As the current owner of a Kawai MP7 and previously a Roland RD-2000, I can tell you that I enjoy playing the CP88 more than either of them. I love the feel, look and overall design of the CP88. The keybed feels of higher quality than that of the MP7. It also makes a powerful MIDI controller that is a joy to use. I've had the CP88 for a week and I look forward to playing it every chance I get, I really do love it. For those interested, I find the CP88 has a much heavier touch than the MP7. I would have preferred it a bit lighter but that's subjective.

My biggest concern before purchasing the CP88 is what I perceived to be thin Piano sounds in most of the demonstration videos. One thing I liked about the RD-2000 is what I felt to be more of a romantic sound that is present in many of the RD-2000 tones such as the Concert Grand. Many pianists use an instrument like this in small venues such as a restaurant, etc... Sometimes you don't always want to forcibly "cut through" a mix especially if you are the only one in the mix. I was able to mimic and ultimately surpass the sound I personally enjoyed on the RD-2000 with a combo of piano, super-light EP, compressor and most importantly adjusting the EQ. The EQ functionality is what brings me to one of the frustrating issues with the CP88:

1. In order to obtain "that sound" you desire, many times it requires not only the Tone and other adjustments but also the tweaking of EQ settings. Unfortunately this is a global mix setting and has to be changed for each set. This also means the EQ settings apply to the entire mix of the CP88 and not the section you're adjusting which many times leads to undesired results. This could have been remedied by using infinity knobs with the values of the EQ that can be saved like most other functions on the CP88. The CP88 is designed for "discerning pianists" who want to tweak settings for the sound they desire. How can this be done without even basic EQ settings saved for that specific sound? - A large oversight in my opinion.

2. The next frustrating issue for me are the 4-position Section selector knobs. First, in a dark setting you can't see the green & red painted lines on the E.P. and Sub section selector switches. You can see the yellow line on the Piano section which leads up to this issue. Let's say the current position of the E.P. selector switch is on DX. Let's also say you select one of your set lists that uses a sample in the Rhodes category. At this point the sample is selected and the Rd selector light is lit up in the E.P. category. So now, feeling like you're in the Rd category let's say you want to move the selector down (clockwise) to the DX category. You apply some pressure, then more, then you realize that you're already at the bottom of the 4 position selector switch in the DX category. At this point you then need to move the selector switch up from the DX category, then back down to the DX category. I'm somewhat baffled as to this design when the solution is only a few inches away in the Menu knob with infinity up and down. This would have allowed you to move the selector LED/Category up and down at will without even thinking about it. This happens frequently and is frustrating.

In conclusion the CP88 is a joy to play, feels fantastic and the interface is great. The build and overall quality is superb. You really can obtain the sound you want but it may be frustrating to get there at times. Also, If you need to use the EQ to fine tune a sample there are drawbacks.