Roland RD-300s

Simple layout, easy transposition and midi functions. No f*&$ing shift buttons. If 'use' includes transportation that brings the score down a little as it weighs a tonne (at least)

Not feature packed, but the trem and chorus add a nice little something to the non accoustic piano sounds.
Action is the closest i have ever played to a real piano, nice and heavy. Polyphony is great enough to never have noticed it, even with extended pedalled passages. Full midi capabilities are handy, reliable and easy for any synth/computer linking you may want to do.
Again not heaps of features but what more do you really need in a stage piano?

Touch and velocity are beautiful, piano sounds are great, i use piano two with the brilliance a little down for most solo stuff, or a little higher for band stuff. The e pianos are very 80's, but good quality, i use them for electro stuff and the occasional jaunty song number. when used in conjuction the trem and chorus can give the vibes and clav an almost wah like effect. Bringing the brilliance down at the same time can give some cool pad like sounds.

its all i use. never had a problem.

if someone stole it, i would hunt them down and whack them with it. value for money? there are lots of nice digital pianos around, but being a classical pianist originally, im all about the touch and the sound, not the features or the looks. I have synths (novation xstation and nord electro 3) for the features. And the rd300 for gigs and the 'real' piano experience. So yeah, value for money. Ive owned two casios and a korg in the past, theyre now gone, the roland lives on.

8 sounds, three accoustics, I use #1 only on Bohemian Rhapsody whenever played else I always use #3 - it just cuts through the mix and gets noticed unlike the other 2. Two elecrics; a Rhodes and the old chustnut DX7 both quite convincing in the mix. Other sounds are Clav, Harpischord and Vibraphone. Why? I'd sooner have had more pianos or perhaps a good John Lord Hammand sound or even strings as is often the norm on modern e.piano units. No editing. Didn't have a manual which might be useful if your gonna use the master keyboard facilities this unit has.

Don't know what Polyphony is but never had a note robbing problem with it. It has Chorus and Tremelo effects which are only of any use on the EPs and the Vibes. It is capable of controlling other MIDI devices over two separate MIDI channels (on 1 port) with 3 volume sliders - i for the main keyboard and 2 for the other devices - handy. A true master k/b would have a joystick or controller wheels however this does not which is a shame as the keyboard itself is wonderful - not good for syth leads (where a lighter keyboard is required) but great for it's intended piano usage. Has MIDI I/O/T, tone control and a tuning pot on the back panel.

The main piano sounds are great as are the e.pianos but I simply don't see the point in clavs and vibes and bloody harpischords - who the f*ck uses these things anyway?! I use it for Rock music, I'm in a Journey tribute at the moment and it excels itself (I can't afford a 'Whale'! - Journey fans will know!). The keyboard action is as good as it gets I suppose - I have played better but on units that cost a damn site more money. Effective velocity sensing but sadly no aftertouch which would have been useful to control the outboard gear even though of no use for it's own inbuilt sounds.

Very dependable beast. About as heavy as a Mk4 Cortina (feels like it anyway) which makes it a little cumbersome for gigging. On my unit occasionally a key will physically stick down which is awkward as it won't let you change patch with keys held down. On a dark stage between songs trying to find which key is stuck can cause a problematic delay - drummers just don't understand do they.. '1...2...3...' 'Hang on - my keys are stuck' '4.. Bang bish bang bish..'!

Roland have been useful in the past. This is an ex-ex model of some years now and I'd be more than pleased if it were still supported.

If it were lost (how do loose half a shed?) or stolen I'd be cancelling gigs til replaced. I only have a Korg M1 and the pianos in that are shite! I love the Roland piano sounds. I hate the fact that only Arnold Schwarzenegger should ever gig it lest you have a hernia proof gut. I was about to go hire-purchase on a brand new Yamaha but then got this one for a song (UK ?250) and have had it since. It definately aids creative process and is a good live tool with it's handful of useful outboard controllers. Anything else I'd like to share? I wear a red dress on Sundays.

The presets are great !! The pianos have a ton of sustain !! The EP's are wonderful !!

16 poly on most sounds. Which is more than is sounds since they are mono in nature so it's like playing a modern piano that has 32 poly

Roland has never made a more expressive piano. Maybe the new ones sound better at first hearing but you can't get the level of expression on the new ones that you can on this one. If you play Jazz or Church music you can't find anything nicer.

This thing is built like a tank. New in 1992 and still plays like new. The keys are solid.. I can't imagine any of the them breaking.

I would buy this piano used over almost any piano that is in the 1000.00 range. It just plays more like a real piano than the more realistic sounding mp3 quality pianos of today. They just don't have the same inpiration to me. A bargain at any price.

Simplicity itself. I bought a manual 'just in case' but none is needed. MIDI implementation is straightforward; action is as close to a real piano as imaginable.

This has been covered by other reviewers. As a giging substitute for a real piano, it's without parallel. As a MIDI controller, it certainly suits my purposes.

Covered elsewhere. Action is great, sounds are great. A small quibble: I wish one of the EP sounds was that of a Wurly 200A, but I can't complain.

Bulletproof. Heavy as all-get-out but I have NEVER had trouble with it. The centerpiece of my setup. I can't imagine gigging without it.

Well, when I needed a manual they had it.

I will NEVER sell it (and I have sold some good stuff: A Sequential Prophet VS, A Wurly 200A, a Moog Rogue, a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp (OK, so those were all foolish sales on my part but you get the idea).

Plug it in and away you go! It defaults to Piano 1 every time, which I always use anyway. The other two piano sounds do have applications for a few particular songs. The two e-piano voices are very versatile, with the dynamics of e-piano 1 giving a wonderful old 'overdrive' sound when really hammered! If you get a Bach urge, the harpsichord voice does justice, especially if put through an external effects unit for room reverberation.

Got to a gig once without the proper mains lead (unusual plug in Germany) and had to solder something botchy for the evening.
I just miss a sustained voice of some type for those moments when you need a backing 'bed'. The chorus I only use when it's not going through my external effects unit (ART Multiverb) which gives a far better spatial image. The MIDI capabilities are adequate, once you get used to how to set them up.

Having grown up on 'real pianos', many of them grands, I didn't much like the sound of my friends' e-pianos. I spent a whole day at the Frankfurt Musikmesse trying out nothing but e-pianos and, shortly before closing, had almost given up in despair. Then the Roland salesman invited me into the 'professional' booth and saved the day. I LOVE IT !

I've managed to confuse it totally once when sending it Midi from an Atari and Cubase. I've also had some strange intermittent problems with the sustain pedal, but otherwise it's worked really hard in SO many venues and been utterly reliable there. No backup necessary as far as I'm concerned.

Thanksfully, I've never had any need for any support !

This piano has been played on open-air stages, in clubs and theatres all over Germany, sometimes alone, sometimes Midi-controlled and I'd be lost without it. It took a long time to find, and I am happy to convince the sceptics who insist on having a 'real' piano by playing them a recording of it, and asking them to guess the manufacturer. No its not a Bechstein, or a Steinway ... or a Yamaha !

This was my first electric piano (a present for getting one of my piano grades). There are only 16 buttons, and 6 slider switches on the whole piano. I have played gigs with this, and the buttons are far enough apart to find easily in the half-light of the venues.

I haven't really used the midi on this keyboard as I've only had my kiddy Casio 5 octave keyboard... but I'm sure that when I get a proper sound solution, It'll be easy to program.

The manual was clearly set out, but I only looked at it the first time (to work out how to set midi channel).

To date I have been playing piano about 16 years, and the action on this piano is almost like a real piano. The keys are defiantly weighted (which is given away by the weight of the blumin thing!). It is perhaps a bit lighter than my upright piano, but it will still work your fingers (I was playing Czerny's Art of finger-dexterity on it tonight, and my forearm and fingers were very warm after!). The key action isn't double action, but are fine for most trills.

The features are thus:
- External volume: you can control the upper and lower volumes independently. (I assume this is for using with midi boxes, or speaker outputs?)
- Internal volume: you can control the volume, and the brightness of the sound.
- Keyboard: which controls the key transposition, and where to split the keyboard. You can't split the internal sounds though.
- Midi: I don't really know much about it, but with 4 buttons you can control Transmit and Receive channels, for midi out and internal voice..... sorry, I can't explain any of that!
- Voice: (see below)
- Effect: this has a chorus button, and a tremolo button. You then have 2 sliders, which control the rate and the depth of the tremolo

Each internal sound stores your chorus and tremolo setting. When you are playing using one sound, you can press another sound and the light will flash. The next time you release all keys from the piano, or cease any sustain, the next sound will stop flashing, and start to be played.

You can attach a foot pedal which you press down, then press the key you want it to effect, then let go of the key, then let go of the pedal (or something like that). The only thing you can't switch on and off using the pedal, are the sounds.

There are 8 built in sounds:
- Piano 1: Grand piano, most realistic "normal" piano sound
- Piano 2: Slightly "ringyer", could be used for more boogie-woogie, or jazz/blues?
- Piano 3: honky-tonk piano.. ideal for 20's jazz. Think, Scott Joplin's The Entertainer!
- Harpsichord: This is an ok sound. Its not as good a harpsichord sound as the piano 1 is a good piano sound. It'll get you through a Handel or Bach composition though.
- Clavi: Ok, I have no idea what a Clavichord sounds like in real life, but if you put the volume up, and the tremolo on max, you can get a really funky bassy sound.
- Vibraphone: yes this is one of the nicest sounds on the keyboard. With the chorus, and the tremolo you can really play a nice cocktail set, or a cool Latin number (girl from Ipanema, and fly me to the moon come out well with it).
- Electric Piano 1: I wasn't using keyboards when electric pianos were out, so I don't really use this one much. Its an ok sound, but not to my taste.
- Electric piano 2: NEVER play this without pressing the CHORUS button! When I'm showing the sounds to my friends, I use this combination and play the introduction to Hero by Mariah Carey - lovely!

You have to make sure you use a proper keyboard amp to appreciate the sounds properly. My uncle has a 100W 4-speaker Yamaha amp, and it sounds lovely. In this room I have my old computer speakers.. and it slaughters the sound.

The keys are obviously touch sensitive, and although they are good, I think that they could have a bit more of a sensitivity range. They are just not quiet enough when you are playing soft (I'm trying to find faults here!).. and I can easily be playing the piano loudly, and not feel like I'm getting enough volume out the speakers.

That said, you can always turn the volume up or down to compensate. I really haven't found this a problem though.

I have never had any problems with this. I am writing this on 17/02/2002, and I must have bought it in 1994. It was about 12 years old aparently when the previous owners bought it? I can't tell you exaclty, but I know it is very old (and is in almost mint condition).

My uncle is a professional keyboarist (played with/in bands: The Teardrop Explodes, Kim Wilde, Patricia Kaas, The Proclaimers, been on a few proper world tours with bands, etc...), and his RD-300s has been everywhere. He has a proper flight case (that I love to borrow, and show off to all my friends - especially the "MICHAEL JACKSON WORLD TOUR, WEMBLEY" sticker on it! He has had his one years, and recommended me to get one. He has played many keyboards, and said that the Roland had the best piano sound, and touch, and robustness of any other one he played (that comment was from a few years back, but he still uses it (I know there have been developments recently)).

This thing is really built to last. If all Roland products have this build quality, then I'd always feel confident having one.


Lastly, this review thing asks the question: "Would you use it on a gig without a backup?" ... well I'm a student, so I can't afford a backup! ;-)

I have never had to get anything fixed, or had any problems with it at all. To be honest, if I had any problems, then the first place I would look would be the internet.

This is a lovely piano, and to have one in such good condition is very rare. If I had the misfortune of having it stolen, then I'd really really try and find one again.

At the time of writing, I am 21.5 years old, and have been playing since the age of 6. I have some other pants Casio keyboard (that was my ABRSM Grade 5 Piano Distinction present (my Uncle used Casio synths then, so I got a huge discount!)), but I'm looking into buying a sound box or perhaps a synth. The only thing the piano lacks is lots of sounds... but then again, it is not the Jack of all trades.. it is the Master of one!

I chose this piano because my Uncle recommended it, and everyone else that is musical and has played it likes it. I don't really have anything not positive to say about it.

If you are buying in the UK, look on Loot or Sound on Sound. I paid (well, my dad did!) #350, and got a switch pedal, a sustain pedal, and a proper heavy duty upside down U stand. (infact the stand was better than my Uncle's one he takes on tours!!).... and the RD-300s of course!!


Have fun!
-Funkyberry-

This is about as simple as a keyboard can get nowadays. 8 preset sounds, tremelo and chorus. Simple midi in and out channel select functions. An excellent mother keyboard.

If you have never worked with midi before, it can take a while to understand how to use this. Not that any other manufacturer is any easier to understand...

Note: the RD 250 series is a 76 note keyboard, while the RD 300 series is the full 88. The "s" at the end denotes a much higher quality of action. The RD 300s (which is the one I have) uses a design that costs more to produce and kicks butt over the RD 300 which relies on springs. I've worked on the RD 300 before, and I had to stretch some of the springs beyond where they were designed to be stretched, just to even out the action and the release of each note.

This is not a multi timbral keyboard, it will only play (or playback) one sound at a time. Nor can you expand it with cards or memory or anything. None of that is a real drawback in my mind. The simpler it gets, the more you can focus on the music.

I have heard that the Piano 1 sound is a sampled Steinway while the Piano 2 sound is a samples Bosendorfer. I almost always use the Piano 2 sound. The velocity sensitivity is the best I've come across in all the keyboards I've tried.

I bought this back in 1988 and it has remained my main axe all these years. Recently I purchased the Kurzweil 2600XS and ran it head to head with this Roland. Though the piano sound on the Kurzweil sounded a tad more realistic, it didn't hold up well throughout the entire range. To be specific, from middle C to an octave and a half below that, it got kinda muddy. The Roland has none of these problems. I ended up sending the Kurzweil back to the store because I liked the sound of the Roland so much more! The keys on the Roland have a good feel, though if I were to get hyper particular about it, they feel just a bit too plastic. I've found that the cleaner I keep the keys, the easier it is to get a good grip on the action. The Kurzweil on the other hand, had a bit more "tooth" to the plastic giving it a slightly nicer feel. You have to realize here that I'm comparing two keyboards that are worlds apart in price and options. And I kept the Roland.

I have played most of the other keyboards that Roland has come out with and for some reason, none of them sound anywhere near as good as this one. Perhaps with the advent of adding more and more sound effects to the signal chain, (reverb, delay, etc.) it degrades the sound.

The Piano 3 is a Yamaha electric grand (so I've heard) and I hardly ever use it. Though it might come in handy when you need to cut through a mix. The Clavicord and Harpsichord are throwaway sounds in my repertoire, though the Vibraphone has yet to be rivalled by Kuzweil, E-mu, or anyone else. The two electric piano sounds are likewise still at the top of the heap and this keyboard is 14 years old!!!!! 4 top of the line sounds out of a total of 8 sounds! How many of the keyboards on the market today have even 5% of the sounds as ones that you'd want to come back to time and time again?

I've had this keyboard for 14 years and each time it has started acting up on me (about once a year lately) I have always been able to open it up, jiggle a few things and get it back to working condition. Recently, I found two torn membrane switches and ordered some replacement parts from Roland. Unlike the reviewer below found, Roland is now remanufacturing these parts. Unfortunately, the parts they shipped me were not consistent in quality. The rubber membrane switches have a non-consistent release time, making repeated notes all but impossible. Hopefully, Roland will get back on top of this one, as this particular style of key action is a real winner.

I ended up using the "new" parts in the extreme ends of the keyboard and using old membrane switches from those areas to fix the trouble spots.

I have travelled all over the country in my van with this keyboard (just living, not gigging) and I used to plug it into my car battery and play it with headphones or a battery powered amplifier. I has seen a lot of use in an extreme variety of locations. It has held up better than most any other gear I have ever owned. This thing really rocks!

I give this a rating of 10 just because 11 wasn't an option.

I have contacted Roland support several times over the last 14 years. Sometimes they are helpful and knowledgeable, other times they seem confused or they are just not allowed to answer specific questions if you are not a dealer. Their support team, when compared to the experience I've received at the hands of others (like E-mu) places them at the upper end of the heap. Still plenty of room for improvement, though they do an admirable job.

This is a keyboard for life. I've been looking for a second one (you can find them used nowadays for $400 - $600) to have on hand just in case this one gets too beat up to play. Or to use for parts.

I play a lot of classical music and I'm a piano tuner/technician by training. Because I move around alot and don't have the option of owning an acoustic piano, this model I find to be the best rendition of the real thing. I run mine through a modest home stereo system and it sounds better than any acoustic on the market for under $5,000.

I run several sound modules off of it (E-mu Proteus 2, Proteus 2000, Virtuoso 2000, XR expansion card, Kurzweil micro piano, and Roland MT-100, which is the same sounds as their famous MT-32). All this goes into a 16 channel mixer with Electrix gear (Mo-FX, Filter Factory, Vocoder, EQ killer, and Filter Queen) being used to process the sounds. Most of the time however, I just play the Piano 2 sound, unmodified.

I have found a strange anomaly when using it with the Proteus 2000, the sustain pedal doesn't work (in multi mode) unless I change channel screens on the P2K. I've tried this with another P2K with the same results, also with another RD 300 with the same results. No amount of calls to either company has resulted in a reason for this. I don't have this problem with the Virtuoso 2000, nor the Proteus 2.

This is one of the most "musical" of electronic keyboards that I've ever had the joy to play.

As a digital piano with a limited number of fixed presets,
the RD-300s' feature set is obviously much simpler to learn than that
of a full-fledged, multitimbral synth. The MIDI control functions
are fairly complete, but very easy to learn. The manual is short and
sweet, and effectively covers the bases in a succinctly.

I've had this keyboard since 1988, and I haven't found a keyboard
action to date that I like significantly better. The action is fairly
light, very smooth and quiet, and is perfectly matched to the velocity
sensitivity of the sounds. The RD-300s should be thought of as a basic
MIDI master controller with some good basic keyboard patches. In this role, its
only serious shortcomings are the lack of pitch and modulation wheels,
and built-in reverb.

The Acoustic Piano and E. Piano 1 patches are beautifully balanced,
responsive, long-wearing and infinitely functional. In comparison, the pianos of
some modern instruments may be more accurate, but are often so
distinctive in one way or another that they can become grating
over time. And nothing can take the place of the E. Piano for its
combination of smoothness, roundness and cutting timbre when played
hard. The other patches like Vibes, Clav, Harpsichord and E. Piano 2
are too specialized for everyday use, but are of good quality. One of
the best features of the RD is its velocity response curve. Though the
dynamic range is somewhat lacking, the predictability of the response
is second to none, and makes for a very playable instrument, especially
for pieces requiring a sensitive touch.
for almost every application. indispensible

I've been banging on this instrument for 12 years, and the only
failure I've experienced was a torn membrane switch under one of the
keys in the center of the keyboard. The switches are joined in groups
of twelve, so I simply moved the group containing the bad one up to
the top of the keyboard where I virtually never play. Curiously, relocating
the switch restored it's function, even though it is still torn. I am
not a live-performance musisician, so I can't vouch for the general
durability or the RD, but it is built like a tank.

Roland was not terribly helpful with the torn membrane switch. The
design had been changed slightly, early in the production cycle,
and the old parts were no longer available (after about 4 years).
Permanently fixing the problem would have required upgrading all of
circuit cards and switches to the new design at significant cost.

I will probably never part with this instrument. I have a QS8 that I
added to my rig for its multi-timbral synthesis capabilities, and its
pitch and mod wheels, but I like to control it from the RD, because
I still prefer its action, and when I just want to play solo, or practice
I always turn to the RD. Bottom line: an oldy but a goody.

Very easy to use. Straight forward and self-explanatory.

Nice keyboard action Basic built in chorus and tremolo (best with stereo output) . No editing these effects, but that has never really hampered me. Nice weighted keys (all 88). Nice staple sounds.

Among the first convincing piano sounds. They are much better with a little reverb. I still use it in my recordings... Piano sound 3 really cuts through a mix, and E. Piano 1 is still a must for my playing.

Quite reliable. The keys do need to be fixed from time to time, but you get plenty of warning from the action. It won't just cut out on you. I have used it in gigs for years with no problem, except for one time I had to get in it and resolder the sound output... and you had better have a spare power cord. It uses the old 2-pin cords. A standard 3-pin computer cable will not work! (unless you modified it I suppose) Besides that it's a tank. It has held up better than any other keyboard I have owned.

Repairing the keys was a little pricey, but it was worth it to me.

I got the rack version (P-330) for backup. The P-330 has more editing available - and the RD-300s is kinda' heavy, but I do plan on using it well into the future. It does what it was designed to do quite well. I can recognize the sounds on the radio or recordings from time to time.