Technics SX-P30

Extremely easy and portabe and overall just excellent. Wether I want in in my room or at a show it always fits right in and is setup in milliseconds.

Brilliant feel to the p30. I swap constantly between this and an upright and the only difference is that the p30 sounds better! Have to admit it doesnt have any features other than piano and a synth like sound, but a pianos all I wanted it for so it suits me to a tee.

Extremely realistic sound, especially through headphones its like playing a grand, its great.

Have to admit the 2nd to lowest key is abit sticky, possibly damaged by previous owner, but ive never even used it. Other than that ive never had a problem with it.

Yeah of course you could find a fault with any keyboard/piano if you looked close enough, but I have to say this things great. Wouldnt trade it for a piano since its so portable, and I'd chalenge you to find an electric that sounds, proforms and feels better than this one.

This really is about as simple as it gets, and that in itself is part of the SX-P30's charm. I love the way the very simple switches are hidden on the side of the board so that the keyboard itself is completely uncluttered. It feels more like a real instrument this way. There are only two official sounds and the piano is the main event. I bought this second hand with no manual and I can't imagine what is in it - the operations are so simple.
There is no onboard editing and the only other real option is a choice of reverb on or off. You can also tune the board with a simple dial.

The reverb sounds best to me on though I know a lot of players here disagree. I like it. It gives warmth and atmosphere and given the sample is a Steinway grand you kind of want to give the sound a bit of space and atmosphere. I'm sure you can program your own reverb if you are using this as a controller but I think the onboard sounds good. I haven't used this board as a midi controller so can't comment.
The main extra feature is the Fender Rhodes described by many other reviewers below. It's a hidden sound and is really a fantastic, growly sample. To get it, select electric organ, then turn on the board while holding down the top C key.
The action of the board is one of the main appeals. It feels really good and is nicely weighted, though it's a little bit heavy. Beautiful action though - a pleasure to play.

The piano is sensational. I haven't found a better digital sample even after all these years. Love the lower and higher register in particular - they sound incredibly real.
Hidden Rhodes is good.
Electric piano has a touch of the Celine Dion's but does the trick and sometimes you feel like taking it for a spin.

This thing (touch wood) feels indestructable. I bought it second hand and it feels rock solid. I'd definitely gig with no fear of trouble.

They are now no longer in existance as a manufacturer of boards ( I'm not even sure they exist at all. Luckily the machine is so reliable, there's no major requirement for them. Best source of info about the board is this site! You can buy the manual over the net if you want to but there's little need for it I would suspect.

I'd be pretty upset if I lost it; it's got such great character and sound - I'd be lucky to find another really.

Great to use! You quickly get the feel for the switches being out of sight. Iv'e never really bothered too much with the manual, just plug and play. Wouldn't bother with the electric sound, bit weak. Love the hidden Rhodes sound though, nice and growly and great for jazz solos. A chorus slider alongside the reverb slider might have been a handy edition.

I did a gig the other night with my trio and played on someones RD500 and was amazed at how much better my P30 is. The action on the P30 is great, very definitive not like the roland. Rolands action took me about half an hour to get used to and even then I only half got used to it.It seemed to me as if the keys weren't coming back to rest, or at least a playable position in time, playing very quickly was outa the question.

When I'm doing a solo jazz gig (I sing too) I tend to EQ the P30 with a fair bit of bottom end, this to me sounds great and very realistic. I wind the mids back to about 9 oclock. Also sounds good this way for classical. When it comes to playing rock and jazz with the band I tend to wind the tops up a bit and the bottom end off a bit. This gives me enuf attack and ability to be heard over the band.
Steinwaty samples are very good but the onboard demo tunes are a bit of a waste of time. I have used them to hear what the piano sounds like out the front but find that the sensetivity on them is much heavier than normal so it's hard to judge from that point of view. Simple reverb is good enuf to use on the job. Sounds great also through a reasonable quality set of headphones too, which is fantastic for practicing.

As far as reliability goes it's fine. Although when I turned it on to use it at a gig a cupla weeks ago it wouldn't work so I called someone in the know and because I hadn't used it for a while there was something inside which needed recharging so it had to sit for a while and it had probably only been a month. Bit of a freak out but the sound came back slowly, maybe a capacitor or something.

Never needed customer support.

I'd buy another one quickly if mine were broken or stolen. I also think that the piano sound is far better that that on the P50,. I used one a year ago at a jazz festival and found the sound very uninspiring and lacked quite alot in the middle. the sound on the P50 was also very thin. The P30 is much better, IMO,than the new clavinova.
I reckon that what would have been a great idea instead of the punsey sounding FM electric piano would have been the same steinway sample again but beefed up and processed for that 70's ( Elton and Billy Joel) style rock sound!!?
Much better than anything else.

As easy as it can be, only minus: controls hidden on the left side. Bought it as a used one, an anybody help me getting a manual?

cf other reviews, very good keyboard action

Piano is quite okay, E-Piano usable (bould I've heard far better ones), Rhodes (hidden) was one of the reasons I definitely bought it. Fourth sound(if you can call that a sound) if you hold the 2 central Eb keys while powering on - just a sine tone.

Bought it used from someone who had bought it as a used one as well. Lowest two keys are clamping but I don't need them. Anybody knows how to fix it?
Apart from that seems very reliable.

Could have needed it (cf problems with the two lowest keys, need of a manual), but the german distrubutor I found on www.technics.com seems two have gone bancrupt a year or so ago...
This I'd actually like to rate this "0".

Chose this one because I needed just a piano at a reasonable price without any rubbish noone really needs.

couldn't be easier.

polyphony
good enough for me. if you play heavy chopin and make heavy use of the pedal, you might need 64 voices.

key action
this is the reason I bought the piano. I compared against most of the other pianos discussed in the forum. my second choice would be yamaha p90. I agree with the reviewer who stated the P90 has a great action but is away from being natural; I'd also admit that the P30 keys feel a little loose.

I miss two things on the P30: a cover for the keys, and output for a soft pedal.

design
I like it. black. small. puristic. fits under my dektop.

Sound
Cannot comment on the epiano, hardly ever use it.
the steinway samples are really good. I like the idea of having only one piano sound, and not messing around with GP2,3,4 to find out you use GP1 only anyway.

I use it basically for home use, some party gigging once in a while. no drop outs in six years.

the music stand is not optimal constructed (not really an issue)

never used, n/a.

Considering the price/value, I'd buy it again, or take a closer look at yamaha P90. it is technically slightly more advanced.

best key action up to far higher price ranges, extrodinary steinway piano grand - 10.

Very easy to use since there's so little features. The only minus I will give is that all the controls are located on the left side of the machine, and they can't be seen directly. But since I'm familiar to it, I don't need to see the switches anymore to use them.

The P30 has two piano sounds, one acoustic and one FM-type electric, plus one hidden sound, rhodes piano. There's one on/off -reverb. Basic MIDI; in/out, no thru. Connections for headphones and sustain pedal, of course. And that's all, there's no more features.
The polyphony is only 32; could be more, but it does for me, although when playing big arpeggios etc. the limitations can be heard.
The P30 might be good for a beginning keyboardist who doesn't need any further features, for a professional pianist it may not be adequate.

The acoustic piano is quite good, not perfect, but with a good reverb it's perhaps useable on studio, too. The electric piano is useable. Rhodes piano, which for some reason has been "hidden" (check the previous reviews), is very good, although it's quite "hard" and slightly distorted. The onboard reverb isn't very good, but useable if there's no other. I don't use it since it has no adjustable parameters. The action is very good, maybe best that I've tried! It's a little softer than usually in digital pianos, but it works perfectly for me. I play both classical and jazz/fusion.

I bought mine used, and it feels a little worn when I compared it to a newer one, but it works perfectly. It's quite strongly built, and seems very reliable.

Haven't ever needed.

I bought mine because I needed a cheap digital piano with a good piano touch, and this one filled my needs. I've been having it for over a year now, and I'm quite satisfied with it. Sometimes I miss better piano sound, and I have planned to buy an extra piano module. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a cheap basic digital piano with good action.

The piano is plug-and-play. Ideal for students and professionals alike.

The polyphony hasn't caused a problem with me yet, and I've been playing "Duncan" for three years. The action is better than most acoustic pianos I've played. My only complaint about its features is the sounds. I wish there was a way to layer the crystal-clear electric piano with the mellow strike grand piano.

The velocity, aftertouch, and response are all amazing, except when using it as a controller. I find that I have to boost the volume on my sound module to compensate for the "weight" of the P30. Does work as a decent controller, but MUCH better as a grand piano.

Like I said, I've been playing this piano for three years. It has lasted me longer than any other piano I've purchased. The other great thing is it's almost expandable. Yes, I've probably voided my warranty, but I've already opened it up and switched out the red LED for a blue one (very simple procedure). I'm in the process now of installing a small GM sound module into it. I'm not going to condone pulling this thing apart, but I've done it before and it still works well. Bottom line? It's virtually indestructble! =)

The great thing about the piano is that not any store can sell them. Fortunately, I have a Technics dealer about 15 minutes away. I've never needed to, but I know I can bring it there and they'll fix it for me. And yes, they'll give me a loaner. They can advertise that simply because it's not going to break in the first place!

Out of all the equipment that I own, the P30 has the best touch, the best acoustic piano sound, its the lightest keyboard I have, it's small enough to stick anywhere, and it's ULTRA portable. Just buy it; you won't be disappointed. (To see a listing of all my gear owned, check out http://mdjohnson.info/inventory.html

Very simple. It's really only a piano sound (haven't even bothered w/ the hidden sounds). If you want more than the piano -- which is great, then keep looking.

32 polyphony. Would prefer 64, but 32 hasn't caused any problems. The action is very nice. A real piano feel. This was my main concern: the action and the piano sound. I'm very satisfied w/ both.

I play classical and jazz, mostly jazz. It's pretty sensitive to touch and responds well. Again, I'm quite satisfied w/ the keyboard.

It's pretty solid. I bought it used and didn't have a box for it. As I brought it home it got banged a few times and is totally fine. It's also pretty heavy.

Never used.

I would purchase the Technics again if I found the right price. I looked into Rolands and the other major brands while searching for the right piano for me when I ran into the Technics. It meets all of my demands: looks good, sounds good, feels good. I hope it lasts for years b/c I'll keep it for that long

I've had this for a couple of years now. The action is by far the best weighted keyboard I've ever tried; the Yamahas have a very annoying initial stiffness that makes playing with a light touch extremely difficult, whereas the Technics action is silky smooth.
If you want a decent master keyboard with a real piano feel, this is an excellent choice, though a bit heavy for gigging - but that's how it is, 88 weighted keys are obviously gonna weigh!

I have to say the bass end is really superb, just incredibly convincing.

minimal - but I don't mind that. Polyphony doesn't really seem to be a problem.

The piano sound is pretty good; there's one note (I think B above middle C from memory) that has a subtle timbral 'oddness' that makes it stick out in classical pieces sometimes; it sounds fine if you just hit each note one at a time but somehow in context it sticks out. I largely get round this by mixing in a second piano from a Roland module just to add a little richness to the sound.

Only use it at home; I'd be a little concerned that the slide switches on the side would be vulnerable if you weren't careful, but the side flanges do offer a fair amount of protection.

Oh, I'd be grief stricken if it were lost or stolen. I'd just go out and buy another Technics model with the same feel.

Easy to use
Piano - Good
E. Piano - Very Good
Rhodes - Average (hidden sound - press top key while powering on)
Organ - Not so good (hidden sound - press 2 central Eb Keys while powering on)

No expansion capabilities, great keyboard action, 32 voices polyphony
Efects - Only Reverb
Easy to carry
Good for the price you pay.

I use it with a Rolan Xv-5050 and it suits perfectly.

Never let's me down.

Never needed it

Whell if it were stolen i would buy another one but that doesn't mean i don't like it :)
If someone knows about other secret sound please share whith us here.

Very easy keyboard to use. Just turn the switch on and play- I've never opened the manual.

I bought this keyboard because I wanted a very simple, portable, piano that feels like a piano. I got exactly that. Anything else I wanted I bought as a module.

The keyboard feel is pretty good and is the closest thing I found to a real piano out of all the keyboards I tried which were portable (and in this price range). The piano sound is also very good and realistic.

Never had any problem with it - I'd I've had it a couple of years.

Never dealt with these guys.

For piano players, that need portability and a great piano feel - I would recommend this keyboard

Actually I would rate it 9.5. Literally plug and play. I docked it a half point because all the control are on the side and hard to find. Even the on-off switch I can't find simply by feeling for it.

Polyphony is adequate. Only two sounds (plus two hidden sounds), no expansion capabilities. MIDI in and out, no thru, can transmit on all 16 channels but you cannot easily switch between them. No sequencer. In fairness, however, the P30 was designed as a portable piano, nothing more. I have played it, as a piano, for a number of gigs and it has performed very nicely. The P30 is perfect for a beginner or for someone who only needs the acoustic piano sound. If you are looking for a cheap controller, go with something (e.g. Fatar).

I've seen good and bad opinions about the piano sound. I think it's rather good (I play classical). My good opinion of the piano sound, however, is offset by the velocity sensitivity or lack thereof. As an experienced concert pianist, I can get a decent dynamic range. However, as a controller I need an average key on velocity of 100, and I can barely get 70.

Very reliable. I have never dropped it (like another review) but I have banged it occasionally and it has never failed me. Ruggedly built. I would use on a gig without a backup.

I happened on this survey while I was trying to find a website with a phone number I can call for help in replacing one of the footpads, because the manual has no contact information.

I won the P30 in a contest; if left to my own devices I would have gotten something else. That is not a reflection on the quality of the instrument (remember that is was designed only to a be a portable piano), but rather that I need a more sophisticated MIDI controller.

I would recommend the P30 to anyone who needs a portable, space-saving no-frills piano for not a lot of money. If anyone out there is interested in buying mine, please email me.

Very easy to use, except the annoyance of having the switches all on the side.

Not a very feature filled piano but does make up for that with the realistic piano touch and a good piano sound. Only 32 note polyphony which can cause some issues when you need to sustain over a period of time. No real expansion capabilities but that isn't its real purpose anyway, its more of an playing tool for a computer etc to do the effects.

The default piano sound is brilliant but don't even try the electric piano sound. I find it very good for classical piano playing and its great for jazz as well. A very good touch.

Very dependable so far.

No need to.

A very good piece of equipment, could do with a few more sounds and a higher polyphony.

Easy enough but if you're playing live you'll need to invest a few minutes pasting a couple of white sticky labels onto the side panel to label all the plugs & options etc which are hidden from view.

Polyphony - good enough, not too bothered.
Action annoys me greatly, I find it - as others have said - slippery & flimsy. Still, the weight's there but it seems to come through during the second half of the keyboard stroke.....the initial hit of the keys is rather weak (flimsy), especially on the black keys. I much prefer a chunky, firm action like say, a Yamaha Clavinova (which I also own). Keys are a touch wider than the average piano...still, with its action there's scope for good expressive playing on this instrument.

Velocity sensitivity is quite good, I think the best sound is the Fender Rhodes (and thanks to this website I wouldn't have known about it, like many others. It may have been worth Technics' while to print this information in their manual for godsakes.) The concert grand sound, although genuine and well-captured I tend to find rather drippy and 'wet'. After a while of playing it gets on my nerves and with this keyboard there's no way out. Midi is good but you still have to contend with the keyboard's action.

Reliable, but be very precious about the chord because going by what others are saying, Technics will slug you for heaps! Use it for a gig without a backup sure, I've bumped it around a bit and it's fine.

Never had to deal with them.

I'm selling it to purchase the new P50 which has an altogether firmer action and a great array of organ sounds, perfect for live performances. Sorry but I can't take the P30 seriously, I'm glad to be ridding of it to get something that's altogether more decent. This instrument is best used for musak/easy listening, it's hopeless for practicing drill's and exercises etc. Just when I thought Technics were going to get the eternal flick from me out comes the P50 which puts the Roland, Yamaha, & Kawai alternatives coming out second best. I've been informed that the P50 is actually superseeding the P30. Fair enough, the P30's had its day.
This instrument was something of a pioneer I recall but too many instuments have come onto the market in the past two years which render the P30 obsolete. For a little more money you can get many more sounds & a firmer action, without having to fork out a housing deposit style figure on the RD-600 or P200.

Not jam-packed with features, but the features on it, are satisfying and if they aren't want you need - stop whinging and go look for something else. But because it's got an output - just think of all the possibilities you can have if you own or have access to effect units, etc.

I have it running through an Yamaha EMX640 mixer with a standard pair of Yamaha SV15's... Listening through the headphones, it sounds abosolutely fantastic, but trying to EQ it through the system is a bit daunting at times. If you have similar problems, try using a spectrum analiser to help you EQ the mixer.

It's light, portable, and not too big.

The piano sound is quite authentic, especially in the lower middle range. I think it compares well the RD 100 from Roland. The manual reflects the simplicity of the functions. I think Technics are on the right track with this keyboard but they need to take it a step further now by producing a 76 note version to reduce the weight even more, double the polyphony and for gods sake offer a truly excellent couple of electric piano sounds. It always amazes me that it seems so difficult to do that. As far as reverb goes I think they should not bother. Most studios have superior reverbs as do sound engineers and a dry sound never lies.

Could use twice the polyphony but not if its going to cost heaps. Effects a token gesture. Probably the most natural feeling piano action I've owned, just the right weight and bounce.

Velocity sensitivity is excellent, also works well with my old MKS 20 which I love.

Hang the small weight, put a standard jug cord connection on the back and put the transformer inside. Its only a matter of time before that tiny plug craps out before a gig. Also lets have the volume control on top where I can see it, its fiddly having to grope around the side for it,, totally clean lines aren't everthing.

Yes I would buy it again. As I said before, its shortcomings can in most cases be overlooked and with a bit of development it could be an exceptional keyboard. After 30 years playing all sorts of gigs I think I long for the following things all in one keyboard;
(1) Minimum weight
(2) 76 notes..
(3) Superb piano action.. the ideal would be 76 note actual yamaha acoustic piano mechanism with lockdown facility for transportation.
(4)A beautiful classical piano sound and a good bright punchy rock sound along with a couple of really huge electric pianos .
(5) The ability to combine two sounds and the balance of them.
(6) Volume slider on the top.
Anyway even getting some of these features next would make me want to rush to my local music shop. Well done Technics, I think youve got the basics right and it would be a shame not to build on that .

Very easy to use. Plug and play !

Only three sounds:
1. Piano (very good)
2. E-piano (bell-like, don't use it)
3. Rhodes (THIS IS THE "SECRET SOUND" - hold the highest key (the c on the right) while pressing the power button to get it instead of the normal e-piano sound)
The Rhodes sound is very good, a little to flat maybe. I own a real Fender Rhodes and I know what I'm talking about.

You can switch Reverb on or off.

On of the best features of this piano beside the good sound and action is it's weight and it's size. If you play many gigs you will love it. It also looks quite sophisticated. No problem to use it at "high-society-locations"...

It doesn't have any effects or GM sounds or anything. But the few features it has are very good !

The only thing missing is a pitch bend. I don't need it for the internal sounds, but when I use it as masterkeyboard for synthies it might be useful.

I used a doepfer/roland combination before and I hated it. I play twice as good on the technics. If you need a REALISTIC keyboard action, you're right with it.
The Rhodes sound is pretty cool, I use it mostly for Jazz gigs.

Never had any problems.

I spent two afternoons at a music store that had almost every e-piano you can think of. I'm not a "keyboarder" but a jazz-pianist. I want to say, I really hate to play on e-pianos. But this one has the best action I know, beside the Kawai MP9000. But the Kawai costs and weighs twice as much !

I'd buy it again immediately !

I use it thoroughly for gigs and studio productions. It's perfect.

Extremely easy to use, except if wanting to change sounds in the middle of a performance it can be a bit fiddly having to reach around the side.

Having tried all similar current models - Yamaha S80, P80, Roland RD100, RD150, KORG SG pro X etc, I found the Technics to be one of the best keyboard actions of them all. Least favourite was the Yamaha P80, but that's just an aside, and it's subjective anyway. Midi capabilities could be a little better, as I am using my P30 as a master keyboard for a Korg Trinity as well as just a stand-alone electric piano, so mod wheel and pitch bend would have been nice, but I'm not complaining. I would have liked 64 note polyphony, but I have tried all my major classical pieces, using plenty of sustain, and it doesn't seem to be a problem. This was my main concern when thinking about purchasing the P30, as most of the other models did feature 64 note polyphony, but I'm pleased to say it hasn't turned out to be a problem. Expansion capabililties would have also been a bonus, but I can always get a rack mount. For the money (I paid #550), this is an excellent digital piano.

Again, I thought the piano sound was the best of the bunch of other digital pianos. This may be because the samples are from a Steinway piano. My parents have a Steinway upright (it's gorgeous) and the P30 is the piano that comes the closest to the Steinway sound (for the money), in my humble opinion. It works very well for classical and jazz, the reverb is good - not too much of it but just enough to enhance the sound. It has an excellent feel and the velocity sensitive dynamics are very good.

Having only just acquired the P30, I can't comment on this yet.

Again, no need to use this yet!

Overall, I'm very pleased with it and excited about taking it out and gigging with it. I won a Korg Trinity and a T3, and so the P30 will complement those 2 very nicely. It's great for classical (which is the main reason I bought it) and also for jazz, which I'm currently breaking into and learning. All these things are subjective, but I preferred it to all other similar digital pianos and don't understand some of the more negative reviews that have been submitted.

It would have been nice if 'Anonymous' (3 entries down) had bothered to tell us what he/she *does* actually use so that we could qualify their opinion. I find it very curious that this reviewer raves about the GEM Pro 1's action and sound when the only review for the Pro 1 complains about how awful it is in those categories. Which is not very helpful for a piano novice like me in trying to evaluate a suitable purchase.

I found the piano sound to be excellent through headphones, good when recorded and played back on cd - but unfortunately, very bass heavy, and a bit of a dirge in general, when it comes to putting it through an amplifier or P.A.

For me - the polyphony is fine - the only time it 's not good enough for me, is if I do an 'arm-crash' Ben Folds style - it can't handle the amount of notes - but I can live without the arm crashing.

Reverb works well, I prefer it to 'dry'.

The keys are weighted quite nicely, however, they are a bit slippery.

The biggest gripe with the keys, and indeed the biggest gripe about this whole electric piano, is that the keys are ever so slightly too wide. By this I mean, that if you measured from middle c to middle c on an average normal 'piano', and measured the same on the Technics, the Technics is slightly longer - only slightly - but it makes ALL the difference.

Having reasonably big hands, I shouldn't be having problems reaching from middle c with the right thumb, to the E 16 semitones up, with my little finger. On a normal piano, I can do it, and not 'quite' be comfortable - but it's just about ok. With the Technics, it's not ok, I can reach, but I am really stretching, and hitting the D as well.

I can't believe this was not realised by the makers, and what annoys me, is that it'll affect my piano playing. If an when I get enough money, I will have to buy a different electric piano.
A

It hasn't let me down.

I'd use it at a gig - with a micropiano attached, and I'd be very annoyed about the wide keys.

When my adapter broke, I was told I had to get a specific Technics sx-p30 adaptor, at the cost of about 50 pounds sterling (that's about $75 to you American folks!). Not good huh? No, not considering that is a normal kinf of 12v adaptor - obviously specificially produced, so if it broke, you'd HAVE to buy the special Technics one,'cos no other 12v adapors will work.

However, I got someone to modify my power socket on the piano, to accept any 12v.

This digital piano is very easy to use just turn the switch on and play.thats one of the many reasons i bought it for. manual is not really needed i just flicked throught it.

the action of this digital piano is the best out of many other digital pianos i tried.i found it slightly harder to play than a real piano, for practice its ideal.[after playing for a while a piano is easyer to play].

this digital piano suprised me i orded it not knowing what it would sound like it sounded awesome if you played blues,classical,metal etc.it sounded great in any field of music.[the only sound i use is piano with no reverb i have no use for electric piano].which sounds pretty good as well.

this thing is very heavy the first day i got it i put it on my keyboard stand guess what the stand broke i would advice you buy a 88 key table type stand.yes i depend on it no problems yet.yes i would use it at a gig without backup.

if i lost it i would buy it again the longer you have somthing with no problems the more you get to love it.love the action love the sound love the looks, on the down side though a back breaker to carry.

I gave this ax a 10 in ease of use because it truly is the easiest keyboard I have ever seen/played. There is an on and off toggle switch and a tone toggle switch and they threw in a volume wheel to boot. Nothing to confuse.

Now let me be clear, I don't own one of these and frankly I never will. I just wanted to voice my opinion here. It doesn't really matter what the polyphony is, because if you're playing anything that demands extensive polyphony, you won't be using this keyboard. The action is terribly flimsy. If I'm not mistaken, there are no on-board effects and no expansion possibilities. When I was shown this keyboard, the phrase that came to mind was "Piano on a stick." This is a no-nonsense, no frills ax probably best suited to controlling a module or something of that sort. But if you're looking for realistic action or effects, don't give this keyboard a second look.

Two tones . . . Piano and EP. And you'd think that if those were the only two tones on the keyboard, they'd be good. Nope. Wrong. Piano sounds like it's in a can and I believe that I've heard that EP tone on a Yamaha Portatone. Really though, the EP is very generic and sounds like a beginner keyboard tone. Same for the piano. Keyboard couldn't handle my chops and responded terribly to forceful low-end playing.

I wouldn't use this thing on a gig if it WERE my backup. I haven't had extensive experience using this thing on the road, but if I had to judge by the looks of it, I'd say about a five because it's simply a keyboard. No more. Keys and a tiny black frame. I'd think the first hard knock and you've got yourself a long wait in the service department.

Not an owner.

As I said before, I don't own one of these, but I was victim to a salesperson who was TRYING to sell me one and for the price he quoted me (about $1000) I couldn't help but think to myself "I can get a Generalmusic PRO 1 (which kicks this ax's ass in a MAJOR way) for less!!!" If I DID own this keyboard, I'd probably hope someone would steal it so I could justify getting a new one. I've been playing for over eight years and can't imagine a worse keyboard that I've seen in this price range. There wasn't a think about this keyboard that impressed me. I can't imagine being inspired on this instrument. For anyone in the market for something in this price range, I'd say go for the GENERALMUSIC PRO 1. The piano tone on that ax is the best on the market and it's got 31 other tones on it as opposed to the sx-p30's 1!!!!

A lot of switching on&off, especially to access the Rhodes preset.

I really have no idea yet what the specs are. But I bought it for only two things: great keyboard action and a decent piano sound. This baby definitely has both.

The piano as well as the elec. piano and rhodes sounds are excellent. The piano has really dark basses that really cut. Perfect for boogie and blues styles. The Rhodes sounds pretty funky indeed. And the (not me)Whipme Houston freaks will really dig the elec. piano sound.

Solid, durable construction. No unneccessary bull. Just the stuff you need. It looks pretty cool as well.

The dealer was excellent. Great service, nice coffee and a free cable included.

I compared the piano sound to that of the Yamaha P200. In my opinion the Yamaha didn't even come close. Especially in the low registers the P30 sounded far better (darker, fuller). My girlfriend agreed the Yamaha sounded thin in comparison. This instrument will offer you more bang for the buck.

Couldn't be easier to use. Manual is ok but you don't need it. Only
(minor) missing info is re: the "secret" third sound, as others have
noted.

The P30 is excellent at what it does: a portable digital piano
with a good feel at a good price. I wanted exactly that, as a quiet,
small, practice alternative to the acoustic in our main living area.
Doesn't have bells and whistles.

Have had it for 1-1/2 years and enjoy playing it.
Although I prefer our acoustic, for practical reasons I probably play
the digital more, and it is "close enough" to be enjoyable. I like
both the acoustic and electric sounds.

Never had any reliability problems. I only use it at home and don't
abuse it.

Never needed to use customer support.

I bought the P30 in December '99. Paid $1,000 for a package deal, that
included a good double-X stand and a small (15W) keyboard practice amp
and cable. Only regret: Sometimes I'd like to goof around with more
sounds. But the Technics is worth the price (I looked at Yamaha and
Kawai) for the kind of instrument it is.

Even if you're 2 years old, you could almost understand how it works.

Just enough for what I want. A handy alternative for grand piano.
Keyboard is with hammer-mechanics and weighted keys and feels like playing on a grand piano

Great piano-sound. Best I have heard so far. Electrical piano is very nice for pop-ballads. And the catch is. If you hold the most right key (the highest C on the keyboard) while turning the power of the keyboard on, you get a surprise Fender Rhodes!! It's just a little bonus from Technics. That sound is also very great and similar to the original Fender Rhodes.
I wonder if there are any more tricks. Whoever knows..please tell me.
wimwarman@hotmail.com

Great

Very nice. 'Johan de Heer' in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Very helpful!!

Actually 9,5!
The 10 should be reserved for a real Steinway or Bosendorfer.
So far other types elec. piano's wouldn't be rated higher than 8,5.

No software used; has MIDI ports but I haven't need for 'em (except poss. for una corda pedal addition - more about this later). It's pretty much plug in & go. All I care about is the standard piano features - don't care about synth features, elect. piano modes, etc. It took me longer to get it out of the box than it did for me to get it running.

The SX-P30 offers supposed 32-note polyphony which, considering it's stereo, is really 16 note polyphony. [Fine for me; more notes than I have fingers!]

Remember: this is not supposed to be a feature-laden "synth": it's a portable, electronic (grand) piano. As such it shouldn't be judged directly on a feature-by-feature comparison. Besides the grand piano/electronic piano sounds there's one or two other synthesizers hidden away (I play classical piano and have little use for these modes). Given that it *is* supposed to be a reasonably faithful emulation of a grand piano, it SHOULD have come w/an "una corda" ("soft pedal") input mode and separate pedal but it didn't, which is my main gripe and is why I'm gonna ding it by two points ;-)

For a $995 electronic piano, it sounds *damned* good. It's not the real thing but it's kinda like Equal vs. sugar. I bought the P30 since I live in an apartment and can usually only play (classical piano) late at night using headphones. Frankly it sounds better than most of the other elec. pianos I've played on (other Technics, Kurzweil, Yamaha, Roland) - it has a nice, "fat", nonsynthetic sound. In fact, it sound far more realistic than my girlfriend's pricey Kurzweil Mark-something, and the keyboard has a better feel too!

It definitely does offer a good "touch" for what it is. The mass & mechanical action of the keys are execellent - there's a nice piano-like coupling, correlation, what-have-you between touch input and sound output. Again, far better, again, then girlfriend's Kurzweil Mark-whatever.)

It'll take another generation of pianos and some more computing horsepower at reasonable pricing to implement key acceleration (as opposed to mere velocity) monitoring - such key sensors will be more expensive (x 88!) and require fast response & calculation by upgraded internal CPU time-processing units but I think such a design would get us over the next hump, bringing us even closer to "real piano".

I'm giving the SX-P30 a "9" score here because there may be better electronic pianos that I haven't heard, and I'd hate to think that my $995 piano has the best sound of 'em all. Nevertheless - esp. considering bang-for-the-buck - the P30 has a great grand piano sound. [Don't ask me about electronic piano sound, I'm not a fit judge. Coulda left off all that crap for all I care.]

Well, it hasn't caused me any trouble in approx. 1 year of (mild) household use - that is, an hour or two every nite/every other nite.
I don't move it around, and I cover the keyboard w/a towel to protect it from dust, cat hair, etc. Seems to be quality-built. Can't offer a "gig" opinion, just my experience ;-)

Since by day I'm an engineer - meaning I like to take apart, modify, or otherwise tweak anything I possibly can ;-) - I decided to order the *service* manual/schematic diagram. Took Panasonic 1 iteration to get the right manual out to me. But at least they sold it to me: I hear that it's hard to get tech info on some brands.

It would be nice to get fuller detail on MIDI functions supported, etc. There is a table in the service manual but I'm not sure if they've just printed all possible commands or the ones the P30 uses.

There may be internal wiring/software that supports "una corda" ("soft pedal") function and this is just not brought outside to a jack. It would not surprise me if the same board/ROM set/digital logic was used in other higher-end Technics pianos. This is a common technique of Japanese electronic companies - one common internal platform lets 'em get economies of scale, and the PC board is merely
reconfigured with different memory, jumpers, connector sets, etc.

Further investigation is certainly warranted when I scrape up the time. Otherwise, if this turns out to be a dud idea, I may need to build a little box to inject a MIDI una corda message - if indeed that message is actually honored and processed by the P30 - into the keyboard's MIDI port.

Overall: for me it's a 10 esp when you consider the price and that it's supposed to be an electronic emulation of a piano, not a full-house synthesizer.

- Yes, I'd buy it again if it were lost/stolen/broken. Closest reasonably-priced thing to a piano I can find that feels somewhat akin to a piano.

- I've been playing piano since I was a kid. Took a long spell away from the ivories in college and start of my career. Just now trying to get the wood out of my fingers...

- Overall love the action-vs.-sound relationship and overall piano sound (even without regard to price). Wished it had una corda pedal and *maybe* internal amp that could drive some stereo speakers. Portability is nice too, esp if I have to move. Hate to pay extra $$$ for those damned particle-board casings other pianos have. Don't like the power supply brick but I guess it has to go somewhere, and it's better than the "wall-wart" variety.

- While the portability factor and price were nice, overall I just felt more comfortable playing this than other brands (Roland, Yamaha,
Technics full-size, etc.) The sound was just nice and "fat" and realistic and it reacted pretty much like a piano.

Very easy to use due to the fact that there are few other buttons than the power on/off button. No controllers, dial boards or anything like that: all the switches and buttons are on the left side of the keyboard.

Reverb is kind of usable although I usually prefer using the sounds without it (except with Rhodes it sounds quite good). Keyboard touch is maybe a bit lighter than in the piano and I like the way it feels when playing. It is of course velocity sensitive but like in almost all digital pianos, no aftertouch.

Grand piano is quite excellent. Sounds reasonably close to the real thing. DX-7ish EPiano is usable as well providing a softer, a bit pad-like sound also. There are hidden features as mentioned in previous reviews. At least Rhodes EP and pure sine (test signal?) sounds can be found in addition. Rhodes EP samples between mid volume and overdriven are maybe a bit too drastic. I've played the real thing only a few times but I think the Rhodes in P30 is quite good imitation. I just wonder if there are some sounds still hidden in it...

My P30 is near 2 years old (bought it used a while ago) and still going without any severe problems. One strange thing though... When I turn off the power of my 60W amplifier (in which I have the P30 connected sometimes) the amplifier gives quite a loud pop and P30 occasionally goes mute after that. I don't know if it's the amplifier which is feeding a current spike to the P30 (and thus muting it) or what. Turning P30 off for a while and then back on seems to help and after that it works just fine again. Keyboard is solid and reliable.

It does one thing well: being a usable, good sounding and feeling digital piano/controller. No extra buttons or switches. If I'd want more sounds and programmability I'd probably think of a module with it. I compared P30 to Roland RD-600 (good piano touch, sounds and EQ built within), RD-100 (less convincing keyboard action than P30) which I had a chance to play myself and read reviews of Yamaha P200 and P80. All these were good keyboards with a bit more features than Technics SX-P30, but a reasonably higher price tag also. I think it's a very good, transportable (17kg) digital piano.

there's a fourth sound (if you can call that a sound) if you hold the 2 central Eb keys while powering on.
It's just a sine tone, totally unusable, but you might want to know tough

(btw, thanks for the rhodes, i didn't knew for that one)

Presets sound awesome. The piano sound is practically dead on.
Manual was pretty thin, but also not needed.

Keyboard feels better than my real piano at home.
Not many sounds. (2 excluding the hidden)
No card expansion slots.

Instrument sounds are very good for what it has.
built in reverb is nice.
Definetly going to need more sounds though, but beautiful for what it has to begin with.

weighs a ton. I dropped it once, and it still works fine. I haven't had it for that long though, but for as long as I've had it, its prevailed through all the abuse I've thrown at it.

A definite good buy. If I had to buy another keyboard, I might switch to something else with more sounds or more expandability.

No problems using this item. Just connect and gig!!

Acoustic piano sounds better with the built in reverb set on.
I must say I'd not play on another keyboard because the keys
feel so good. Since I play a lot of jazzpiano and also experienced a
whole bunch of other digital pianos, I now what I'm saying.
The sustainpedal is the only bad thing. It broke after 60 gigs.
But that doesn't matter since I bought another one with better
"pianofeel".

Good acoustic piano wich is the only thing that matters.
When being just a pianoplayer I don't need to bring any
extra soundmodules.

No problems so far.

I have not been needing any support.

I would buy again. Because what really matters is size. The only
competitor would be one of Doephers midi-keyboards. Very cheep,
very good sounding and very playable.

Its as easy to use as a piano is to play! However it does have one
annoying drawback. This is that the controls are labelled black on
black, and recessed so light can't get in. I find this very annoying
on stage when wanting to check that I've plugged the jacks in the right
way around, and that the switches haven't got knocked in transit/setting
up.

This piano is featureless, thats why its so good. It has 2 voices -
piano and electric piano. Why does it bother with the electric piano?
IMO Technics should lose this voice and save on a switch. Ditto with
the reverb switch - this would then partly aleviate my annoyance associated
with the critisism above.

It doesn't have an inbuilt speaker which does mean that you need to be
able to have yourself loud enough in your monitor - can cause problems
if you're sharing. This makes the keyboard smaller which is good.

The piano sound is very good but still noticably not so good as the
best electric pianos, especially in the low frequencies. Although
the price difference (800 vs 3000 ukp) probably explains why.

Its not failed me yet in 1 year of light use - about a dozen outings
(gigs/practices). I'm only just in the process of buying a flight
case for it now that the cardboard box is falling apart.

I will certainly buy it again, and have advised others (eg. my parents) to
buy one. However AFAIK there are no other equivalent[1] products on the
market.

1: Transportable, piano touch/sound.

Please ignore the "review" below, submitted by "Anonymous", which claims that there is a "wurlitzer organ sound" available by "holding down the second to top key while powering up". That message is a hoax. The only hidden sound is the Fender Rhodes electric piano sound, which you can get by holding down the very top note while powering up.

I see most of you have discovered the Rhodes sound. Try holding down the second to top key - it's a wurlitzer organ. It may only be on the super new models, but check it out.

This piano is very easy to use. Though there are only two sounds, (with a third hidden one), both are useable and appropriate. Its light weight portablility and action make it a great "working" piano.

The piano has a built in reverb. Whoever designed it thought about it and made it very convenient. All switches are on the side, with outputs and midi located there as well. Left hand volume slider for control while soloing (works for me anyway...my bass player won't let me use my left hand for anything else.)

Excellent acoustic and DX-7 sounds, and a third sound hidden. "Here's the procedure to get to it. Set the "piano/electric piano" switch to the "electric piano" setting. Now power off the unit, and then power on while holding down the top key. Voila! It's a pretty good Rhodes sound, too! "

Had it banging around in a cube van (though I made a case out of 3/4 ply.) Hasn't failed me yet in about 50 gigs. Sustain pedal broke down finally but I blame my cowboy boots on that

N/A haven't had to.

I would buy this piano again. I run it through a Yorkville 400K, and use an Alesis Nanosynth for organ sounds. I like the Roland sustain because it feels more like a "real" pedal. Fairly el cheapo keyboard stand but with light weight it doesn't matter.

This is not a complete review, but rather an addition to my previous review of the Technics SX-P30 digital piano. I found out something interesting that other P-30 owners might like to know. There is in fact a Rhodes electric piano sound in there in addtion to the DX7-ish electric piano sound! Here's the procedure to get to it. Set the "piano/electric piano" switch to the "electric piano" setting. Now power off the unit, and then power on while holding down the top key. Voila! It's a pretty good Rhodes sound, too! Unfortunately, it has audible velocity switching, which I don't like, but it's still usable. This procedure is not in the manual, by the way.

Doesn't get much easier. Along the left-hand side (recessed so they don't get munched in transport) are all the controls, which are very sparse: a stereo pair of 1/4" outputs, one of which can be used as a summed mono. There's a volume slider, a switch to select between acoustic and electric piano sound, a reverb on/off switch, a sustain pedal input, a power on/off switch, and an input for the lump-in-the-middle external power supply. There is also midi in and out. There is no reverb level control. The keyboard can transmit on one channel at a time. By holding down a certain note as you power on the unit, you can select midi channel. You can also select local off by the same technique.
There is no LCD display, but when the instrument is this simple, who needs one? As you sit at the piano, you see nothing but the keyboard, and a strip of black. For a piano player, this is psychologically quite pleasing in my opinion. To some extent it makes you feel like you're sitting at a real piano rather than an electronic one.

To me the best feature is the weight: 38 pounds. The other important features are that the acoustic piano sound is good, and that the weighted keyboard feels good. It is well-designed as a portable instrument: all the switches are recessed on the left-hand side. There's a little red light that you can see from the playing position that indicates power is on. It comes with a detachable music stand, similar to the one on the old DX7, but more sturdy. Finally, a good-sounding, good-feeling piano that's light enough to carry to gigs without back strain!
Drawbacks: The manual says 32-note polyphony, but that's misleading. The piano samples are stereo, so in reality, maximum number of notes is 16. This is a drawback, and either you can live with it or you can't. I can live with it, considering the pluses. Other minor drawbacks: the electric piano sound is of a DX7 rather than of a Rhodes. As a DX7 epno emulation, it's good, I just would have preferred a Rhodes. The external power supply is a bummer; at least it's of the lump-in-the-middle variety.

The acoustic piano is very good - very realistic sounding and very expressive. These things are always subjective, I know, but I've played most of the current digital pianos, so I know what the current state of the art is. This one is perhaps not the absolute best in terms of sound, but it's very good. The electric piano is fairly good.

Don't know yet - havent' used it long enough.

Don't know - haven't owned it long enough, and never dealt with Technics before. Technics are owned by Panasonic. Don't know if that's good or bad, but at least it indicates that there's a large company behind them with a long history.

I'd buy it again. There's really nothing else on the market like it, not that I've found anyway.