Korg SV1 Reviews

I bit the bullet and just received the Korg SV-1 plus the QSC K12. Bought it at the local Guitar Center in Pasadena, California at a price better than any advertised price in the US.

With this equipment I hope not to buy another electronic stage piano for many years.

My three criteria for an electronic piano are a) weight which allows me to move it by myself; b) excellent quality piano and electric piano (e.g. Rhodes) sounds, and 3) keyboard feel as close to my Steinway as possible.

I've looked intensively for the right piano, trying the Yamahas, Kurzweils (great disappointment) Nord and Korg. The Yamahas were cost-effective candidates but I did not love their sound. The Nord was significantly more expensive than the Korg, possibly lighter. But it did not have weighted keys, and piano sounds are better than the Nord.
piano) are - I have heard - better than the Nord.

I did not want to spend $2000 but I had to in order to get the level of quality I needed. The Korg also has a key feel closest to my Steinway, which is important for a guy who plays jazz and classical and nothing else. The SV-1 also received unanimously positive reviews - which after a lot of reading no other keyboard achieved.

I also needed a dramatic weight reduction from the Kurzweil 2500x I had been using. It was so heavy that effectively I could not use it/move it for performances. I compromised on weight in order to get Korg quality.

The QSC K12 I am told was (one of the) best available - with a design which is replacing the standard Roland / Peavy type. I got it because the sound quality is diminished by a less than excellent power speaker.

I was very tempted to wait for Korg's next model. But I need it the keyboard now. I can already see two major deficiencies: limiting the number of sounds to 36 and the keyboard's lack of internal storage to accommodate a broad range of sounds. And possibly the limitation of sounds to those produced by KORG. I may be mistaken on this point. Even if the KORG could run excellent third-party sounds (such as the Bardstown piano which I own), I'd have to bring a laptop. But this is the current 'state of the art' in keyboard design.

Reviewed by: Ben Rosenbloom

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