The RJ561 Keyboard from Rockjam simply is :
- One of the Best Budget Friendly Keyboard
- Offers Plenty Of Inbuilt Learning Aids For Entry Level Pianist
And just don't take my words for this.
With enormous numbers of keyboard sold just over last year, the Rockjam RJ561 keyboard has achieved the Best-Selling piano for budding pianist in almost all of the major eCommerce Platforms.
And all these huge numbers with whooping 85% positive feedback surely made a name for itself.
Its quite surprising that even in this highly competitive price the keyboard comes with complete set.
The RJ5061 and RJ561 Set Includes :
I used it for around a week and my first impression with the instrument was way above my expectation.
But do you really believe that RJ561 or Rockjam RJ5061 can compete with entry level models like LK S250 or PSR E263 from big time players like Casio and Yamaha ?
Lets Find out :
Rockjam RJ561 Features and Specs
Reading Reviews Is So 90's, Instead Check The Video Review of RJ561 below 👇
Design and Layout :
I really liked the overall design of all of the Rockjam RJ Series models, there's nothing out of the world experience but there's nothing bad to point out too.
The looks of RJ 761 really impresses me as layout of the keyboard is completely touch sensitive.
The body is compact and portable and can easily be adjusted at any corner of your house.
The Layout is focused toward new learners and only highlights what matters the most.
But the overall plasticky touch felt a little cheap to me.
But I Guess, at this price point its better we keep our hopes within reasonable boundaries.
So, Overall Design and Layout is good to proceed with for budding musicians.
Keys :
Before looking at keys, lets understand a tiny concept here.
Throughout this review I am referring RJ561 as an entry level keyboard, not as a beginner keyboard.
Both of these terms sounds similar and has same intent aswell.
But the silver lining here is that you buy "Entry Level" keyboard when you are not sure whether you can continue playing piano for long run or not.
Whereas the "Beginner" keyboard is the like the first step toward a more professional approach.
Beginner keyboards are specifically designed to keep your progress in the right track, from where progressing to the intermediate level does not feel like a drastic change.
In-short, if you are dedicated toward learning piano then you need to opt for beginner keyboard.
So, Coming back to keys, Rockjam RJ series (RJ5061, RJ761, RJ561) are entry level keyboard with 61 keys and does lacks one of the most basic functionalities that is the Weighted Keys.
Weighted Keys are one of the most crucial component of overall piano playing experience, If you are serious toward learning piano then never compromise on weighted keys.
Keys of RJ561 felt a bit stiffer than other branded keyboards and keys are also not touch sensitive, which is really a big turn off for me.
By touch sensitive I mean to say that you can’t play loud and soft sound so it doesn’t really matter whether you hit the keys gently or hard its going to have the exact same volume to it which is not cool at all.
Voices, Tones and Sound :
The overall sound quality of the RJ 561 keyboard is quite good surprisingly.
However, You can't compare the sampled sound quality with Casio or other keyboard but at this price you can't get better quality than this huge library of rhythms and tones.
The RJ 561 comes with 100 inbuilt tones, 100 rhythms and 50 demo songs. Whereas the RJ 761 just doubles the index.
To choose a tone just push the "Tone Select" button followed by the represented tone number and you are done.
The process of selecting the Rhythms and demo are exactly same too.
LCD Display of Rockjam Keyboard :
I didn't liked the blue back-lit as its feels very sharp at dark
But The bright LCD display of Rockjam keyboards comes handy most of the time.
The good part is every activated features, tones, rhythms are represented on the bright LCD display, which makes it quite easy to understand what’s running behind the settings.
The great thing which I personally liked about RockJam RJ561 is that when you play the demo songs the display teach you how to play the song by highlighting the keys layout in the display.
It becomes quite easy to learn and understand when the display shows you which keys you need to press to play the song.
Whats more Rockjam Keyboards Offers ?
As I mentioned earlier when it comes to number of features its hard to beat RJ561 or RJ761 keyboards. Now lets take a quick look at them :
The Super Kit Bundle :
Now, comes the another good add-on from Rockjam keyboards, lets take a look at them along with my feedback.
Stand - At first glance I didn't expected the stand to be of a decent quality. But I must admit that I was wrong.
The stand is strong and rugged, the best part is that its easily adjustable and when the setup is complete and everything tightened up, it become quite sturdy and holds the keyboard very firmly.
Stool - The build quality of the seat is also quite good.
The padding is soft and relaxing thus allows to sit for longer hours,, I secretly wished the seat to be adjustable but its not.
And is also a bit small for adult players.
Headphone - The quality of the headphone is not that well, but serves the purpose of silent practice good enough.
But as I said above the Keyboard is fine for people who are just starting out or want to play for fun and does not want to dig deep.
RockJam RJ561 can also be considered as a great gift for kids or adult who just needs the keyboard for fun.
It is nice and compact and does not take up a lot of space and can be easily adjusted.
RockJam RJ561 Alternate
The Best Alternative Of RockJam RJ561 is Hamzer 61 Digital piano. The Price is almost same so don't forget to check it.
My Experience with The Rockjam Keyboards [RJ561 - RJ 761]
The set-phrase "You will get what you pay for" pretty much sums up the scenario when marketing gimmicks challenges our common sense.
And, its perfectly pertinent for Rockjam Keyboards too. But that does not mean it's not a good one.
Rockjam keyboards models whether its RJ-561, RJ-5061, RJ-461AX 7nd RJ761 are definitely going to give best bang for your buck.
But as I said above the Keyboard is fine for those who are just starting out or looking for keyboard just for fun, but its not for a professional approach or dedicated practice.
RockJam pianos can also be considered as a great gift for kids to introduce them to magical world of music.
It is nice and compact and does not take up a lot of space and can be easily adjusted and carried place to place.
With the free stand, stool, headphone it is completely a all in one product.
When it comes to downside, I really felt the pain of the missing weighted keys and touch responsiveness property of the keys, which is a must have feature for any serious piano learner.
And the overall tonal quality also has some room for improvement for sure.
But, The tons of in-built features, voices, rhythms, music making options, App connectivity and various learning capabilities options surely makes RJ561 a perfect 61-key keyboard for entry level pianists and piano teachers.
The success of this model has lead to the formation of the Rockjam brand with a whole variety of new product lines.
As I mentioned earlier, Rockjam RJ561 has earned the title of one of the bestselling keyboard for budding pianist in eCommerce platforms.
And not only the sells figures are huge, but the user ratings are all also positively overwhelmed.
With 87% positive feedback from 4100+ users solely on Amazon alone simply reflects why Rockjam Keyboard is one of the cheapest keyboard and proffer best bang for buck.
Rockjam Keyboard Manual
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/C1RBM-tXYpS.pdf
That's all from our end. Hope this review of Rockjam keyboard helped you in making an informed decision.
Till then,
Keep Playing and Spread Love
Thanks Daniel. Guys like you are God sends for music novices like me. May your tribe increase. Amen.
Thanks a lot, Richard for your kind words
Which one do you suggest between this one and casio ctk 2550? And why?
Both of the keyboards are quite good for beginners but If I were you I would have chosen RJ561 over 2550. I would also suggest having a look at E363 too before taking any decision.
What are the size of the keys ?
Hello Johanne, RJ561 has got full-size keys.
Is Hamzer 61 a good piano to buy instead of RJ561 ? Are the keys weighted? Does it come with any warranty? Thanks in advance.
Hello Amert, Yup Hamzer 61 is the adjacent competitor of RJ561, both of the keyboards provide decent entry-level features and sound to explore your passion toward keyboard playing. However, both of the keyboards has 61 keys and are velocity sensitive not weighted.
Yeah this is useful, I feel like a $100 keyboard is going to give a big fight to professional ones
Hey Sylvan, When it comes to the number of features then RJ561 is a good option but when you are IN for a long run than you must choose the professional-grade instrument over feature-filled product from 3rd world country.
I bought it for my son and expected that it has velocity-sensitive keys. But I was wrong. After purchase, I read it here that this rock-jam keyboard does not have such keys. I wished if I would have reached your site earlier then I would not end up with this.
Emory, Don’t worry S#!t happens and it’s part of the learning experience. The good thing is you do not made a high financial mistake. Look at the bright side, If your son really gets into piano playing then you can go ahead and get the better one. And if he didn’t then it’s just wonderful that you saved some big buck by mistake.
Daniel, can I buy this Model or the RJ 761 ? Are both models pretty much the same/ which is better ? Also, I would like to sink deep into music and get a piano in future, so isn’t it better to buy this and find out if I can work on keys and learn chords etc first ? I can decently play the guitar so looking to learn keys so I can write and Compose songs
Anesh, Unluckily I didn’t used the Rockjam RJ 761, so commenting without experience will be not fair.
However, as far I know RJ 761 is a bit, updated model.
As you are confident and serious regarding music, I suggest going with
a weighted keys keyboard over RJ561.
The cheapest option will be “RockJam 88-Key Beginner Digital Piano”. It costs around $220 and has a better feel and touch than both of the models.
Hi Daniel, I also see RJ 761 in the market. Is that model better than this ? Also, I understand this is not for prof musicians but is this good to get started with to understand if I can work on keys and later move to an 88 keys ?
Thanks Daniel, to be honest, budget is not much of an issue. But I don’t want to spend a lot before finding out if I can actually play the keyboard. Would you say buying the rockjam kit with the stand and seat etc, trying it out and then later upgrading to something like the yamaha p45 or the likes be the best bet for now ? I would still have a stand and seat to use the prof piano right 🙂 ?
Glad you found it useful.
I won’t suggest opting for Rockjam stand and seat when starting out.(For the same reason why you are not going with priced piano)
Instead, get a Double Braced X-Style stand or this Plixio Piano Keyboard Stand.
My best bet for the upgrade will be PX S1000 digital piano without a doubt.
Feel Free to ping me up in case of any query Anesh
Daniel, That one is not available to my location as of now 🙁 How about Casio WK-6600? I see it is cheaper and I am thinking of trying that instead of the RJ76. I see it has some sort of sensitivity and 76 keys, also a workstation to do some extra tech bit.
Great Choice Anesh, WK 6600 is really a wonderful keyboard, It has most of the feature you need to grow your experience.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this low priced keyboard, I didn’t found about RJ keyboard in any site though. Keep up the good work.
Glad it comes useful to you Biyu.
I know you weren’t talking about the rj361 but what are your thoughts on it?
Hey Claudia, If you are ready to compromise with the tonal quality (newbie don’t even know the differences) and you are not too picky about those minor details and want something to just step-in playing pianos or for building interest, then you can surely go with RJ-361, its not that bad considering the price. Anything even close to the actual piano feel going to cost $300+ … Hope you got my point.
Can you, please, tell if the rj5061 has a sustain pedal port. Thanks a million!
Yes, it does and the complete kit bundle also includes one.