two separate controllers; i.e. the upper half of the ribbon works separately from the lower (except that pressing the center zeros both halves).

OTHER CONTROLLERS:
The volume slider is an assignable controller. There are two jacks on the back, one for a switch (which is actually a stereo input which can accept a double-switch pedal), and the other jack is for a CC pedal. (the manual kindly gives the specs for the pedal). I don't think I'll miss the aftertouch. On other keyboards I've had, I've generally had to turn it off because of all the unintended aftertouch triggering.

PRESETS/USER:
You can make some basic edits to the internal sounds. And you can create MIDI presets for controlling other synths. It's pretty basic. You can assign controllers, but you can't change ranges, etc. It's a very basic controller.

THE INTERNAL SOUNDS:
The piano is very nice. On a real piano, the low notes have a longer release than the middle notes. You can hear that the low notes tend to cut-off a little too fast after release. The top notes have the appropriate damperless decay.
The organs are ok. The EP's have that 80's FM/tine vibe, usable, but not so hip. The "hard EP" has more growl. Basic String Ens. sounds. Some pedestrian combos (org+pno, str+pno, etc).

THE ACTION:
I like the feel of the semi-weighted keys. They have mass, tight springs, but none of the floppy hammer dribble. The velocity response of the internal piano sounds feels pretty close to a real piano. There are both "touch" settings and "velocity curve" settings (for internal sounds). Unfortunately, there weren't enough choices of "touch" settings to solve this issue:

With the default "touch" setting of "3": really soft playing easily creates velocities of 1, values from 2-20 were harder to generate, and if I hit the keys with all my might, the velocities would barely pass 120. Using an easier "touch" setting of "2" made it more difficult to control the lower velocities and 127's were too easy.

Still, the action & feel are much to my liking. I'm not sure how I'll resolve this issue. I may just need to live with it.

I've owned other Kurzweil gear which has always been pretty reliable. The SP-76 is very solidly made with a metal case, and solid-feeling keys & buttons. Some don't like the wall-wart thing, but I'm pleased that they put in a strain relief loop, and the adaptor is a common rating that is easily replaced.

I've had good experiences with Kurzweil's customer service in the past.

SUMMARY:
I bought this rig as a MIDI controller. I looked at the Roland A-37 and A-50. The Fatar/Studiologic boards all seemed pretty shoddy. The other options were the Roland A-70 or the Kurzweil PC-2. The sp-76 had the size/weight/action/price-point I was looking for.

The clumsy interface is not much of an issue, because I expect I'll get it set-up and not change it much. It would have been nice if they had provided a short-cut to change the output channel (like pressing and holding enter while pressing the up/down buttons, for example).

I love the feel of the keys. I love that it's solidly built. Having some decent internal sounds is an added convenience (which I will probably use often).

The velocity range issue is my biggest disappointment. I really want the keyboard to have a nice wide even range. With normal playing, this rig is linear from about 20 to about 115. I guess that's ok. But I have lots of custom sounds with velocity triggered layers (i.e. some sounds are triggered by a velocity of 127). I'll have to reprogram my sounds to accomodate the limited range. I'll need to determine how much of an issue this is going to be.

Would I buy it again if lost? Probably. I don't think I can afford the more-expensive alternatives.

As a matter of personal preference, I'd rather support Kurzweil than Roland.

If you have any questions about the sp-76, you can contact me at
stubbsonic (put the "at" symbol in here) then... you know... at the old "hotmail"
"insert the period here" then "com".

This keyboard is plug n play easy! The presets are good. There isn't any onboard editing except for layer or split. The manual is alright...not great.

The keyboard action is great - very close to a piano. It has fx but they are mostly chorus and reverb.

The instruments are very realistic. The acoustic piano sound is awesome! Very inspiring! The organs are pretty good but not as good as the Emu PK-6 which I also demoed. The electric pianos are pretty good but not oustanding.

I think this product is very reliable and gig-worthy!

If you want an acoustic piano with a few other decent sounds this is a great product. I wish you could edit the sounds a little more and there were more fx. I would add a little distortion to the Rhodes and a little rotary speaker sim to the organ. Otherwise quite a good thing!

Very easy to use it. But sometimes is not so easy change some parameters on stage. For the simplicity they using only Leds to show status and paches so is dificult to see the signs on the keyboard panel on stage!

The keys are very good and make easy play the piano. The organs effects are not so good, could be better, the MIDI capabilities are perfect for a controller.

The piano sounds are great, the organs could be better, I use these sounds alive and studio performance and always I use other modules as sound generator. The keys are very sensitive and good for play alive.

I have just this one controlling other sound modules alive and I fell secure. This keyboard have only a serious problem on stage - the external power supply, too fragile!!

I just choose this one because I need only Piano, String and Organ sounds on stage and I need a piano keyboard like on road!

VERY easy to use, well that's probably because it's a stage piano, not a synth ... just the way I like it.

It's good if all you want is monophonic. I wish I can do split and layers on it. And 4 zones instead of 2 would be nice ;)

It's practically perfect for what I need, namely a piano. All the patches sounds fine to me, but then again I'm not a professional.
The piano sound is good in a mix, but Rolands and Yamahas are better for solos I think for their ticker/richer sound and longer sustain. One thing bothers me about the piano sound. I noticed that nobody has mentioned this, so here goes. I think the patch between middle E and G# are awful ... and it's right in the middle of the board! To see what I mean, try playing "Mary Had A Little Lamb" in the key of E, middle E that is. It sounds so synthetic! But play it one octave higher and it's all fine.

Dunno, have had it only for 3 months.

Never dealt with them.

At the price, I think I've made a good decision. Nice piano, and pretty good MIDI controller function.
I haven't found any competition around the price. It's one of a kind really.

Its Pretty easy to use the internal sounds. Just turn it on and u have ur presets right there. The midi setups ive never used. It has editing features and stuff which are easy. The manual is nice.

It has 32 internal sounds. The polyphony is 32. The action is semi weighted (witch i think is ideal for a keyboard)Keyboards with fully weighted action are too heavy. It has midi setups that i never used so i cant rate that. All and all i wish there was more internal sounds. But im too cheap to buy a mod. I give the features a 10 because if u want more sounds thats what midi is for!!!

THE SOUNDS RULE. Kurzweil piano is the best out there. I played a korg trinton at the store and the piano sounds SUCKED compaired to this. They were too tinny. Its good for everystyle of music. the effects are standar and i love the action. It gets 10 for the amazing sounds.

yeah i can depend on it. its amazing. My backup is a shitty yamaha. i don't use a backup because what there to go wrong. ur not gunna break a string.

haven't had it long enough to rate this.

I would buy this again in a flash if it was stolen. i love the sound. Ive been playing piano for 10 years and own alotta gear. I love this keyboard sound and action. i dn't hate anything i just wish i had a midi mod. The piano sound is better than the korg trinton. I almost bought a korg sp 500. but the sound of this one is amazing! i wish it had a spilt with bass and piano but ill buy a midi mod. for that. Buy this keyboard its a great bang for the buck.

The presents are excellent. The SP-76 has 32 voices, all of which are very usable. (unlike most digital piano's, which combine their piano sounds with totally useless sounds) The manual is one of the best I've seen included with a keyboard.

The keyboard has semi-weighted keys, which help keep your fingers from getting too tired too quickly. The build in effects are good,and add some depth to the sounds. If you don't like them, they can easily be changed. (the manual will help you through this part) In terms of polyphony, it is 32 note, and so far,haven't yet had a problem running out of notes during performance. I have not used it for a controller as of yet, but the SP-76 appears to have all the features needed for effective operation.

The sounds are nothing less than incredible, as Kurzweil products are known to be. All the sounds are very usable and very realistic. Even the organs, normally known for being weak on most keyboards, are usable. (Hey, it't not advertised to be a B-3 copy) The SP-76 will work well for all kinds of music, though my use is purely rock and pop. I've noticed no problem with playability/

So far so good, in terms of reliability. It seems to be built well. In terms of carrying it from place to place, I always recommend a good keyboard case for any keyboard. The SP-76 does appear very rugged.

I have never had to deal with Kurzweil thus far.

I would buy it again in a heartbeat. The SP-76 is definately worth the money and is an excellent stage piano/keyboard/controller. The sounds are great, and all are very usable for almost any rock or pop style. Being a current Ensoniq/Emu user, the piano sounds are as good, if not better than either company's products. A real gem!

Easy Keyboard to use. Just plug and play. I don't use a whole lot of midi, but the buttons are pretty plainly labled as to what they are.

The Keyboard action was sold to me as Weighted and I didn't believe that until I actually had to find out that indeed it did(and I stress the past tense - did!)have weights in the bottom of the keys along with spring action that was fairly comfortable(for a while)

The sounds are pretty close to great for the price! The piano was really good and actually compared with some of the Rolands, Korgs, Yamahas that i played when shopping. The strings are really good too. The String/Piano combination is probably the best thing about the board. The Organs are Weak, There isn't really one that suits my style on this board.

I definetly could not trust this keyboard on a road gig. About 8 months after buying ours, The Weights in the bottom of the keys started breaking loose from the cheap plastic that holds them in the bottom of the keys! This isn't good when you are hundreds of miles away and 2 and then 3 and 4, 5 , 6, etc. of your keys start making a horrible metallic tapping on the bottom of your Keyboard while you are trying to get into the spirit of a song!

The Customer support I tried was through e-mail and they never returned my e-mail. The warranty was up anyway, but I wanted to see if there was a fix. Perhaps if I would have called they would have had some answers, but they didn't respond to the e-mail, so... a rating of 7

If it were stolen I would be glad since I can't sell or play it the way it is anyway. I have been playing for over 25 years and i haven't heard any better Piano, Strings sounds for the money. But the Quality is not up to any traveling band's Par. It won't last if it is moved and shifted around. It would be good for Practice rooms or Students.

Ease of use depends on what you use this keyboard for. I have a 61key
Korg Triton that gives me all the sounds, sequencing and sampling
abilities that I need. I simply wanted a good controller keyboard
that had good piano and elec piano sounds as a foundation for the
Triton and I didn't want to pay a arm and a leg for it. This keyboard
meets my needs. Alot of reverb on some of the patches, but very easy
to adjust. Manual is simple for what I need.

Having gotten used to playing synths for the last 15 years or so, I
had to get used to the semi weighted keys. Nevertheless, the key
action is good. This keyboard doesn't come with alot of bells and
whistles. If you want more features, be ready to spend more money.
For the price and quality of sounds, you can't beat this keyboard.

Although I love my Triton, I think Korg's piano sounds could stand
some improvement. Kurzweil on the other hand is known for their
realistic sounds. Elec pianos are nice too. Strings are thick and
lushy. Very good sounds. Like I said, you may have to adjust some
of the effects, but overall very good.

No problems thusfar. Although very lightweight (27lbs.), it seems
very durable. Metal casing is good. Will have to do a few more
road gigs to truly test this keyboards full reliability. Only time
will tell.

Haven't had to deal with customer support yet.

If lost or stolen, I would definitely buy this keyboard again. I did
some homework and tried several other stage pianos (Rolands, Korgs,
Yamahas, etc....). But for the price, I couldn't pass up the SP76.
I briefly thought about getting the SP88, but didn't want to spend the
extra cheese for a few more keys that I'll probably never play. The
SP76 has the same features as the SP88. I play alot of jazz, R&B,
and Gospel which require good piano and elec piano sounds. This keyboard
is perfect for what I need. It works well as the foundation for my
live setup, with the Triton as an accompanying keyboard. If you're
looking for a simple, cheap, lightweight keyboard that has great sounds,
go out and get an SP76 right away!

i love this piano

good sounds action is better then the hammer in my opinion it is a semi weighted and it does not tire my fingers out when playing

very nice sounds good feel and touch--the only thing i cant figure out is i have roland p330 sound module and i cant figure out how to get it to midi up to the kurzweil sp 76 can any one please help me with this i have tried but just cant get it
bob728@hotmail.com

yes very dependable would buy it again if lost ot stole

never had to deal with

i have had a yamaha p80 roland fp3,general music prp7 alesis Q7 it is much better then all them the only thing i liked better was the roland rd 300 but it was just too heavy to carry to gigs

I have found this keyboard extremely easy to use. Right out of the box I was able to do everything I need without even picking up the manual. (The manual is very good by the way). Selecting presets and editing simple reverbs and chorus are a breeze yet, more advanced layering required me to spend a little extra time with it.

This keyboard only has 32 note polyphony, and since I play mostly new age style (lots of sustain) this was a concern for me. I have to say I have been very impressed with the polyphony. I haven't run out of notes once yet. I especially like the semi weighted action of this board. It feels very true to my fingers and I can play for hours without experiencing the fatigue of a heavier style key. Unfortunately there is no room for expansion with this deck which is a bit of a bummer...but hey its so reasonably priced that you can go out and buy a module and get all the sounds you want.

I have to say that I love the electric pianos, strings, pads, and especially the piano/strings combo. The pianos are a bit weak to me...but hey I wasn't expecting a Steinway. The organs are pretty cool but I don't use them much for my application. I would say all the sounds are very usuable for most people. Players that specialize in blues, funk, rock or new age will be well suited by this deck. However, if you enjoy playing dance/techno music or want a very dark piano sound for classical I would look elsewhere.

No problems as of yet. It seems to be bit very sturtily. Casing is mostly medal no exposed knobs or anything to break off on door jams etc. I would definitely depend on this one.

Haven't had the need as of yet.

I would definitely buy this keyboard again if it were lost or stolen. I have enjoyed it wholeheartedly. I have been playing for almost 20 years and have been quite impressed with this keyboard especially for the price. I did a lot of research before I bought this one. I looked at the Roland RD600, Korg SGPROX, Roland XV88. And I actually bought a Yamaha S80 before I bought this one and returned it. For 3 times the price I couldn't see keeping the S80 when I could buy this Kurzweil for a lot less and put that towards a module (Triton for example) that would give me the sounds I need later. I also own an Alesis QSR module that I play in tandem with the SP76 and have been happy with the setup. I play them through a pair of Yamaha MSP5 powered monitors and once again am satisfied with the expressiveness of the sounds.

To wrap it up...like I said earlier, I originally bought an S80. It was nice and all, but after a few weeks of playing it, I just didn't quite bond with it if you know what I mean. It just didn't feel right to me. I know some people love the board but it wasn't for me. As you all know music is an EXTREMELY subjective art and the S80 didn't seem to complement my style. So I returned it and picked up the SP76. For a tad over $500 I could afford to pickup a sound module and have all the sounds I could want. This keyboard doesn't try to be the end all be all of boards. It has only 32 internal sounds. But they are all very usuable. It doesn't have the hundreds of useless sounds that hurt my ears like a lot of the other decks have. (You know what I mean when I say hurt) Some keyboards pride themselves on having a lot of "cool" sounds that I for one can never work into any sort of song. This one is just a straightforward, easy to use, light weight, stage piano that anyone can afford and enjoy. Need I say more?