Roland F107 Review

Overall, we are a fan of the Roland F107! We think it makes for an excellent starter piano, which is why we rated it an 8.5/10.

Utlitmaly, this instrument is a stellar space saver for the upper beginner to intermediate pianist. While it doesn’t have as powerful of speakers as some of the other models in this line, it still makes for a wonderful apartment digital. My favorite features were the heavy yet responsive action and onboard recording. 

 We wish it had a few more voices, and LCD or louder speakers- but otherwise, we are satisfied with it!

F107 Overview

“A streamlined and affordable home piano with an attractive modern design, class-leading sound and playability, onboard Bluetooth®, and more.” -Roland

The Roland F107 is a beginner-to-intermediate digital cabinet-style piano that is designed to be a space saver. It has a sleek-looking slimline design, Roland’s PHA-4 action, 15 tones, touch sensitivity, and 2 ways to record. It can easily be connected to a computer or mobile device, which makes the instrument more versatile. The model was first released in August 2022 alongside the RP107 model. 

A note about Roland’s Beginner Lines: The two beginner lines you’ll hear me talk about in this article include the Roland F and Roland RP lines. While these are some of the lowest-tier pianos the maker offers, I find them to still be very good. The RP and F models are generally more portable than their mid-to-upper-tiers. 

Features

PHA-4 Standard Action

Roland’s standard action is called PHA-4. While some say it’s too heavy for a beginner keyboard, I think that the F107 has an action that is better than most- It preps our students for playing on acoustic pianos. 

The issue with getting lighter actions is 1. You get too used to it and more expensive keyboards will be harder to play down the line and 2. Lighter beginner actions just aren’t as good. PHA-4 action rivals the feel of digital instruments by other brands that cost four times as much- and why pay the steep price when you can just get a Roland?! 

Oh, and not to mention, the instrument also has a satisfying ‘ivory’ white-key texture, as well as escapement (which adds a little click feel to the keys after you press them down). 

Modern and Portable Design

Oftentimes when you purchase a piano with a full H stand, it’s not very portable…As in, you can barely scootch it a few inches in your living room. But this isn’t the case with the F107. In fact, the instrument won 2021’s ‘Red Hot Design’ award due to its modern look and portability. While 120-ish pounds might not sound that light to you, keep in mind that many hybrid digitals weigh over 200 lbs. 

A Minimalist Instrument For All Ages

If you’ve been reading my reviews over the past few years you probably know that I’m not much of a minimalist- But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a high-quality, bare-bones model– And the Roland F107 fits that bill.

This instrument is marketed as a streamlined beginner’s instrument. It has no LCD screen and fewer than 20 voices. But everything on the model is of a high quality. The nice thing about an instrument like this is that it can suit the needs of any beginner interested in learning. Plus, the 256-note polyphony assures that as players get more technically advanced, the piano can keep up with them. 

SuperNATURAL Technology

Roland’s SuperNATURAL sound technology uses both sampling and modeling to achieve their tones. The pianos onboard include mellow, bright, concert, and upright pianos as well as other rich tones. 

Other Basic Features to Know About

• • Twin Piano mode
  • Can connect to 2 sets of headphones at the same time
  • Pairs easily with the Roland Piano App and smart devices
  • Includes both Bluetooth audio and MIDI connectivity
  • 3D headphone ambiance
  • Included learning materials like scale exercises and classical etudes/ studies
  • The metronome has an adjustable beat and adjustable volume (not all beginner models have the latter!)
  • Transpose 

• Built-in folding keyboard cover
• A nice variety of internal songs

I always like it when portable instruments have the folding keyboard covers- but this one even can turn into a mini desk! I also appreciate the large amount/ variety of internal songs Roland included:

According to Roland’s site, the F107 has all of the following: 

Listening: 10 songs

Ensemble: 30 songs

Entertainment: 20 songs

Let’s Sing with DO RE MI: 30 songs

Lesson: 287 songs (Scale, Hanon, Beyer, Burgmuller, Czerny 100)

Specifications

Sourced from Amazon.com 

• Weight: 119 pounds
• Dimensions:
• Depth: 57.9″
• Width: 26”
• Height: 4.6″
• Effects: Ambience, Brilliance
• Internal Songs: 377

Who is it suitable for?

The Roland F107 is best suited for musicians who want a heavy-weight action, but don’t need all the bells and whistles. Beginner pianists (especially those interested in classical music),  college students, and budding songwriters will all find themselves at home in this model. I’d recommend it for anyone who is planning on mostly using the piano tones. 

The Roland F107 in Action

Sweetwater released a really neat ‘Dueling pianos’ video which demos both the Roland F107 and RP107. You can take a listen to both here.

You should also take a peek at this ‘quick start’ video, which is meant to guide new buyers through all the features.

Customer Ratings

This instrument was rated 4.3 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com. Let’s see what other folks who played the instrument liked, and what they thought could improve!

Positive reviews/comments: 

• “Loved the textured weighted keys”
• “Very easy to assemble”
• “Pianos sound is gorgeous”
• “The F107 is a great value”

Like me, the other customers who tried the model adored the key feel, value, and tones for the price. 

Constructive reviews/comments: 

• “Difficult to navigate the tones without a screen”
• “The pedal cord isn’t a very high quality”
• “The Android App could be better”

One thing I’ve personally run into a lot is trouble with beginner-level keyboards’ included pedals. I wasn’t surprised that folks had had issues- That’s to say, it might be best to get a higher quality pedal to go with the F107 so it lasts longer. Apart from customers wanting better pedals/ app updates and an LCD screen, there weren’t that many other issues. And I wouldn’t consider these dealbreakers given that this model is, after all, intended for beginners. 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• The key feel and responsiveness are excellent
• The package is a great deal– it comes with a matching bench and stand
• It has two kinds of headphone inputs- so it’s easy to plug in with whatever you have on hand (earbuds, or studio headphones)
• It has high polyphony for the price
• It has more recording options than keyboards that are on the market for twice the price
• Includes a built-in 3-pedal unit
• It is app-compatible
• It comes with Bluetooth

It is difficult to find a beginner keyboard with nice keys and a no-nonsense onboard hub for $1,000 or less. And when it comes to having an emotive, sensitive keybed for the price range? This model not only succeeds but excels. The instrument also has a lot of features that we don’t tend to see in economical bundles like this- including the added bench and stand for no extra fee, multiple ways to record onboard, and a nice high polyphony. 

Cons

• The con with this instrument is that you don’t get very many sounds onboard
• Also, the speakers aren’t that large. If you’re planning on playing out you’re not going to be able to use the instrument’s speakers (you will need extra amplification) 
• No LCD screen
• No black key texture
• The onboard recorder has a lot of note capacity, but not many tracks 

The biggest con I ran into was the way the tones are set up…Only 15 tones are accessible to players if they’re not in the app. For me, when I read that an instrument has over 300 tones, I like for it to all be at my fingertips. Roland and Yamahas’ piano apps are known for being a bit glitchy, so I prefer for it to all come on the instrument itself. Another thing I found a bit strange was that only the white keys are textured…Slippage almost always happens on black keys, so it doesn’t quite make sense. 

Overall, it’s hard to find faults with the F107. We could dream about having a piano with this nice of a build and key weight/responsiveness with a more powerful speaker system, an LCD screen, and or a more in-depth sound bank…But honestly? The price is right for this model.

Comparable Instruments

• For a notch up try the: Roland RP701
• Or the: Roland F701 
• Roland FP-30X 
• Yamaha YDP-145

The Roland RP701 and F701 are both very similar to the instrument we reviewed today. The simultaneously-released RP701 costs anywhere from $100 to $500 more with its price range being about $1,100-1,500. This model adds a fair bit more ‘umph’ to the speaker power. It also has the same 324 voices.

The F701, on the other hand, is practically the same piano but with a different cabinet. The F701 looks more like this model (the F107) than the RP701 does. 

I always like to recommend taking a peek at the Roland FP-30X as well for those who are looking for an economical digital piano. Like the F107, this model has a PHA-4 keyboard. At only 32 pounds, it’s extremely portable. Plus the variety of voices makes it well suited to those with multi-genre interests/needs.

Musicians sometimes also compare the Roland F107 to the Yamaha YDP-145. Like the RP701, this model costs about $500 more. In short, the YDP-145 is a high-quality beginner digital which is a space saver that has a grand piano sample onboard. Personally, I like the action of the Roland beginner keyboards a bit more, but this one is still worth test-driving. 

You can read our review of the model here and check out the instrument on Amazon at this link.

Quick View 

Roland F107: Conclusion

Thanks for sticking around until the end! In conclusion, the Roland F107 digital piano is a good intermediate keyboard with its best selling points being its keys and compact design. If you are in the market for a digital upright that’s not too pricey but has a high-quality build, this Roland (as well as the line of Rolands) is certainly worth checking out! 

Music quote of the week:

“Music is what I breathe, what I love to do. It keeps me alive.” – Miley Cyrus. 

8.5Expert Score

Overall, we are a fan of the Roland F107! We think it makes for an excellent starter piano, which is why we rated it an 8.5/10. Utlitmaly, this instrument is a stellar space saver for the upper beginner to intermediate pianist. While it doesn’t have as powerful of speakers as some of the other models in this line, it still makes for a wonderful apartment digital. My favorite features were the heavy yet responsive action and onboard recording. We wish it had a few more voices, and LCD or louder speakers- but otherwise, we are satisfied with it!

PROS

• The key feel and responsiveness are excellent
• The package is a great deal- it comes with a matching bench and stand
• It has two kinds of headphone inputs- so it’s easy to plug in with whatever you have on hand (earbuds, or studio headphones)
• It has high polyphony for the price
• It has more recording options than keyboards that are on the market for twice the price
• Includes a built-in 3-pedal unit
• It is app-compatible
• It comes with Bluetooth

CONS

• The con with this instrument is that you don’t get very many sounds onboard
• Also, the speakers aren’t that large. If you’re planning on playing out you’re not going to be able to use the instrument's speakers (you will need extra amplification)
• No LCD screen
• No black key texture
• The onboard recorder has a lot of note capacity, but not many tracks