OBO The Samick Digital Player Piano and Bench is a vintage digital home piano with 88 keys and a compact size of 50 inches. It features an ivory color and speaker for sound output. The set includes compact discs for player piano function, making it a versatile and convenient option for musicians looking for a portable and unique playing experience. Made from wood, this digital piano offers a high-quality and authentic feel for players.
An Overview of the Samick SGP-151G Digital Piano
The Samick SGP-151G is an 88-key entry-level digital piano. It’s designed to provide an authentic acoustic piano playing experience at an affordable price point. This makes it a great choice for beginners or students looking to learn and practice on a realistic keyboard without breaking the bank.
Some key specs and features of the SGP-151G include:
88 full-sized, weighted keys with simulated ivory and ebony finishes
Graded hammer action with touch response
64-note polyphony
10 different instrument sounds including piano, electric piano, organ, strings, and more
60 built-in songs, and the ability to record your own performances
Metronome and transpose functions for practicing
MIDI and USB connectivity
2 x 8W built-in speakers
Sleek, contemporary cabinet design
Is the SGP-151G a Good Beginner Digital Piano?
For those looking to buy their first piano, or perhaps get started again after years away, the SGP-151G is an excellent choice. The graded hammer action keys provide a very realistic feel that accurately simulates an acoustic piano. This helps build proper finger technique right from the start.
The selection of 10 different instrument voices allows beginners to explore various tones beyond just the standard grand piano. This can help retain interest during practice sessions. The built-in lesson songs also provide a way for students to play along and hone their skills.
Overall, the SGP-151G is well-suited for beginners but packs features that prevent an aspiring player from outgrowing it too quickly. The piano sound quality and feel should continue providing enjoyment well beyond the initial learning stages.
Specs and Technical Details of the SGP-151G
Here’s an overview of the key specifications that give the SGP-151G its characteristic performance:
88 weighted, hammer action keys – The keyboard uses Samick’s AHB3 graded hammer action. This accurately replicates the weighted feel of real acoustic piano keys, with the lower keys feeling heavier than higher ones. The keys also have a textured coating to simulate ivory and ebony keytops.
64-note polyphony – This indicates how many notes can sound at once. The 64-note polyphony provides enough room for complex passages without dropped notes.
10 instrument voices – In addition to 4 different acoustic and electric piano voices, the SGP-151G includes pipe organ, strings, synth, harpsichord, vibraphone, and jazz organ tones.
60 built-in songs – The internal song library includes pieces ranging from classical to contemporary music. Great for playing along with as practice.
Recording feature – The SGP-151G lets you record and playback your performances. Listen back to identify areas for improvement.
Connectivity – MIDI in/out jacks plus a USB port allow connection to computers for more advanced functionality.
8W speaker system – The on-board stereo speakers provide solid volume for home practice and learning. Headphone jack available for private practice.
The SGP-151G’s Weighted, Hammer Action Keys
An important aspect of any digital piano that aims to mimic an acoustic is the keyboard mechanism. On the SGP-151G, Samick utilizes their AHB3 graded hammer action with 88 weighted keys. The graded hammer means lower notes feel heavier, just like on a real piano.
The AHB3 action uses mechanical hammers, springs, and other components to recreate the movement of an acoustic piano’s hammer striking the strings. Combined with the textured key surfaces, this provides an authentic feel for building proper playing technique.
The weighted keys exhibit some mechanical noise when played, but most owners find this barely noticeable. Overall, the action is fairly quiet compared to other brands in this price range. The keys have a nice, firm response without feeling overly stiff or heavy for beginners.
How Advanced Players Can Benefit from the SGP-151G
While designed primarily for students and beginners, more advanced pianists can certainly enjoy the SGP-151G as well. The graded hammer action provides the weighted feel accomplished players expect. The 64-note polyphony ensures enough power for playing dense classical compositions without dropped notes.
The selection of electric pianos and other instrument voices beyond just the standard grand piano timbre adds some nice variety for practice sessions. The built-in metronome with adjustable tempo is also beneficial when building speed and technique.
One limitation is that the SGP-151G lacks more advanced features like split/layer modes or expanded sound editing capabilities. So extremely experienced pianists may better appreciate higher priced models. But for intermediate players on a budget, the SGP-151G packs impressive performance.
The Integrated Sound System in the SGP-151G
One advantage of a digital piano like the SGP-151G is the inclusion of built-in speakers and amplification. This makes the keyboard ready to play right out of the box, with no need for external sound systems or amplifiers.
The SGP-151G features a 2 x 8W speaker configuration, with one set of speakers aimed toward the player and one pointed out front. Volume reaches up to 91dB, providing more than enough acoustic power for home practice and lessons.
A 1⁄4” headphone jack on the front panel allows silent practice by plugging in either headphones or an external sound system. Overall, the clarity of the piano and other instrument sounds remains impressive even at high volumes through the integrated speakers.
The Sound Engine and Sample Library
The distinct piano and other instrument sounds from the SGP-151G come from Samick’s Stereo Sampling sound engine. This uses digital samples of actual acoustic instruments rather than synthetic digital recreations.
For the main piano voices, Stereo Sampling captures samples from a grand piano recorded at four levels of dynamics. This allows the SGP-151G to reproduce the tonal changes that occur when a real piano is played at different volumes.
Along with the stereo piano samples, the sound engine powers the electric piano, pipe organ, strings, and other available voices. While some budget digital pianos utilize samples that sound more artificial, the SGP-151G provides fairly realistic instrument reproductions.
Recording Songs and Performances on the SGP-151G
Practicing along with backing tracks helps students hone their rhythm, timing, and technique. The SGP-151G allows players to record their own performances to create custom backing tracks using the built-in recording feature.
Recording on the SGP-151G captures your keyboard playing along with the selected instrument sound. Playback utilizes the piano’s internal tones so performances sound identical to how you originally recorded them.
Once recorded, songs remain in the piano’s internal memory until a new song is recorded over them. Unfortunately a way to save recordings externally via USB is not provided. But the recording capability remains useful for reviewing your progress and tightening up your playing abilities.
Connectivity Options for the SGP-151G Digital Piano
In terms of getting connected, the SGP-151G comes equipped with the following options:
MIDI In/Out – The traditional MIDI ports allow connecting to other MIDI devices like synthesizers or computer interfaces.
USB to Host – The USB port enables the piano to interface directly with a computer for using music learning apps or recording into a DAW.
1⁄4” Headphone Jack – Plugging in headphones provides silent practice and direct personal monitoring.
1⁄4” Line Out – This output can connect to an external speaker system or mixer for amplification.
The inclusion of MIDI helps future-proof the SGP-151G, ensuring it can interface with a wide range of music gear as a student advances their skills. Altogether, the connectivity covers the basics for a digital piano in this price range.
Using Headphones for Private Practice Sessions
Playing piano wearing headphones lets you enjoy all the functionality of the SGP-151G silently. This is perfect when you need to practice without disturbing others nearby. It also provides more focused monitoring compared to the built-in speakers.
Simply plugging any 1⁄4” headphone jack into the port on the front panel of the piano automatically cuts off the main speaker output. The volume and tone then comes through your headphones only.
The SGP-151G provides enough headphone volume to overcome any ambient noise that could interfere with your practice session. Just adjust the main volume knob to your preferred listening level.
Music Genres the SGP-151G Handles Best
With its authentic acoustic piano sounds and weighted key action, the Samick SGP-151G works excellently for practicing classical repertoire or other music that relies on realistic piano performance. The piano voices and optional reverb effect capture the tone of a real grand piano nicely.
The electric piano and electronic organ voices provide suitable variety for jazz, blues, and rock playing as well. Though limited by the 64-note polyphony, the pads and synth tones can manage basic pop/rock chord comping or soloing.
Thanks to the graded hammer action, the SGP-151G allows developing the proper piano technique for all styles, even if certain genres benefit more from the available sounds. Overall, it focuses primarily on classical and contemporary piano training.
Included Accessories for the Samick SGP-151G
The SGP-151G comes with everything needed for starting piano lessons and practice right away, including:
Music Rest – Holds sheet music pages open on the piano.
Sustain Pedal – This pedal mimics the sustain pedal behavior of an acoustic piano. Essential for proper technique.
Power Cable – An included power cable hooks up the piano to an outlet.
Optional accessories like the Samick SDP-2 piano bench, SC-2 stand, and SH-1 headphones can be purchased separately. Overall though, the in-box accessories cover the basics starting out.
Reviews and Impressions of the Samick SGP-151G
The Samick SGP-151G digital piano enjoys very positive reviews across retail sites, forums, and testimonials:
Owners praise the authentic, weighted keyboard action that really helps train finger technique.
Many describe the piano sound reproduction as impressive for the affordable price.
Beginners appreciate all the built-in songs and lesson functionality.
More experienced players find the graded hammer action beneficial even when playing classical pieces.
Recording capabilities and connectivity earn kudos for helping expand skills over time.
Students and parents rate it highly as a reliable first piano on a budget.
Overall, the SGP-151G scores highly as a value-packed first digital piano.
The Durability and Longevity of the SGP-151G
For an entry-level instrument, the SGP-151G exhibits typical Samick build quality with solid construction that should endure normal use for many years. Owners report years of constant practice without any issues.
The keyboard action and internal speakers remain robust over time. Keys maintain their graded weighting and hammer response after heavy playing. Like any instrument, regular maintenance helps prevent wear and tear. But the SGP-151G avoids common problems like sticky or noisy keys under normal use conditions.
While virtually all gear has a limit to its usable lifespan, students should reliably get through years of practice on the SGP-151G before considering an upgrade. This makes it a worthwhile investment compared to ultra-cheap digital pianos.
Conclusion – An Excellent Value for Beginners
For students looking to practice on a realistically weighted digital piano on a budget, the Samick SGP-151G packs an amazing amount of quality and features into its low price point. The graded hammer action really helps build proper playing technique while the built-in songs and lesson functions provide guidance.