NAMM 2026: Founded back in 1982, Kurzweil is a company that’s shown itself to have some serious staying power, still releasing pro and home keyboards into a very competitive market. The SP8, its latest offering, is designed for performers - but to simply call it a ‘stage piano’ would be to do it a disservice.
That’s because, as well as offering the piano tones you’d expect - not to mention organ modelling - the KS8 is also a 6-operator FM synth. There are vector synthesis waveforms, too, and Kurzweil has included sounds from previous instruments such as the K2700, K2088/61 and PC4.
In fact, there are more than 1,000 factory programs in total, spread across 10 categories, which equates to around 2GB worth of content. 200 factory multis make use of the SP8’s split and layering capabilities, and there are assignable knobs and buttons.
Up front, there’s an 88-note hammer-action keyboard, with pitch and mod wheels at the top left.
The SP8’s styling is pretty conservative - this is a keyboard that says ‘I’m here to do a job so let’s get on with it’ - but it looks reassuringly durable and “promises rock-solid reliability”.
And that’s what you really want in a stage keyboard. More details on the SP8 will be released soon, but preliminary specs are available on the Kurzweil website.
