After two weeks with the Korg SP500 I'd like to comment on this new......yet old keyboard. For those of you looking for the new, it's a really nice graded 88 key piano action and it weighs only a little over 40 lbs. It would be easy to take to the job and yet have a full 88 key hammer action. There are brand new Piano samples which sound great!
For the old........it's a familiar i30 arranger keyboard. The styles are all my favorite i30,i40 styles with 4 variations per style and there is touch screen to navigate like the i30 had only smaller but there are also buttons to navigate as well. There is a single touch button which will select an appropriate sound to go with a style. The styles are very good and the sounds are also top quality. There is unfortunately no pitch bend and mod wheel and for some of the solo sounds I would have really liked a mod wheel to add some vibrato. You can save 128 of your favorite performances inside which consists of style, sounds, effects, etc. There is a 8 track sequencer with good editing and you can store up to I think I remember the number 100 songs (I could be wrong here but it is a lot of songs) which remain in the keyboard all the time until you record over one, but there is no floppy drive or smart media card. The effects of which there are over 80 to choose from are also right out of the i30 and are very good.
I like this keyboard a lot and I think there is a market for people wishing 88 keys, not having to spend too much money, and will be really happy with the hundreds of styles already in this machine and don't need to add more. At a list price of $1800.00 and a street price which will surely be around $1500.00, I think this will be a great board for many.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California