Korg LP 180 review
When dealing with a Korg digital piano, chances are it is going to be one of the best on the market. Korg pianos are not always the most heralded or the most technologically advanced, but it is not often that you will walk away disappointed from having purchased one.
This is truly a testament to the engineering and the class that has been evident at the company since its inception, which took place just over fifty years ago in Tokyo, Japan. Korg has a bevy of digital piano options, any of them ranging from synthesizers to stage pianos and console digital pianos. The Korg LP 180 fits nicely into the general digital piano category, and it certainly comes with a lot to offer.
Our Digital Piano Table
In our interactive table presented below, please take a look at how the affordable Korg LP 180 stacks up against some of the best pianos in its class:
| Photo | Model | Features |
|---|---|---|
 | Casio PX-S1100 | 192-note polyphony; 18 built-in tones |
 | Casio CDP-S360 | 128 Notes of Polyphony |
 | Yamaha P-45 | 64 Note Polyphony |
 | Yamaha NP12 | Uses Six AA Batteries |
 | Yamaha P-515 | 40 Voices, 18 Drum/FX Kits, 480 XG Voices |
 | Yamaha NP32 | Graded Soft Touch (GST) Keyboard |
 | Korg LP-380 U | Now features USB Audio/MIDI |
 | Yamaha DGX 670 | 601 Voices, 29 Drums, SFX Kits |
The Korg LP 180’s Wonderful Design
The Korg LP 180 is certainly a beautiful digital piano to look at. It comes in a sleek, slim and smooth body frame that is compact and appears as though it would fit in just about any home decor or setting.
The piano weighs in at a manageable 51 pounds, a weight that is pretty impressive for a full digital piano set that includes the piano stand. It also comes in two classic color finishes: a traditional, matte black and an elegant white finish, both of which can be found beautifully photographed on the official Korg website.
As far as size and specs are concerned, the piano stretches out to about 53 ¾ inches long, 10 ¾ inches deep and 30 ¾ inches tall, with the stand. The piano comes with a wonderful top down cover that folds over the keys nicely anytime you finish playing.
Below, take a look to see some of the best selling digital pianos currently are online, and then compare and contrast them to the Korg LP-180 throughout our review:
| BEST SELLERS |
|---|
| 1) Casio PX-S3100 |
| 2) Casio PX-870 |
| 3) Roland RP-102 |
| 4) Yamaha P-515 |
| 5) Roland FP-90X |
Voices, Tones and Rhythms
The sound of this piano will really win you over, not only after your first time sitting down with it, but even after continued time spent with the machine.
There are ten dependable voices and tones located on the machine, and they all vary in selection, depending on what the user is looking for. There are first two quality acoustic grand piano sounds, and both of them have a very elegant and classical feel.
The first is geared more towards the concert grand piano sound, while the second has a more bright feel to it, with a bit of an edge. There are also two electric piano tones, a harpsichord, clavichord, vibraphone, pipe organ, electric organ, and a set of strings to finish it off. There are no accompanying rhythms housed on board the machine, but there are a lovely set of demo songs that show off the exquisite touch and sound of the piano.
There is a demo song for each tone, and each song really shows off what each tone can do. These demos are also a wonderful way to set the mood in any setting, as it makes the LP 180 perfect for home parties or any general gathering.
Amazing Engineering and Quality Touch
The engineering on the Korg LP 180 is really what makes this piano run. The piano is fit with Korg’s Stereo Piano System tone generation, and this sound engine is based off of many of the successful acoustic piano models used on concert grand piano stages across the world. It really is amazing to think sometimes that the masterfulness of these amazing pianos can be brought to the digital stage, and for such an affordable price.
The LP 180 also comes with a cool 120 notes of maximum polyphony, which is a pretty standard number when you look at many models on the market. This number of notes of polyphony shifts down to 60 when the piano is dealing with stereo.
The feel of the piano is great. Korg has fitted this piano with a full 88 key range, with its Natural Weighted Hammer Action (NH) keyboard. This hammer action is one of the better options that Korg has to offer, and is very comparable with some of the better hammer actions on the market.
The keys have also been separated into three different kinds of touch responses which are able to be set to the user’s discretion: light, for a pianissimo touch, normal, for a classic piano feel, and heavy, for more advanced piano users.
I absolutely love the graded action of the piano, which replicates that of a real model, with heavier keys being situated towards the beginning of the piano and lighter keys as you go up the board. It is always wonderful to see that, and it helps a lot of people forget that you are dealing with a piece of technology and not the real thing.
Key Features
There are a number of key features present on the LP 180. There is a nice, separate, mobile 3-pedal unit that has been uniquely created for this Korg model, among others. The great thing about this model is that it is not bolted down to the machine, and can be unplugged and carried for portability. The piano also comes with amazing dual stereo jacks for headphones. This is perfect for any pair of people who may need to use the machine at the same time, including a teacher-student pair, or two people working on a duet.
By Comparison
There are a lot of 88 key digital pianosthat can be used in comparison to the LP 180, even just to get a better feel for the machine. For many pianos, however, some of the best comparisons can be made in house.
Three comparable machines to the LP 180 are the Korg LP 350, the Korg LP 380, and the Roland F-120. When comparing the LP 180 to the LP 350, one of the first things you notice is the similar, if not the same, body styles and folding top down cover.This is understandable, and also something you will find on the LP 380, since these three digital pianos all come from the same family or Korg series. Both pianos are full range 88 key pianos, but the LP 350 has a significantly better key action system, with the Korg Real Weighted Hammer Action 3 (RH3) board.
The LP 350 comes with the same Light, Normal, and Heavy touch response controls and the same Stereo Sampling sound generation system, but it surprisingly comes with decidedly lesser notes of polyphony (with 60) as opposed to the LP 180’s 120. The LP 350 however does come with 20 more voices and tones, complete with additional jazz, grand, and electric pianos, along with a tasty marimba.
When comparing the LP 180 to the LP 380, the change in specifications and features gets just a bit more daunting. Many of the measurables, concept and design are the same, but the difference comes when you start breaking down the engineering.
The LP 380 has the most color variation options out of the series, with Black, White, Red, Rosewood, and Black/Red finishes. Like the LP 350, the LP 380 has the leg up on hammer action, also housing the Real Weighted Hammer Action 3 system, which gives a much more realistic feel than the Natural Weighted Hammer Action board.
They once again use the same sound generation with Stereo Sampling, but tones onboard once again are more than the LP 180 with 30 total sounds. The LP 380 takes it a step ahead by adding 120 notes of polyphony, putting itself on par with the 180 and enabling the machine to do more. One of the great things about all three pianos is that they all feature Korg’s innovative 3-pedal unit which gives the player the ability to take advantage of soft, sostenuto, and sustain pedal controls.
Where the LP 180 might be a bit overshadowed by the LP 350 and 380, it falls in a little bit more in line with the Roland F-120. The Ivory G Feel key action is more comparable to the NH system of the 180, and the SuperNATURAL piano engine of the Roland is right on par with the Stereo Sampling System of the Korg. Both pianos have almost the exact same cabinet design and color choices, but the Korg comes with a bit more notes of polyphony with 128, while the LP has 120.
The LP 180 can be found very affordably online. With that said, if you feel this isn’t the right piano one for you, we’d suggest you’d read our review on the following Korg digital piano:
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