New Roland GO:PIANO 88 Has More Sounds And A Sleeker Look
Roland has announced a new, “refreshed” version of its GO:PIANO88. As you might expect, this improves on the previous model in a number of ways.
The GO- 88PX (to give it its official title) is a lightweight, portable (you can run it on batteries) 88-note portable keyboard with ‘box-shape’ velocity-sensitive keys. There are five types of touch sensitivity – up from three on its predecessor, the GO:PIANO 88P – and a huge number of extra tones.
In fact, ten times as many, as the limited four-preset palette of the 88P has been expanded to include 40 built-in sounds, spread across piano, electric piano, organ and ‘other’ categories. There are also new ambience, brilliance and (for the organ tones) rotary speaker effects.
As a further bonus, you can also access a further 256 GM2 tones via the Roland Piano App. This also gives you access to the Piano Designer, which enables you to adjust the likes of lid position, damper resonance, tuning, volume and temperament.
Other features include a metronome, a MIDI recorder for capturing your playing, dual/split functions and wireless audio and MIDI over Bluetooth 5.
But, the maximum polyphony has been halved from 128 to 64 and the quoted amplifier power has dropped to 6w x 2 for the 15 x 6 cm speakers. The maximum quoted battery life is around six hours on the GO-88PX (using alkaline batteries).
In better news, the new model is very slightly smaller than the old one and weighs a bit less: 5.8kg as opposed to 7kg. The look has also been refined, and Roland says that the top-panel interface is easier to operate.
Like the 88P, the GO-88PX has a pedal input, audio output, USB port and AC adapter socket. A USB-C port replaces the USB type B port, though, and the phones/output socket is now minijack rather than 1/4-inch size.
Features:
- Premium piano performance in a compact and portable instrument
- 88 full-size keys for playing everything from pop to classical music
- Elegant design with acoustic piano style
- Simple interface with efficient controls
- Lightweight design (5.8 kg/12.8 lb.) that’s easy to move and carry
- Powered by AA batteries or included AC adaptor
- 40 presets, including bright and inviting piano tones and sounds for exploring other music styles
- High-quality stereo speaker system with rich, full sound
- Recording function for capturing performances and evaluating progress
- USB-C and Bluetooth audio/MIDI for streaming songs and working with music software
- Roland Piano App (iOS/Android) provides wireless remote control, learning games, and more
- Includes one year of Roland Cloud Core membership
The GO-88PX sounds good and plays well. The full-size digital piano price is at $379.99
Find out more on the Roland website.
