Roland RD Stage Pianos

Standard-setting grand sounds and play, plus a whole lot more

How do you redesign a legend? In the guitar world, you don’t. You make the same axe year after year with different finishes, options, and names. Things don’t work quite the same way in the realm of digital pianos. Technology and musicians demand better, faster, and more—right now, please. In an arena so competitive, it’s all the more amazing that Roland’s RD series of pianos has been setting standards for nearly 20 years, all the way back to the legendary RD-1000. You can still find devoted RD-1000 players in living rooms and on big stages around the world. The latest additions to the RD series—the RD-300SX and RD-700SX—carry on that tradition proudly.

The new face of RD

The Roland RD-300SX and RD-700SX share a clean, uncluttered look that belies the number of features and tones they possess. With their many pro-level features, the RDs are clearly built to be stage pianos for performing musicians. From their streamlined, sleek black aluminum chassis and interfaces to their impeccable grand piano tones and convincing acoustic feel, Roland designed the 700SX with one goal in mind: creating the best stage pianos available. The good news for piano-playing musicians is Roland has likely succeeded, as the RD-700SX beats anything else currently on the market. The RD-300SX–while clearly crafted to be a more affordable little brother to the 700SX—still packs the features players will need to perform with bands, in home studios, and in rehearsal spaces. And thanks to the MIDI I/O and USB port on both, each can also serve as the ultimate stage and studio controller.

Besides price, the differences between the 700SX and 300SX come down to three things: the number of controls, the key action, and the number of included tones. The 700SX has a large backlit LCD screen; more control over effects and EQ; and more MIDI zones with more control of zones. The 700SX ships with a mind-boggling set of 488 tones while the 300SX is (relatively) slimmed down to 340. Both pianos come with the incredible Ultimate-X and Grand RD grand piano tones. The 300SX includes 10 piano sounds total, while the 700SX has 20, including the mac-daddy of grand piano sounds, the new Superior Grand tone. Roland loaned the RD-700SX to me for this review.

Roland RD-700SX And RD-300SX Digital Pianos

Pinch me

It’s a bit of a cliché, but my first thought after hearing and playing the RD-700SX was it could fool a lot of blindfolded pianists, especially through a good sound system. Roland multisampled each key of an especially outstanding piano to deliver the Superior Grand tone for the 700SX. It paid off, because Roland got all the little things right which makes the tone ultraconvincing. The key clacks, the hammer strikes, responsive midrange, ringing bass, and superior treble response—the Superior Grand has got it all. They even replicated the sound difference between playing with the soundboard cover closed or open, with six settings to choose from. Best of all, it gives you the same vibe and has the same sonic heft as an acoustic piano. The Progressive Hammer Action and adjustable touch sensitivity also contribute a lot. Together they give you great feel and realistic response to your playing. And thanks to the multisampled piano sounds, the tones respond like an acoustic piano to changes in velocity.

I like the RD-700SX’s simple-to-operate control panel. It’s easy but doesn’t skimp on the amount of control you get. The backlit LCD interface is easy to read and you have lots of control with all of its buttons, sliders, and knobs. It’s also obvious Roland designed it for performing musicians. It puts everything you need close at hand, and most operations requiring fast access during a performance are one or two quick steps away. You have hands-on access to reverb, chorus, effects, and EQ, as well as split and layering functions and MIDI zone control. The pitch bend/modulation lever is a single control wheel with normal left and right pitch bend functions, but when you push it up, it applies modulation. It’s simple, it feels good, and works perfectly.

The large tone bank access buttons are easy to see and hit, and each bank is organized to give you the most common and most popular tones at the top of the bank so you don’t have to scroll down too far. The piano, electric piano, clav, organ, and pad banks are all rock solid, with each unique tone offering cool and usable sounds. Scrolling through the string, guitar, wind, voice/synth, and rhythm banks uncovered a lot of really great sounds, some for solo or lead work and others perfect for playing in a band mix. There are so many smart functions and cool tones, it’s impossible to mention them all. Rest assured, though, there’s a lot to love about the RD-700SX, and it’s only a matter of time before we’re referring to it in the same reverential tones as its predecessors.

Features & Specs:

Common Features:

• 16 parts
• 128 voice max polyphony
• 185 rhythm patterns
• Pitch Bend/Modulation lever
• Headphone jack
• 1/4" outs
• USB port
• Damper pedal
• AC powered (adapter included)

RD-700SX Features and Specs:

• 88-key Progressive Hammer Action keyboard
• 488 total tones
• 128MB wave memory
• 2 SRX expansion slots
• 100 setups
• 1MB flash memory
• Dual effects engines
• 125 effects types
• 3-band semi-parametric EQ
• 3-band compressor
• 3 chorus effects
• 6 reverbs
• 128 arpeggiator styles
• 4 MIDI zone level sliders
• Effects select and control knobs
• Backlit LCD screen
• XLR outs
• 3 TRS pedal jacks
• MIDI I/O/O/Thru
• 55-11/16"W x 5-11/16"H x 14-3/4"D
• 54 lbs.

RD-300SX Features and Specs:

• 88-key Compact Hammer Action keyboard
• 340 total tones
• 65MB wave memory
• 32 setups
• 78 effects types
• 4 reverbs
• 2-band EQ
• 2 MIDI zone level sliders
• EQ knobs
• 7 x 3 character LED display
• 2 TRS pedal jacks
• MIDI I/O
• 55-7/16"W x 5-5/16"H x 13-1/4"D
• 34 lbs.

Nobody will give you a better price on your RD-700SX or RD-300SX; that’s assured by our 45-Day Lowest Price Guarantee! And if you’re not happy, just return it using our 45-Day Total Satisfaction Guarantee. You can’t lose, so order today!