I also had to buy this keyboard in a hurry to replace a Roland controller I had been playing,,,,,they had just been released and I knew very little about this board,,,but once I got it I loved it,,,,I am a weekend warrior who played my SP88 for about eight years before having to retire it this year,,,,the sounds are great though I dont understand the ribbons not controlling the internal sounds,,,but this thing is durable,,,,,If I had the money today I would buy one NOW,,,,,,

I've had this keyboard for a few months now, and I have nothing bad to say about it! The action is just terrific, and the weighted keys are great too! I've also found that the nine different reverb effects are quite useful. The only thing I could ask for is that the pitch ribbon work on the INTERNAL effects. Great product, well worth the money.

I've had this piano for many years now, and I have to tell you, it's one of the best pianos that I've used. It sounds great, and it's fairly durable. And paired up with a good amp, it would be hard to find a better setup.

What can I say? This is a great keyboard! It is extremely durable, plays very well, has great sounds, and works very well as midi controller. I don't have any negatives to say about it.

Pros: - Continues to survive drops and beer spills. - For 88 keys, it's light weight. - Internal piano sounds very good. - Ribbon expression controllers are handy. - Good value for the money.

Cons: - Ribbon expression controllers do NOT connect to internal sounds. (go figure!) - External power supply is a pain during setup/teardown. - Lacks weighted action (this isn't all bad). - odd purple hue (why not black?)

I bought one several years ago, in a giant hurry, when my vintage 80's Kawaii M8000 conked out. Neither the old M8000 or this "new" product feel like a real wooden piano, but you can learn to play this one as it is. The lighter action on the SP88 allows for some techniques that can make you sound more technically proficient than you are, using 'wooden' piano sounds. I'm very happy with the feel of the keys using an (external synth) B3 patch.

My band has multiple electric guitars; I use the brightest internal piano sounds in that mix. That keeps my sound out of the mud.

My biggest complaint is that you must use an external MIDI synth in order to take advantage of the expression controllers. Happy as I am to lose the extra weight from my old keyboard, I still have to lug around a small rack with a synth in it in order to have effective inflection to my organ sounds. (rotating speaker, etc.)

Next time I get the bucks together, I'll see about getting a Kurzweil with more features.