REVIEW – Roland RP400 Digital Piano at Costco

UPDATED REVIEW – November 1. 2017 – Roland RP400 digital piano at Costco – This item has been discontinued some time ago and the Roland RP500 is the current replacement model. 

My previous review for the RP400: Costco is well known for selling just about anything you can think of, and this includes digital pianos. Costco has been selling new digital pianos for many years and some of them are poor quality (I have reviewed those models), and some of the digital pianos are good quality and I recommend them. One of the newest digital pianos offered by Costco that I recommend is the Roland RP400 digital piano. Costco’s price regular discount price for this piano is $1599.99US and it comes with a “bundle” of accessories including the bench, headphones, and a special WiFi adapter for iPad connectivity.

The interesting thing about the Roland RP400 digital piano offered by Costco is that it is a very similar piano compared to the Roland RP401R digital piano which is selling on the internet and at local music & piano stores worldwide. The RP401R is also $1599US and in some cases comes with a free bundle including bench, WiFi adapter, and/or headphones. One advantage to the Roland RP401R is that is it offered in two color finishes (satin rosewood or black) whereas the RP400 is only offered in black and I think rosewood is a great choice and quite attractive for people who don’t want black. Also with Costco you would have to pay local & state sales tax unless you are in a non-taxed state, whereas with the RP401R, unless you buy it locally or are in a state that requires tax paid on internet purchases (some do), most on-line purchases of that model are tax free…so the RP401 makes even more sense with regard to price.

However the biggest difference is that the RP400 does not have the interactive drum rhythms & chord accompaniment styles that the RP401R has. This can be a useful feature and aid in music education with better understanding of rhythm & timing and also helps with ear training & music creativity. Another difference between the two models is that the RP401R has a nicer bench than does the RP400, and when it comes to sitting on a bench, that can be an important aspect of buying a piano. Finally, it’s been my experience that the international model number (RP401R) tends to be the recognized
model and carries a higher resale value than the  model number
(RP400). In either case, both models sound the same in terms of  internal speaker system and piano sound chip, have the same
cabinet design, same pedaling and key actions, and share the same
features other than the  interactive rhythm style and chord accompaniment
features that I mentioned earlier.

The RP400 & RP401R offers what I consider to be one of the best digital pianos in its price range with a satisfying piano playing experience whether you are a beginner or a piano player. Roland has had its RP series of pianos out for many years, some of which I have not liked, but they have finally put together two affordable models that I believe offer nice features that are competitive with other good brands. The

RP400/401R key action feels good, moves well (although a bit firm to press down keys), and responds in a way that simulates a piano. Piano sound is pretty realistic (although a bit brassy/metallic at times) as well as pedaling sustain and decay time and the that’s what is good to focus on when shopping for a digital piano…the fundamentals of playing piano and the ability of the piano to behave in an organic acoustic way. The bottom line is, if the digital piano does a good job at being a piano, then everything else is frosting on the cake, but those extra “frosting on the cake” features can be useful for educational purposes as well as offering a more enjoyable musical experience, which I highly recommend.

Since I have already done a detailed review of the Roland RP401R and all the things it does, please go to the following link to read that review and then you’ll know all about the RP400 since they are the same pianos with the exception of those extra cool features I mentioned earlier that is only available on the RP401R.  Roland RP401R Review.

**Also, before you make any digital piano purchase, including any pianos offered at Costco, please contact me and I can help you find what you are looking for at even less money than store internet & bundle prices including a brand new Casio piano such as the new 2018 model PX870. The PX870 is priced on the internet at just $999 and is upgraded in many ways over the Roland RP400. The Casio PX870 also has an introductory price on it right now for even less money that brings it near the price of the Roland RP400 and the Casio has longer factory warranty as well. If you have interest in that model then please ask me more about it.