NAMM 2020 – Korg Announce SV-2 Stage Vintage Piano

It’s hard to believe that more than 10 years have passed since the Korg SV-1 stage piano launched, although it remains a popular choice for gigging players seeking an authentic, retro piano experience. 

Now, just ahead of the NAMM 2020 tradeshow, Korg has announced its successor, the SV-2 which retains the same design philosophy but brings an entirely new range of sounds as well as support for splits and layers.  

SV-2 is available in four variants – SV-2 73 and SV-2 88, as well as SV-273S and SV-2 88S. 

The new ‘S ’models not only feature a nice new white finish but also integrate an Italian designed speaker system, meaning the SV-2 also functions as a highly desirable home piano.  

We were lucky enough to receive a pre-release unit from Korg, so check out our unboxing video below for our first impressions. 

Our biggest take away from the limited time we’ve had with the SV-2 is that the new sounds are fantastic. Acoustic and electric pianos are brimming with detail, organs sound suitably thick and there are plenty of lush strings and synths to accommodate a variety of playing scenarios. Several of the factory presets notably utilize splits and layers where up to three programs are being used. This is particularly prominent on the orchestral combi featured in our video. 

From what we can tell, these types of combi patches are configured using the free PC/Mac editor program and can then be saved to a favourites slot. 

The number of sounds has doubled from 36 to 72, and the K-Array speaker system on the speaker equipped models sounds really impressive. Probably not sufficient for gigging purposes but a nice addition nonetheless. 

Stay tuned for our full review coming soon!