Roland RD Stage Piano History: 1986-2024

Looking at digital pianos from well into the 21st century, manufacturers have come a long way. The acoustic piano is a complex instrument full of subtle nuances and details which have historically been rather difficult to recreate convincingly in electronics.

The acoustic grand has a far more advanced sound, and range of playing techniques which alter that sound, than electric pianos which are relatively simple.

Not only the sound, but the feel of the keyboard is very different from that of a traditional organ or most synthesisers. The keys are weighted, and what’s more they differ in weight from heavy in the low registers to light in the high registers. That too has not always been easy or cost-effective to replicate in electronic instruments.

Roland is just one company which has been working on perfecting that distinctive and desirable sound and feel, and with the RD line of stage pianos spanning a forty year history, it gives a fantastic insight into that evolution.

Here we take a look at the twenty-plus models released, and how they’ve strived for the best piano sound and playing experience, while also being portable enough to move around (these are stage pianos after all) and having additional features gigging musicians want.

Contents

• Mid-80s Piano Realism: RD-1000
  • 76-key Models
  • 88-key Models
• Lead Action: RD-250/RD-300
• Big Sound with Hammers: RD-500
• Pushing Polyphony: RD-600/RD-100/RD-150
• New Piano, Finer Sounds: RD-700/RD-700SX
• SuperNATURAL: RD-700GX
• Feeling Good: RD-300GX/RD-700NX/RD-300NX/RD-700GXF
• Small & Light But Powerful: RD-64
• Portable for the Stage: RD-800
• RD-2000 Power
• ZEN-Core & SuperNATURAL: RD-88
• Triple EX: RD-08/RD-2000EX/RD-88EX
• Roland RD Series Chronology and Feature Development
• RD Performers
• Model Differences
  • RD-250 / RD-250S
  • RD-300 / RD-300S
  • RD-88 / RD-88EX
  • RD-2000 / RD-2000EX
• Speaker Issue?
• Promos & Leaflets
• What’s Next?
• Where to Buy Roland RD Models
• Where to Repair RD Models

Mid-80s Piano Realism: RD-1000

In 1972 Roland launched its EP-30 electric piano – a fantastic sounding instrument but nothing like an acoustic piano in sound.

It would fourteen more years before Roland launched its RD-1000 with a new synthesis system — Structured Adaptive Synthesis (SA).

With electronics, storage space and the like being expensive, SA didn’t sample every single key on a piano. Instead it divided the keyboard into thirty distinct zones, allowing the sound engineers to focus on different pitches, brightness and harmonic interactions.

Doing the calculations shows that SA on an 88-key full size keyboard would allocate a separate sample for every three keys, approximately. That’s pretty good for the time, and would’ve sounded radically different from anything else trying to sound like an acoustic grand.

The RD-1000 had a Voice Preserve function which allowed any of the eight onboard voices to be picked ahead of time, only switching when playing stops or the damper pedal is released. This proved very useful for live performance.

In the following year (1987) came a flurry of models:

76-key Models

• RD-200
• RD-250
• RD-250S

88-key Models

• RD-300
• RD-300S

Lead Action: RD-250/RD-300

The RD-250 and RD-300 featured an improved keyboard action which used lead weights to replicate the feeling of an acoustic piano’s hammer action.

Big Sound with Hammers: RD-500

Skip forward seven years to 1994 and the RD-500 introduced a much expanded sound bank of 121 variations — well up on the RD-1000’s eight. To go with that, polyphony almost doubled, jumping up from 16 to 28.

It was also the first of Roland’s RD range to include a genuine hammer action keyboard, really pushing the realism of feel to the next level.

Although hammer action keyboards are generally heavier, all else being equal, than keyboards with some other method of weighting keys, the hammer action employed of the RD-500 must have been lighter in weight — relying on the genuine action itself — than a keybed full of lead weights.

The additional sounds also made it useful to introduce other playing features, including live performance helps such as MIDI transmission of up to four voice parts across different key ranges, complete with transposition. This gave the RD-500 master keyboard credentials – great if stage or studio musicians had other instruments — perhaps sans-keyboard modules — they wanted to control and mix in. Perhaps things we take for granted now, but with MIDI still only about a decade in, it was far more impressive then.

Finally, some synth-like abilities included adjusting voice envelopes and detuning different layers.

Pushing Polyphony: RD-600/RD-100/RD-150

The RD-600 from 1997 brought in another significant jump of polyphony, as we were seeing elsewhere in digital pianos and synths — up to 64. This was also the limit on the RD-100 of 1999 and the RD-150 of 2001.

Keyboard action was also improved on the RD-600, with Roland introducing the PA-4 hammer action system.

The 128 sound palette included voices from the VE-RD1 and SR-JV80 expansion boards, and the increased polyphony made the improved 16 parts far more useful.

The RD-100 was a more basic model featuring nine basic sounds and split and layer options – great for those who wanted a decent feel and sound without paying more for the MIDI transmission and extra sound banks which not everyone needed.

The RD-150 was an upgraded version of the RD-100, and took various features from the RD-700 (below).

New Piano, Finer Sounds: RD-700/RD-700SX

Turning the century, the RD-700 doubled the polyphony to 128, coming closer to a point when the majority of players would not notice note drop outs from complex, sustained passages.

Its 64MB stereo sampled wave memory featured an improved acoustic piano sound, a variety of other high quality voices, and the ability to expand the sound library via two SRX expansion card slots.

Performance and accompaniment features were also bumped up significantly, with the introduction of an arpeggiator with 45 styles that included a guitar strumming mode.

In 2005 the RD-700SX was launched with progressive hammer action keyboard, 128 polyphony, 128MB wave memory, expansion slots and arpeggiator.

SuperNATURAL: RD-700GX

Roland’s now widely-used SuperNATURAL sound system was introduced in the RD-700GX model from 2010. Thanks to increased storage at lower cost, it became feasible to up the number of samples. The RD-700GX’s electric pianos featured a separate set of samples for every key, combined with a dynamic algorithm which offered 16,000 different levels of velocity and related timbre for each note.

Feeling Good: RD-300GX/RD-700NX/RD-300NX/RD-700GXF

The RD-700GX also introduced the PHA-II Ivory Feel key action which replicated the action on an acoustic piano where a slight click occurs when the hammer hits the strings. Roland calls this escapement.

The feel of the keys uses Roland’s proprietary material to give a porous and tactile surface with a realism virtually indistinguishable from ivory.

The RD-300GX featured a PHA alpha II keyboard and an MP3 Audio Key function which made it easy to play a range of digital audio files from a USB memory stick.

The RD-700NX and RD-300NX which followed in the same year introduced PHA-III, utilising three sensors which could react one hundred times faster than standard sensors and therefore significantly improve capture of the musician’s playing.

An NX editor app for the iPad allowed easy customisation and included live set editing including part splits, layers and effects.

The RD-700GXF was apparently an even more premium version of the RD-700GX, more akin to the RD-700NX.

Small & Light But Powerful: RD-64

In 2012 launched an apparent outlier with the 64-note RD-64. An unusual number of keys for any keyboard, it offered a more compact and lightweight RD experience for gigging musicians in particular.

It features a range of SuperNATURAL acoustic pianos and EPs, clav and organ tones, and it has a dedicated controller mode for allowing it to do just that.

It’s the only one of the line to use Roland’s Feel-G keyboard, which emulates the weight and feel of a piano but is slightly lighter and some would say more ‘spongey’ than other weighted keybeds.

Portable for the Stage: RD-800

Despite the “stage piano” attribution, some of the previous models had some heft to them. The 2014 RD-800 was slimmed down and more portable than past models.

Features included a huge bank of 1100 sounds, a PHA-4 action keyboard with both Ivory Feel and Ebony Feel, and high-resolution sensing technology.

A Tone Color knob allowed an optimised set of sound parameters to be altered on the fly.

RD-2000 Power

In 2017, Roland launched the RD-2000. This featured dual sound engines for giving ultra-realistic acoustic and electric piano voices, together with many other sound types.

It featured an innovative interface, dual wave expansion slots, and a PHA-50 Progressive Hammer Action keyboard with escapement. It made for a decent controller keyboard, could recreate the RD-1000 sounds, and allowed expansions including tone wheel organs, classic synths, and other RD tones.

ZEN-Core & SuperNATURAL: RD-88

In 2020 Roland launched the RD-88 featuring both ZEN-Core and SuperNATURAL sound generators. SuperNATURAL provides the acoustic and electric pianos while ZEN-Core offers up more acoustic and electronic sounds — over 3000 in fact.

Triple EX: RD-08/RD-2000EX/RD-88EX

In 2024, Roland launched a trio of new RD stage pianos – two with “EX” in their model name:

• RD-08
• RD-2000EX
• RD-88EX

All are 88-key instruments with 256 notes of polyphony.

The RD-2000EX has the PHA-50 keyboard as found in premium Roland grand pianos —with hammer action, escapement, and hybrid wood/moulded keys for an acoustic feel and greater durability — while the RD-08 and RD-88EX have PHA-4 keyboards with escapement and Ivory Feel.

Other features include connectivity with Roland Cloud, V-Piano, SuperNATURAL and Wave expansions.

Roland RD Series Chronology and Feature Development

Here’s the list of RD models in order of release year, together with their defining features. Each model number is linked to our keyboard database where you can find more information and specifications.

RD Performers

Some notable musicians who have used Roland RD stage pianos include:

• Elton John — RD-1000
• Sky White (Foxy Shazam) – RD-700NX
• Toby Chapman (Spandau Ballet)
• Peter Gordeno (Depeche Mode)
• Mike Lindup (Level 42, Earth Wind and Fire)
• Ayo Oyerinde (Jessie J)
• Great Big World
• Brian Culbertson
• Rick Wakeman (Yes, Black Sabbath)
• Brian May – RD-1000
• Floating Points
• Birdy
• Steve Garrigan (Kodaline)

Model Differences

A few models seem very similar, differing with a suffix on the model number. Mostly the differences are not significant and can sometimes be resolved with a software update or download.

RD-250 / RD-250S

Exact information isn’t entirely clear, but the RD-250S appears to be an enhanced keyboard version of the RD-250, designed to give a more authentic playing experience. Both have been described as containing lead weights to simulate hammer action.

RD-300 / RD-300S

Exact information isn’t entirely clear, but the RD-300S appears to be an enhanced keyboard version of the RD-300, designed to give a more authentic playing experience. Both have been described as containing lead weights to simulate hammer action.

There may also have been some interface updates and improvements.

RD-88 / RD-88EX

The RD-88 (2020) and RD-88EX (2024) are identical instruments with the exception of the RD-88EX featuring the SuperNATURAL Acoustic Piano 3 Expansion. This can be downloaded by RD-88 owners to update their model to an EX.

RD-2000 / RD-2000EX

The RD-2000 (2017) and RD-2000EX (2024) are virtually identical instruments. An update for the RD-2000 can be downloaded and installed, which extends the sound engine in line with the RD-2000EX, and includes the German Concert and Essential Upright V-Piano Expansion titles.

Speaker Issue?

It’s worth noting that many of the Roland RD line did not have a built-in speaker system.

A lot of early non-toy/home keyboards were like this, including synths, EPs and digital pianos. Speakers were often bulky and required internal amplification, added to space requirements, weight and cost.

Most musicians would be used to plugging in to an amplifier or PA system, particularly gigging players.

As smaller speakers became better, lighter, cheaper and more people wanted digital pianos in their homes without the need for extra equipment, fitting good quality internal speakers made more sense. Models without speakers — all else being equal — will always be less heavy and less expensive to manufacture than those with speakers.

Promos & Leaflets

What’s Next?

Roland has given no indication that the RD line is to end, so we’ll have to keep an eye out to see what might be launched next.

Where to Buy Roland RD Models

With the ongoing demise of bricks and mortar music shops, and the prevalence of online stores (generalist and specialist) selling both new and used musical instruments, it seems far the most likely that searching and buying online is the way to get your hands on a Roland RD stage piano.

Sadly, the further back in time you go, the harder it is to source reliable, decently priced instruments in the range.

Modern RD models — say those manufactured in the last five or six years — can be reliably purchased either directly from Roland, or via one of its authorised dealers or resellers. Naturally Amazon springs to mind — and indeed, though not a music specialist retailer, they do sell a lot of the newer Roland RD models. You can often get a decent deal as well.

For new items, you can also try online music stores such as Reverb and Music & Arts.

Older items become more tricky. You’re usually reliant on previous owners who list their music keyboards on various online marketplaces. There’s a certain level of trust involved that what is being described is accurate, and you’ll receive something which suits your need.

You need to be realistic here. The oldest RD instruments are now definitely vintage, dating back up to forty years since they were new. The chances of finding mint condition — even fully working — instruments in this category diminishes with age. Those which do stand up to the ravages of history may well come with a hefty price tag.

Nevertheless, you can try various sites — unlikely Amazon but there are many general listings on eBay. Alternatively try Reverb which is more of a specialist music retailer. You’re still primarily relying on the integrity of third-party sellers though.

Far less likely, though not impossible, is finding old keyboards in thrift/charity stores, or local/Facebook marketplace listings. The upside is that a lot of people won’t place any significant value on “an old digital piano” — the downside is that you’re less likely to strike gold in your locality, and you could still pick up and pay for rubbish.

Where to Repair RD Models

Repair is another tricky issue and not one we can cover in detail here.

Of course, new models still in warranty should be repaired or replaced by Roland – you should be able to find out via the manual or their website how to do this.

Older models out of warranty become your responsibility entirely. If you can work out the nature of the repairs required, and what’s involved, then you could go about finding spares. eBay and Reverb sell spare parts but it still comes down to the luck of the draw.

Some repairs may involve fairly standard electrical part replacement – capacitors and such like – which could be more easily sourced. Other items, like sound chips and processors, could be nearly impossible to find now, unless you can find an old non-working instrument to use for spare parts — and so long as the reason it’s not working isn’t the same reason as yours.