Korg B1SP review: Better Than the Yamaha P-125?
The Korg B1SP is one of the brand’s entry-level digital piano models. As such, this digital piano comes with features that will help you to learn how to play the piano and is more affordable than some of the other digital pianos on the market.
In this article, we will take an in-depth look at the Korg B1SP, compare it to similar digital pianos, and ultimately decide whether or not the Korg B1SP is worth the money.
And to better help you, please take a moment to view the interactive table below, which allows you to directly compare the Korg B2SP (the successor to the Korg B1SP) to other notable digital pianos on the market.
| Photo | Model |
|---|---|
 | Casio PX-S1100 |
 | Alesis Prestige Artist |
 | Casio CDP-S360 |
 | Yamaha P-515 |
 | Casio PX-870 |
 | Korg LP-180 |
 | Casio PX-770 |
How Much Does the Korg B1SP Cost?
The Korg B1SP is currently available for $599, which is very affordable. This price will definitely appeal to beginner pianists who are on a budget and to parents who are buying their child’s first instrument.
How Many Keys Does the Korg B1SP Have?
This Korg digital piano has 88 keys, just like an acoustic piano does.
Below, please take a moment to view some of the best selling digital pianos available online (and see how they compare to the Korg B1SP, as well):
| BEST SELLERS |
|---|
| 1) Yamaha P-515 |
| 2) Casio PX-S3100 |
| 3) Casio PX-870 |
| 4) Roland FP-E50 |
| 5) Roland FP-30X |
What Is the Korg B1SP’s Keyboard Like?
The Korg B1SP has what Korg calls a Natural Weighted Hammer (NH) keyboard. This is essentially Korg’s budget-friendly version of a hammer action keyboard. The keys feel lighter in the digital piano’s high end and heavier in its low end like on an acoustic piano, but the keyboard won’t feel exactly like that of an acoustic piano.
Still, the B1SP’s keyboard makes the transition to playing on an acoustic piano or pricier, more high-end digital piano easier than a keyboard that does not even attempt to recreate the hammer action of an acoustic piano.
See what other musicians think about the Natural Weighted Hammer keyboard here.
How Many Sounds Does This Keyboard Come With?
The Korg B1SP comes with a total of eight onboard sounds. It has 3 acoustic piano voices, 2 electric piano voices, 2 organ voices, and a harpsichord voice.
Although this keyboard does not come with many onboard voices, it comes with more than enough to get you started on your piano-playing journey. There are certainly digital pianos out there with many more sounds than the Korg B1SP offers, but those digital pianos will come at a higher price.
It is also important to consider the quality of the sounds that your keyboard has. There are comparably priced digital pianos out there that offer more sounds, but they will not necessarily have the same high-quality sound that you can expect from Korg.
How Much Polyphony Does the Korg B1SP Offer?
The Korg B1SP has 120-note max polyphony. For the B1SP’s price, this amount of polyphony is really great.
The term polyphony basically refers to an instrument’s ability to sound more than one note at once. On digital pianos, however, polyphony also gets used up by stereo sounds and by any effects that you add to your keyboard’s sound output. Thus, it is important to get as much polyphony bang for your buck as possible.
Some comparably priced digital pianos offer 64-note polyphony for the same price as the Korg B1SP. Personally, I would never buy a digital piano with less than 120-note polyphony, so the Korg B1SP is a safe bet.
Learn more about polyphony here.
What Kind of Effects Does the Korg B1SP Have to Offer?
The Korg B1SP comes with reverb and chorus. Reverb affects your sound by making it sound as if you are playing in different sized spaces; for example, you can make your digital piano sound as if it is being played in a grand concert hall when you are playing in your living room.
Chorus helps you to achieve a bigger-sounding sound by making it sound as if more than one of the same instrument is playing whatever you are playing.
While the Korg B1SP does not offer a huge variety of effects, it provides you with enough effects to achieve a nice sound.
What Else Should I Know About the Korg B1SP?
The Korg B1SP comes with a built-in music rest. This is a great feature because it keeps you from having to worry about buying a music stand or finding somewhere to put your sheet music while you are playing.
This Korg digital piano also comes with a full suite of three pedals just like an acoustic piano does. Although you might not use the pedals all that much in the very early stages of your piano-playing journey, pedals become incredibly important later on. Some digital pianos come with one pedal or none at all, so the Korg B1SP is definitely a great buy.
The Korg B1SP’s three-pedal unit securely connects to the digital piano’s included stand to ensure that your pedals remain well-connected throughout your practice and performance.
Yamaha P-45 vs Korg B1SP
The Yamaha P-45 is currently available for $449.99, so it is a little cheaper than the Korg B1SP. Indeed, the Yamaha P-45 is the least expensive Yamaha digital piano on the market, and it is a great introduction the the brand.
Like the Korg B1SP, this Yamaha 88 key digital piano comes with a host of basic features that beginner piano players can use as they learn how to play the instrument.
The Yamaha P-45 also has weighted hammer action keys. It has a Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) keyboard. The keyboard’s black keys have a matte finish, which means that your fingers are less likely to slip off the keys; this feature will help you to practice longer, even after your fingers are tired and sweaty.
Read what other keyboardists are saying about the Graded Hammer Standard keyboard here.
This Yamaha digital piano has ten onboard voices, so it offers just a tad more variety than the Korg B1SP. What’s more, Yamaha is known for their high-quality sounds, so this keyboard’s sounds are sure to please your ears.
The Yamaha P-45 has 64-note polyphony, so it definitely loses points in the polyphony category. As I said earlier, I personally would never dip below 120-note polyphony. While the Yamaha P-45’s 64-note polyphony will see you through your beginner piano-playing stages, you will definitely have to upgrade to an instrument with more polyphony at some point. As such, it might be best to spend a few extra bucks on a digital piano that offers more polyphony right now.
This Yamaha entry-level digital piano also comes with reverb and chorus effects, so its sound is just as customizable as that of the Korg B1SP.
- You can read our review of the Yamaha P-45 here.
Casio PX-160 vs Korg B1SP
The Casio PX-160 costs $499, which is just slightly cheaper than the Korg B1SP.
This digital piano has 18 onboard voices, so it offers considerably more sound variety than the Korg B1SP does.
The Casio PX-160’s voices include:
- Concert Grand Piano
- Modern Grand Piano
- Classic Grand Piano
- Mellow Grand Piano
- Bright Grand Piano
- Electric Piano 1
- Electric Piano 2
- FM Electric Piano
- 60s Electric Piano
- Harpsichord
- Vibraphone
- Strings 1
- Strings 2
- Pipe Organ
- Jazz Organ
- Electric Organ 1
- Electric Organ 2
- Bass
The Casio PX-160 has 128-note polyphony, just slightly more than the Korg B1SP. This amount of polyphony is definitely enough to prevent note dropout as you use any of this digital piano’s eighteen onboard voices and its reverb and chorus effects.
This Casio model comes with a X-braced stand, which does not look as much like an acoustic piano’s cabinet as the Korg B1SP’s stand. The PX-160 also comes with a keyboard bench and a sustain pedal. If you want access to the other two pedals, you will have to buy them separately. As such, going with the Korg B1SP and its three pedals is likely the better option.
- You can read our review of the Casio PX-160 here.
Casio PX-770 vs Korg B1SP
This Casio digital piano costs $699, so it is the priciest of the keyboards included in this article. Still, it is only one hundred dollars more than the Korg B1SP, so it is also very affordable.
The Casio PX-770 comes with a stable stand that looks much more like an acoustic piano’s cabinet than the PX-160’s stand does. This digital piano also comes with a full suite of three pedals like an acoustic piano.
The Casio PX-770 comes with nineteen onboard sounds, the most of all of the digital pianos listed here. Although nineteen sounds is not a vast step up from the Korg B1SP’s eight sounds, this Casio digital piano does give you more sounds to play around with. The PX-770, like the PX-160, has 128-note polyphony, so you can play without fear of note dropout.
Like all of the digital pianos listed here, the Casio PX-770 has reverb and chorus effects.
- You can read our review of the Casio PX-770 here.
Which of These Digital Pianos Is the Best?
The Korg B1SP earns 3 out of 5 stars, but it ultimately loses out to the Casio PX-770. Although every digital piano that is included in this article is meant for beginner players, the Casio PX-770 soars a little further ahead than the rest.
The Casio PX-770 offers eleven more onboard sounds than the Korg B1SP and comes with slightly more polyphony while still offering a nice, aesthetically-pleasing stand, a full suite of three pedals, and the same amount of effects.
Of course, the Casio PX-770 costs a hundred dollars more than the Korg B1SP, but this should not be a deal breaker unless you are on a really tight budget. For a hundred dollars more, you get nineteen sounds instead of eight.
While having more sounds at your fingertips might not seem all that important now, these additional sounds can help you to stick with your piano-practicing routine later on. In moments of boredom or frustration, it helps to be able to play whatever you are working on in a different voice or to try to spark your creativity by experimenting with the onboard sounds.
Although the Casio PX-770 is the winner here, the Korg B1SP is still a great choice for beginner pianists. I would still definitely recommend going for the Casio PX-770 if you can, but you are sure to have a great first digital piano whether you go with the Korg B1SP or the Casio PX-770.
After reading this article, your next step should be to go to your local music store and try out as many of the keyboards that are included in this article as you can. As you play around with each digital piano, pay attention to how their keyboard actions feel, the quality of their sounds, the sturdiness of their stands, and the feel of their pedals.
We covered a lot of important information in this article, but do not hesitate to ask a sales associate any questions that might arise as you try out digital pianos. Now that you’ve read this, you have a great knowledge base that will help you as you search for a digital piano. Happy hunting!
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