Korg SP280BK Digital Piano (Black)

I taught myself to play at the age of 10. So I did not have proper teaching in the differant transitions and technites.But I gradually created my own techniqe. I grew to love playing all types of music. My favorite is the praise and worshipfor my church here in my small town. I have stepped out and began in leading the music here. And I love it I must say. Therehas always been a dream that I have of actually having a true band. Being able to go from place to place and spread Gods name.I have become part of a band that loves playing music. But I needed to purchase a keyboard due to the fact of the unability oftaking the actual piona I play daily. I had a fear of the sound changing. I was so wrong. My keyboard actually makes my musicsound so much better. I only ... MoreI taught myself to play at the age of 10. So I did not have proper teaching in the differant transitions and technites.But I gradually created my own techniqe. I grew to love playing all types of music. My favorite is the praise and worshipfor my church here in my small town. I have stepped out and began in leading the music here. And I love it I must say. Therehas always been a dream that I have of actually having a true band. Being able to go from place to place and spread Gods name.I have become part of a band that loves playing music. But I needed to purchase a keyboard due to the fact of the unability oftaking the actual piona I play daily. I had a fear of the sound changing. I was so wrong. My keyboard actually makes my musicsound so much better. I only play piona when doing services at church. And play my keyboard regularly. I have to say it was thebest choice I made in 2020.

Electrical problem

Sound:Has great soundFeatures:Just enough sounds to choose from without being exsessive. Transpose feature is very usfull.Ease of Use:Very easy to useQuality:Mostly seems made well however my pianos line out did not work on 2 seperate unitsValue:Once for once it's a good value however I am going to have to pay a repair shop on a new instrument . Not sure what the end result will be.Manufacturer Support:WorthlessThe Wow Factor:Everything would be great about my piano if everything worked. Features, looks, sound, included stand but with out the line out working is a big deal.Overall:First I have to say I really like this piano. The problem is I havent been able to get the line out to either an amplifier or my interface to work. zZounds was very ... MoreSound:Has great soundFeatures:Just enough sounds to choose from without being exsessive. Transpose feature is very usfull.Ease of Use:Very easy to useQuality:Mostly seems made well however my pianos line out did not work on 2 seperate unitsValue:Once for once it's a good value however I am going to have to pay a repair shop on a new instrument . Not sure what the end result will be.Manufacturer Support:WorthlessThe Wow Factor:Everything would be great about my piano if everything worked. Features, looks, sound, included stand but with out the line out working is a big deal.Overall:First I have to say I really like this piano. The problem is I havent been able to get the line out to either an amplifier or my interface to work. zZounds was very good with replacing the first piano. However the replacement had the same problem. zZounds advised me to call Korg, Korg gave me an email address for operational trouble shooting. It took Korg almost 2 weeks to return the email just to say it must be a cable problem. Since then I've tried every cable I have and bought another to try and nothing works. Bottom line I'm going to have to take my brand new piano to a repair shop which besides paying money to get a new piano working properly I have to haul a large piano to and from a shop.

Exceptional digital piano at a very affordable price

I already own a Korg SP280 which I am very pleased with. I bought this one for use at a local Church which they are very happy with. Lovely range of sounds and feels like a real piano.

For the money......

I've had this board for a couple of years now, therefore the honeymoon period is over and I can give a good unbiased review. The piano is a good solid platform with a pretty decent action and solid sounds. The speakers are pretty good, better than most in this price range, but the sounds are quality when amplified through a PA. Also, the speakers make very good monitors as they are not cut out when hooked up to FOH. No gimmicks, no extra bells or whistles, no plethora of artificial useless sounds that will never be used in a real situation. I have the obligation of playing a DGX 660 regularly and have trouble transitioning from my main rig that is a Roland RD 2000 to the DGX 660. However, I can go back and forth from my RD 2000 to the SP 280 seamlessly. For the ... MoreI've had this board for a couple of years now, therefore the honeymoon period is over and I can give a good unbiased review. The piano is a good solid platform with a pretty decent action and solid sounds. The speakers are pretty good, better than most in this price range, but the sounds are quality when amplified through a PA. Also, the speakers make very good monitors as they are not cut out when hooked up to FOH. No gimmicks, no extra bells or whistles, no plethora of artificial useless sounds that will never be used in a real situation. I have the obligation of playing a DGX 660 regularly and have trouble transitioning from my main rig that is a Roland RD 2000 to the DGX 660. However, I can go back and forth from my RD 2000 to the SP 280 seamlessly. For the price this is probably the best board I've played overall. It's not an MP11 or an RD 2000 but it is a VERY gigable board with solid quality where it counts. I highly recommend this piano to anyone who is a beginner or intermediate player that is starting to play gigs. I would also recommend this board to an advanced player who needs a throwdown slab to gig with at a last minute deal.

Korg SP280 Digital Piano | Black

bought the Korg after reading reviews and having played its predecessor.We wanted a reasonably lightweight stage piano that was loud enough to use without a PA for school choir (etc) performances.This is perfect - its not the greatest action or piano sound in the world but is MUCH louder than its casio/yamaha competitors and is very cheap for the volume and what it does.We also have a yamaha P250 (similar to the current CP300) which was £2k new and is louder and better but for the price difference (around 25%) the Korg is a great deal.Good pianos, good rhodes/wurlitzer etc, reasonable organs (including hammond) and the strings (especially synth string pad) are great to combine with other sounds.You can change the volume when layering, transposing is pretty ... Morebought the Korg after reading reviews and having played its predecessor.We wanted a reasonably lightweight stage piano that was loud enough to use without a PA for school choir (etc) performances.This is perfect - its not the greatest action or piano sound in the world but is MUCH louder than its casio/yamaha competitors and is very cheap for the volume and what it does.We also have a yamaha P250 (similar to the current CP300) which was £2k new and is louder and better but for the price difference (around 25%) the Korg is a great deal.Good pianos, good rhodes/wurlitzer etc, reasonable organs (including hammond) and the strings (especially synth string pad) are great to combine with other sounds.You can change the volume when layering, transposing is pretty straightforward and the touch/brilliance (i.e. treble boost) make it more flexible sound wise.All in all the best value 'budget' stage piano sub £1k, AND it comes with a good music stand and sturdy screw in metal legs (similar to a Rhodes, and the front ones are adjustable for uneven floors) so no need to spend £20-40 on a solid music stand (and wobbles less than an X frame stand)

Nice Little Rig

I bought this keyboard as a travel Piano so I could leave my studio set up at all times. I am using it for Piano bar and light band use. Since Yamaha is no longer interested in putting speakers on its higher end gear, I went with this unit. He speakers sound great. The pianos are very decent, not perfect, but good enough for drunk bar patrons. The electrics and organs are as good as you'll find.The action is a tad light, but once you start playing you stop noticing.I really like the sound input jack. You can plug in your backing tracks or use for practicing.The built in stand is sturdy and seems like it will be durable. Plus you have great leg room while playing.I have not used this through my PA system yet, but from experience can tell that the sounds would be ... MoreI bought this keyboard as a travel Piano so I could leave my studio set up at all times. I am using it for Piano bar and light band use. Since Yamaha is no longer interested in putting speakers on its higher end gear, I went with this unit. He speakers sound great. The pianos are very decent, not perfect, but good enough for drunk bar patrons. The electrics and organs are as good as you'll find.The action is a tad light, but once you start playing you stop noticing.I really like the sound input jack. You can plug in your backing tracks or use for practicing.The built in stand is sturdy and seems like it will be durable. Plus you have great leg room while playing.I have not used this through my PA system yet, but from experience can tell that the sounds would be enhanced through better speakers.

Review of Korg SP-280 Digital Piano, Black

I am not the pianist in the family, but my son is really happy with the SP-280. He has always prferred playing a real acoustic piano but needed a digital piano so he could keep playing in his room at uni. Having tried several, he selected this one as it felt close to a real piano, and the sound was excellent. We also looked at aRoland and Yamaha in the same price range but he liked the sound of this better. Slightly less brash than the others, but then he has grown up playing two Broadwood acoustic which have a softer tone than Yamaha acoustics. At the end of the day sound and tone is a very personal thing. It has a reasonable range of voices, but we were not looking for bells and whistles, just something that closely mimiced a real piano. Having said that the ... MoreI am not the pianist in the family, but my son is really happy with the SP-280. He has always prferred playing a real acoustic piano but needed a digital piano so he could keep playing in his room at uni. Having tried several, he selected this one as it felt close to a real piano, and the sound was excellent. We also looked at aRoland and Yamaha in the same price range but he liked the sound of this better. Slightly less brash than the others, but then he has grown up playing two Broadwood acoustic which have a softer tone than Yamaha acoustics. At the end of the day sound and tone is a very personal thing. It has a reasonable range of voices, but we were not looking for bells and whistles, just something that closely mimiced a real piano. Having said that the various voices, particularly the electric pianos are pretty good.

Review of SP-280 Digital Piano

A fantastic stage keyboard. My son has been playing on it for hours already, trying out all different pieces from classical, jazz to rock. The different functions have enhanced his performance.

mixed review

I purchased the SP-280 mainly for home use, but was hoping to occasionally solo gig with it as well. Forget gigging with it, unless you plan to stick with just the piano settings. I like to layer in a bit of strings during an instrumental passage in a song. But the preset layer level for the strings is ridiculously overpowering. To turn on the layer, and get the right balance between piano and strings, requires pressing three different buttons before setting the balance (which requires another few button presses). Impossible to do in the middle of a song. There's no way to preset the desired balance, and then turn it off until you're ready to use it. Really cuts down on the expressive potential of the instrument. You'd have to have layering throughout the song. ... MoreI purchased the SP-280 mainly for home use, but was hoping to occasionally solo gig with it as well. Forget gigging with it, unless you plan to stick with just the piano settings. I like to layer in a bit of strings during an instrumental passage in a song. But the preset layer level for the strings is ridiculously overpowering. To turn on the layer, and get the right balance between piano and strings, requires pressing three different buttons before setting the balance (which requires another few button presses). Impossible to do in the middle of a song. There's no way to preset the desired balance, and then turn it off until you're ready to use it. Really cuts down on the expressive potential of the instrument. You'd have to have layering throughout the song. Also, don't expect to gig with the optional PU-2 three way pedal--the connecting pins are so fragile, they're bound to break after a few connecting and disconnectings. Still, it's nice to have the line in; and nice to have the included, surprisingly sturdy stand. Nice action, nice sounds, decent speakers (thought not for gigging), nice look. More variance in the effect levels would have been nice. A couple string patches that fade out on their own would be nice. Decent product for the price, but I wish I'd bought up (like the Casio Pro PX-5S, which has real-time levers for layering balance).