The Korg SV-1 73BK digital piano is an instrument of stature, housed in a sleek and curvy body. It’s an elegant stage vintage piano with a design to captivate the user and the audience. As a stage piano, the SV-1 comes with retro-style controls packed in a matte black finish. The looks of this piano enhance its desirability and playability as well.
But with such aesthetics, does this piano deliver on the needed fronts? That’s the answer this Korg SV-1 review is looking to answer, among many more. Here, you’ll find all the information concerning this work of art from Korg.
Korg SV-1 73BK Digital Piano Overview
Designed with performance in mind, the Korg SV-1 73BK digital piano is a pleasure to play. It features the RH3 – Real Weighted Hammer Action keyboard that we’ll discuss in the review. The piano has a user-friendly and intuitive interface that’s clearly labeled to locate the needed functions quickly.
The Korg SV-1 piano sounds range from German to Japanese Grand piano sounds, among others. With this piano, authenticity becomes a reality when playing. The piano features an impressive sound engine called the Real eXperience (RX). It’s Korg’s proprietary sound technology that recreates detailed and authentic samples from the original sounds.
Best of all, the Korg SV-1 73BK digital piano offers ample flexibility, thanks to its compact and portable nature. This is the type of piano that efficiently helps you to leverage on performances.
Features of the Korg SV-1 73BK Digital Piano
Specifications
- 73 Keys with Velocity Sensitive Korg RH3 Action
- Touch Selection type – Eight Curves
- Tuning Functions – Transpose, Tuning Curves, Fine Tuning
- Enhance Definition Synthesis Sound Generation
- Max. Polyphony – 80 notes
- 36 in-built Sounds
- 36 Demo Songs
- 8 Favorite switches on the control panel
- Sound Effects – 4 Insert Effects and 2 Master Effects
- More Controls – Local Off, Touch, Function, Demo, Master Volume Knob
- Connectivity – MIDI IN/OUT, Headphones jack, Audio Inputs and Outputs, Damper pedal, USB Type B connector
- Dimensions – (W x D x H), 45.0†× 13.66†× 6.1†without the music stand
- Weight – 38.5 lbs (17.5 kg) without the music stand
- Accessories – Power cable, User Guide, Accessory Disk, music stand, damper pedal (Korg DS-2H)
READ ALSO: Korg SP-280 Digital Piano Review
Korg SV-1 73BK Digital Piano Design
The Korg SV-1 73BK digital piano is a lightweight instrument and only weighs around 38lbs. This makes it the perfect piano for musicians who perform on stage frequently. Additionally, the dimensions of the Korg SV-1 are close to standard, meaning that this piano can easily fit into small spaces.
The interface of this piano is both intuitive and straightforward, offering advanced functions in the most precise way. You can quickly access every important function on the piano’s front panel. There are Rotary knobs that feature illuminated LED’s always to show you where they are located. Therefore, you can play this instrument is a semi-dark room without any confusion.
Because it was built with performance in mind, the Korg SV-1 73BK digital piano has eight buttons dedicated to calling up 8 sounds and settings immediately. The eight are car-radio style buttons, and you can use them to quickly interchange between your favorite sounds and settings when performing with the Korg SV-1.
Korg SV-1 73BK Digital Piano Keyboard
The SV-1 73BK digital piano features a 73-key Real Weighted Hammer Action. The RH3 is Korg’s finest Graded Hammer action keyboard and gives the feel of playing a real acoustic piano.
Because it’s graded, the RH3 keys feel heavier on the lower register, and as you progress to the higher register, you’ll feel a lighter touch to the keys. This is the same mechanism used in grand pianos and can enhance your playability with the SV-1.
Furthermore, the keyboard also features the tuning curves. This means it has a FUNCTION button that provides 8 different tuning curves, including:
- Grand piano stretch
- Electric piano stretch
- Equal
- Upright stretch
- Electric grand
- Detuned
- And 2 User-definable types
You can also access overall tuning using the FUNCTION button and make adjustments using the EQ treble control. Also, you can transpose the Korg SV-1 73BK digital piano into any key.
Sound Quality
The Korg SV-1 73BK digital piano has 36 sounds that range from acoustic pianos, electric pianos, organs, synth, and strings. With each instrument, you’ll first experience the essential classics as you progress to more sounds’ capabilities.
For example, the electric piano sound starts with a seven-way velocity switched “tine” version, and then moves to the classic “reed” model and a vintage analog “electra” instrument.
The acoustic sounds available in the piano are three-way versions of the renowned German and Japanese grand piano giants. When it comes to the Organs, they include three variations of the classic tonewheel model and British and Italian most famous combo organs.
And if that’s not enough, the Clavs on this digital piano come in four variations, making the SV-1 73BK piano a worthwhile versatile instrument when it comes to sound capabilities. Korg used their RX Experience technology to sample the piano cabinet resonances to enhance the SV-1’s sound accuracy.
Connectivity
As you may know, a pro and stage piano would be incomplete without adequate and relevant connectivity options. The Korg SV-1 73BK digital piano keyboard comes with the following connectivity options:
- Balanced XLR and ¼” outputs; Left and Right audio inputs;
- MIDI In and MIDI out jacks
- USB MIDI Port
- 3-pedal connections: Damper, Pedal 1, and Pedal 2.
The Damper pedal responds to half-pedaling for an authentic piano response. Pedal 1 is a switch type pedal and can function as a piano Sostenuto pedal, or as a Fast/Slow switch when the Rotary Speaker effect is on. On the other hand, Pedal 2 accepts either a sweep-type pedal or an additional switch pedal, providing the piano purist with access to all three piano pedal functions by adding the Soft function.
Korg SV-1 Price
The Korg SV-1 costs between $1,200 and $2,000. This is mainly because the piano comes with a lot of features and portability, which makes its cost to be around that price range. It also depends on where you’re buying the piano from – some dealers might sell you at an affordable price and others might not.
Extra Features of the Korg SV-1 73BK Digital Piano
Retro-Styling
Unlike most digital pianos, the SV-1 73BK comes with retro-style controls in a stunning metallic black and red finish. These controls enhance your playability, and they are easily accessible, meaning your experience on stage with this piano will be a blast.
Editor/Librarian Software
In this modern age, almost every electronic appliance is becoming digitized to enhance its usability. The case isn’t different from this piano as it features editor/librarian software implemented by Korg to diversify the SV-1’s playability.
The Korg SV-1 editor provides impressive graphic-based programming, which has additional parameters not found on the piano’s front panel. With this feature, you can program and save all the 36 built-in sounds, including the 8 Favorites.
Equalizer
This usually deals in adjusting the Bass, Middle, and Treble aspects of the piano’s sound. The EQ allows you to customize the tonal quality of the SV-1’s sound in real-time.
Amp Model
The Amp Modeling, cabinet simulation, and noise reduction of this piano add drive, edge, and color to the sound when you play. Additionally, Korg also added their exclusive Valve circuitry. This circuitry adds snarl or warmth, effects only provided by a real tube.
PRE FX
Because the Korg SV-1 73BK digital pianois a stage vintage piano, it features the PRE FX responsible for providing a vintage vibe to this piano’s sound. It does this with some classic effects from the brand’s guitar designers. You can also pre-treat your sounds before playing with the PRE FX feature, and you’ll find the results quite satisfying.
Modulation FX
This feature gives you the signature sounds of the legendary timbres from the renowned stomp-box pedals’ recreation.
Limiter
The limiter ensures that you maintain a balanced level of sounds, and you can adjust it only through the Korg SV-1 editor/librarian software.
Reverb
You get four types of Reverberation effects on this piano, including Hall, Plate, Room, and Spring. The piano also comes with a classic tape-echo and a stereo delay, all complete with a tap tempo switch. With such capabilities, the Korg SV-1 73BK digital piano takes sound enhancement effects to a whole new level.
Benefits of Owning the Korg SV-1 73BK Digital Piano
Good Keyboard Action
The RH3 keyboard action used on the Korg SV-1 is its most authentic keyboard action. Therefore, owning it means you are privileged to experience some of the most authentic nuances and sounds when you play.
Stage Ready
Because it was designed for performances, the piano delivers stage capabilities on all fronts. It’s portable, elegant, and best of all; it features a straightforward and adequately built control panel. You can easily activate your saved settings when performing by using the 8 Favorite Functions buttons.
High-Quality Sounds and Effects
The built-in sounds on the Korg SV-1 73BK digital piano might not be many, but they certainly deliver accordingly. Each sound has its authenticity and purpose, giving out rich and expressive tones. Also, the onboard sound effects are something else. You can enhance the sounds using various effects to give you both modern and vintage sounds. This is what you need during performances.
Ample Connection
Integrating digital pianos with other musical devices is every pianist’s consideration nowadays. And with the SV-1, you have comprehensive connectivity options that let you sync this piano with your computer, MIDI devices, and external audio devices to enhance your playability further.
Why Should You Buy the Korg SV-1 73BK Digital Piano?
In summary, you’ve seen what the piano is all about and its intent on the market. If you are looking for a stage vintage digital piano, the SV-1 73BK might be what you want.
It’s not complicated and manages to offer high-quality and desirable performance in a sturdy, elegant, and portable natures. This is the go-to piano for musicians on the road a lot, who need a portable instrument with high-end features.
Pros and Cons of the Korg SV-1 73BK Digital Piano
Pros
- Authentic keyboard action
- High-quality sounds
- High-end sound effects
- Intuitive and simple interface
- Adequate connectivity options
- Portable
Cons
- Minimum Polyphony count – 88 notes
Conclusion
So, there you have it, the Korg SV-1 73BK digital piano review. At a glance, you might easily disregard this piano’s capabilities. However, it will still draw you in with its captivating oval style finish.
Once you get a chance to use it, you’ll appreciate the work Korg did to this piano. It has numerous features that even some high-end stage keyboards lack. The SV-1 73BK digital piano is a bridge between modern and classic piano features and playability.
This is the piano to give you authentic usability and impressive sound qualities whenever you play for the crowds.
In addition, check out our comparison of Roland and Korg to see how they compare.Â
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