Roland Digital Go:Piano with Alexa Built-In Expired

First of all, what does having Alexa bring to the table? also, are there any significant differences between this and the GO-88P model?

from what i can tell, it's the most obvious one...


Bring Music into Your Life with Alexa Technology
GOIANO with Alexa Built-in introduces a smart new approach to playing and learning the piano, making the experience easier and more engaging than ever before. This fun portable instrument can be played anywhere around your home and sounds amazing thanks to Roland's acclaimed piano sound engine. Better still, you can operate nearly every onboard control using just your voice!

When playing GOIANO with Alexa Built-in, you never have to interrupt the musical flow with fussy button presses or complicated menus. Want to turn on the metronome or choose a different sound? Just ask Alexa! It's even possible to record your performances and upload them to free cloud storage for playback later. And when you want to play along with your favorite songs, just ask Alexa to queue them up from Amazon Music.

Smart Operation with Simple Voice Commands
GOIANO with Alexa Built-in makes complicated panel operations a thing of the past. Using just your voice, you can instantly call up any of the 40 onboard sounds, and you never have to take your hands off the keyboard. Many other settings can also be adjusted while staying in the flow, like turning the metronome on/off, changing up the beat, and more.

Play Along with Amazon Music
Since it also works as an Alexa-enabled device, GOIANO with Alexa Built-in allows you to listen and play along to songs from Amazon Music through the keyboard's high-quality sound system. With a huge variety of songs available, you'll never run out of inspiration for daily music adventures.

Save Recordings in the Cloud
When you've mastered a piece or composed a new idea, just ask Alexa to record your performance. You can then listen back and evaluate what you've done. It's even possible to upload your recordings to free cloud storage, where they're always accessible for playback when GOIANO with Alexa Built-in is connected via Wi-Fi.

Quickly Improve Your Musical Skills
With the combined technologies in GOIANO with Alexa Built-in, you can fast-track learning like never before. Alexa sharpens your music sensibilities with ear training and builds knowledge with trivia on composers and famous music. And by connecting your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth, you can use Roland's Piano Partner 2 app to learn music scores and boost your skills with fun exercises and musical games.

First of all, what does having Alexa bring to the table? also, are there any significant differences between this and the GO-88P model?

Alexa, sell my data to marketing companies so they can lower the MSRP of this piano by $20.

Or alternatively, "Alexa, sell my data to marketing companies so they can figure out how to sell this piano for $20 more.

I'm not saying this is a bad deal. I don't know anything about this piano except apparently it is not equipted with real piano simulated weighted keys. And it's a shame, because over the last 10 years weighted keys on e-pianos have come a long way and have plumeted in price. What you can get today for $400-$600 would have cost $1200 3-5 years ago.

A very frugal, inexpensive, wise pick would to wait for this $650 one to go on sale for $550 at Costco. First of all if it screws up, even years later, you can return it. It's super cheap and comes with a stand and piano bench. It has the same weighted action as Roland's other models up to about $1400. Those other models have other features of course, but you get the same great weighted key action. It comes with a crappy pedal, but you can get one that's decent for $40 if you look, or $65 if you aren't even trying.

https://www.costco.com/roland-frp...19453.html

With the nice action you can run this piano with a computer and DAW software expanding it's value hugely, while still having the nice weighted keys. It has a USB port to control midi via computer, no old school midi in/out ports. So you will have to have it hooked up to a computer to use it as a controller for other extermal devices, opposed to hooking keyboard directly to other device.

Another great choice is the Kawai ES110. It doesn't come with the stand, or bench, but does come with a great pedal, and old school midi in/out ports. It has key action even better than the Costco Roland I just discussed. Both are great at price point. A stand can be boughten seperately.

https://www.kawai-global.com/product/es110/
Scroll down many pages to see the piano style stand (not the x shaped stand near the top, thats for setting up for live performances)

Pro tip: if you get the costco one with bench and stand. Buy a tube of JB Weld and put a little in the screw holes before screwing down screws and a liittle on the contacting sufraces that will be concealed (little or it will ooze out sides and look awefull. I do this on a lot of products making the a cheap product far more indestructible, opposed to slowling loosening and shaking to pieces. You will not be able to disassemble it, yeah, but who ever needs to. This also works on your typical office store grade computer chairs. for example. Basically, lightly cement the wheeled base to the chair bottom when it is new and free of oils and matter that makes adhesives fail. The last computer chair I owned cost me $40 on clearance and lasted me 10 years till it was too ugly to look at. Was still as strong as a tank. I did the same to the IKEA cubby shelf, but on that one I used gorilla glue. a thin line on all contacting surfaces goes a long way. It's best to first assemble pieces to make sure every thing fitted properly, then disassemble that part and then use glue so there's no surprises. Also, let the whole thing cure/dry about twice as long as the adhesive says on the package so there is no grey area or problems.

Why are you comparing a full size 88 key Kawai ES110 to this portable keyboard? Two keyboards that were built for separate uses. I have a full size 88 key Casio Px160 (fully weighted keys) and there's no way anyone would tote that around for fun as its heavy and bulky - it's meant to sit in one spot like a furniture, hence the screwed-on stand. This Roland Go keyboard is designed so you can take it with you when you're traveling somewhere (eg - camping) so you can always enjoy your music/jam-making hobby on the go. Fully weighted keys would add weight to the package making it less portable, and many people who are just jamming up tunes don't need an 88 key, and they also prefer non-weighted keys as it's easier on the fingers.

I was repped for my comment, so others have opinions too.

I may have been wrong to assume most people here were not buying this for camping but I don't think so. You have a Casio you say? Never take advice from someone who bought a Casio. Normally, if I find out someone has a Casio keyboard I don't talk to them anymore.

My point is for $100-200 more (Roland FP-10 without stand, or Bench is about $450), there is an option to get weighted keys. That $100-200 extra for weighted keys is the best value of the price. By offering this info I am not denying anyone from choosing the deal listed in this thread.

Bottom line is: the weighted keyboard version is way more slick.

If you a keyboard without the piano feel for to play for your friends on camping trips, I agree this one is the right choice.

As someone considering picking up a keyboard for what will hopefully be long term lessons for my daughter, I very much appreciated the level of detail you provided. I was already leaning towards spending more for weighted keys, and additional info was very helpful. (That aside, the Alexa on this one would be a non-starter if it were required for full functionality.)

I'm not saying this is a bad deal. I don't know anything about this piano except apparently it is not equipted with real piano simulated weighted keys. And it's a shame, because over the last 10 years weighted keys on e-pianos have come a long way and have plumeted in price. What you can get today for $400-$600 would have cost $1200 3-5 years ago.

A very frugal, inexpensive, wise pick would to wait for this $650 one to go on sale for $550 at Costco. First of all if it screws up, even years later, you can return it. It's super cheap and comes with a stand and piano bench. It has the same weighted action as Roland's other models up to about $1400. Those other models have other features of course, but you get the same great weighted key action. It comes with a crappy pedal, but you can get one that's decent for $40 if you look, or $65 if you aren't even trying.

https://www.costco.com/roland-frp...19453.html

With the nice action you can run this piano with a computer and DAW software expanding it's value hugely, while still having the nice weighted keys. It has a USB port to control midi via computer, no old school midi in/out ports. So you will have to have it hooked up to a computer to use it as a controller for other extermal devices, opposed to hooking keyboard directly to other device.

Another great choice is the Kawai ES110. It doesn't come with the stand, or bench, but does come with a great pedal, and old school midi in/out ports. It has key action even better than the Costco Roland I just discussed. Both are great at price point. A stand can be boughten seperately.

https://www.kawai-global.com/product/es110/
Scroll down many pages to see the piano style stand (not the x shaped stand near the top, thats for setting up for live performances)

Pro tip: if you get the costco one with bench and stand. Buy a tube of JB Weld and put a little in the screw holes before screwing down screws and a liittle on the contacting sufraces that will be concealed (little or it will ooze out sides and look awefull. I do this on a lot of products making the a cheap product far more indestructible, opposed to slowling loosening and shaking to pieces. You will not be able to disassemble it, yeah, but who ever needs to. This also works on your typical office store grade computer chairs. for example. Basically, lightly cement the wheeled base to the chair bottom when it is new and free of oils and matter that makes adhesives fail. The last computer chair I owned cost me $40 on clearance and lasted me 10 years till it was too ugly to look at. Was still as strong as a tank. I did the same to the IKEA cubby shelf, but on that one I used gorilla glue. a thin line on all contacting surfaces goes a long way. It's best to first assemble pieces to make sure every thing fitted properly, then disassemble that part and then use glue so there's no surprises. Also, let the whole thing cure/dry about twice as long as the adhesive says on the package so there is no grey area or problems.