I've had more fun the last week getting to try out the new SD-1 in my store, the new 9000Pro in my store and today the new KF-90. It came in yesterday and after unpacking this beauty I instantly fell in love.
The keyboard looks exactly like the roland FP-9 and feels just like a great acoustic piano feels. It comes packaged with a nice wooden bench, a great looking wooden stand, a dust cover and most importantly a really easy to understand video owners manual.
The ability to take the keyboard off it's stand and plug up to 3 pedals into it's keyboard makes this an ideal keyboard for the working musician needing 88 piano keys.
The touchscreen and the functions are easier to use on this keyboard then on the VA-7 and the sounds are mostly the same. User styles, 16 track sequences and performances can be programmed and the onboard vocal harmonizer is awsome. You can assign many different chordal types, midi song types and special effect and pitch to midi sound type harmony's. There are many features also geared for the truly amateur player.
there is a style navigator and sound navigator which make it really easy and fast to create custom style scenes and sound variations. Just like all the other new Roland keyboards there are 4 size arrangements for each style along with basic and variation for each. The sounds are top, the styles are great and allows for direct from disk style playback and direct from disk song playback. It is easy to change sounds and mute parts on song and style playback. All in all, this is a winner in my opinion. I have so many customers wanting 88 keys, portability, built in speakers, vocal harmonizer, direct play of SMF and most importantly, easy to navigate. The Roland does all this with ease. If I have one thing I would have added it would have been pitch bend and modulation, but most of my customers interested in 88 weighted keys and want to use the styles, won't miss not having these. The price of this keyboard is right around $3500.00 and although not inexpensive, compared to the current crop of SK880 from Generalmusic and the current line up of Yamaha Clavinova's and Roland KR series digital piano keyboards, this unit, which is portable and funtional is a real bargain.
In case you are interested, there is no hard drive, which to most is not a really important feature, but it is a really nice package. I would put this keyboard in the category of one of my favorites right now.
I have been carrying the SK880 for several years now (formally the SK88), but I have always wished the size and weight were a little lighter and smaller and that there were some monitor speakers built in and the fact that the Fatar 88 note keyboard has not been as popular as the roland hammer weighted keyboard I have been waiting for this Roland for some time. Both sequencers are top notch but the way Roland plays Midi Files is a lot easier and quicker. I agree with most that the Generalmusic really takes some time to learn how to operate where the roland is a couple of hours at the most.
The roland is made in Japan even though the sound engine and style engine were designed from the same Italian made VA-7. I wish the VA-7 would have this great vocalizer built in. I think most of you would agree with me about how attractive and easy to use looking this keyboard is.
I love going into the store these past few days to play with all the new gear.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

George,

Sounds like a terrific instrument. I really miss the 88 weighted keys that I had on my Kawai KSP-10 digital piano. There's really no substitute for the feel and control they give your playing. Sometimes, I wonder if it isn't better to buy a digital piano and compliment it with an X4 or some other arranger unit. The only bad part I can think of is portability. The Kawai required two men to move it.

You've provided yet another useful and informative opinion. It's getting harder and harder to choose between all of the fine keyboards on the market. I'm afraid that I'm at the point that if I had a side by side comparision of each keyboard, I'd walk away saying, "I've got to have at least two of them!." Alas, money is a deterrant.

Keep up the good work (even though its like throwing temptation in front of a hungry wolf-pack).

Thanks for keeping us informed,
Steve