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The Roland Go 88 is one of Roland’s super affordable digital pianos that has raised the bar when it comes to budget digital pianos.
In this article, we are going to break do the Roland GO 88 and everything that makes it a great keyboard.
My opinion is that the Roland Go 88 is an entry-level digital piano that is good for beginners and musicians who are wanting to add another keyboard to their collection. It works nicely for composing songs in unorthodox places since it light-weight and can be powered by batteries. The onboard speakers are a great touch as you don’t need to have an amp with you. Continue reading to see my final thoughts on this keyboard.
If you’re looking for a complete guide, I recommend viewing our post here which breaks down the best digital pianos and keyboards.
Roland Go 88 Review
The key-bed is decent, although not my favorite as it doesn’t have the traditional Roland digital piano keys.
Keep in mind that this is an inexpensive keyboard, so they have to cut costs at certain spots and this is just one of those spots.
I would’ve expected weighted keys, but after all, it’s not the end of the world since this isn’t Roland’s main focus with this keyboard.
This being said, when I began playing chords, it still played nicely and this was a surprise to me.
Bluetooth For Connecting To Devices
This is a big win here for Roland. I think going Bluetooth is extremely smart as there are so many great learning tools that beginners can take advantage of with Bluetooth technology. Look to see more companies taking advantage of this in the near future.
The technology works great on the Roland Go 88 and you can use it with all of your favorite piano apps to take your game to the next level.
If you would like to read about more Bluetooth digital pianos, you can do so in this roundup here.
The speakers are Bluetooth which allows you to connect to your device and immediately get sound.Â
Play Anywhere
With this keyboard you have the ability to literally play anywhere you would like at any time. This is a big selling point for me. I don’t personally think this is a groundbreaking instrument, but I think it is great for beginners and musicians who want something portable.
Musicians love the ability to write wherever they are and I think is why Roland decided to make such a portable instrument.
The Sounds
The sounds to me are decent. I don’t believe they’re the best sounds Roland has to offer, but keep in mind the price point here. There aren’t any crazy sounds on this, but it’s also not what this keyboard is designed for. This is meant to be a nice, cheap keyboard to get you started.
A plus is that there’s an onboard metronome built into the Go. This means you can turn a click on if you’re learning a piece of practicing drills to a metronome. I’ve always personally loved this on the keyboards that I have owned as I think that metronomes are vital for pianists growth.
Because the speakers are Bluetooth, you can actually use the speakers to listen to music from your phone if you really desired to. I think this is neat as you can learn songs by ear from doing this.
Overall
The main thing I don’t like with this keyboard is the lack of weighted keys. I get that this is a portable keyboard, but I think weighted keys would make this even more of a win for keyboardists. To some, it might not be the end of the world, but to some, it might.
I think overall that this is a good keyboard that most pianists will get a lot of use out of. If you’re an advanced pianist, it may not be your main keyboard, but you will still have fun playing on it. I would use this as a secondary instrument to maybe take with me on trips or writing sessions as it’s light and quality.
If you’re a beginner then this is a good look at an 88 key keyboard that is still, after all, a Roland keyboard. The Bluetooth and portability are the main things the Roland Go 88 has to offer in my opinion.
One thing that I would recommend, is to also check out the Roland FP10. This is a little bit more money, but a nice step up if you’re looking for a digital piano.
Conclusion
Have you played the Roland GO88? What are your thoughts? Let me know below!
10 comments
What are your thoughts on the Roland FP10 just announced a NAMM, if you have been able to get your fingers on one that is.
Hey AJ, I actually just posted my review on it today. I honestly think it’s hard to beat it for the price. It now has Bluetooth functionality and it has a great key-bed as well.
Thanks for the reply, your reviews are great and your review of the Roland FP10 helped me make my choice and I purchased the FP10. Should arrive first week of February and I can’t wait to “tickle the ivories”, thanks again.
Thanks for your great review. I bought the Go Piano 88 about two months ago and use it mainly as a practice piano. I do have a question for you though: is it possible to output the piano’s sound through a Bluetooth speaker such as the JBL Charge 4?
Hi Philip, Thanks for the question!
I don’t believe that you can use the Bluetooth with a speaker. I believe that you can only use the Bluetooth on the Go for input, such as streaming songs through the speakers of your keyboard.
I am reaching out to Roland right now to check and I will let you know.
Cheers!
Hi Chris,
Did you get any answer from Roland? This is also a feature I would be interested in and I was wondering if it would work 🙂
Thank you!
Daniel
Hi Daniel, I never received an answer, however, I am almost certain that this isn’t possible with this keyboard.
You could hook up to an external speaker or an amp with an instrument cable and a converter if needed. However, I don’t believe the Bluetooth would work with the output.
Hi Philip, sorry for the delay. I reached out, but wasn’t able to get an answer. However, here’s what I know.
You could connect the headphone out with a cable to a speaker. I don’t believe that you can just connect the Go to an external speaker though. Sorry about the delay again!
There are speakers on the Go and you could also opt to use some headphones if you’re not liking the speakers. If that’s the case, I would personally recommend just getting the FP-10 then as the price difference isn’t much and the FP-10 is superior.
Hi, May I ask a question. I am not pianist player but I need one piano for me to practice/learn, as myself a guitarist player. However, I need one piano for my further study on music theory. Do you recommend Roland FP-10 or Roland GO 88keys? Therefore, I am still in dilemma of getting one.
Thank You,
Hi there,
I recommend the FP-10 for sure!
Chris