[1911]

hi all,
i know some of you out there are musicians and i wanted a rec for a digital piano. so far my wife was looking at the yamaha clp and cvp clavinova series and the kawai ce series....other than piano salesman telling us so many lies and half truths i thought i would solicit some recomendations...this piano is to be used mainly by my 2 daughters who will start piano lessons age 7,4 and for my wife who also plays,,,,so we liked the clp-280...good sound and 128 polyphony..while not paying for all the arrangement stuff that i am not sure we would use. is 64 vs 128 a big difference? me i hate piano...forced as a kid...
i am hoping not to spend more than 5k(hopefully less than 2k or even 1k).,in fact we have looked at used digital pianos as well....but they are like 15 years old....so any recs or a place to find more recent used digital pianos for a good price would be appreciated.
thanks in advance

 

[EMichels]

1911,

I went through the same exercise not long ago and I decided on the CLP-280. Having spent countless hours on the piano forums and a fair bit of time in piano stores I had narrowed it down to the Clavinova line based on the combination of sound, build quality, and reputation. I ended up at the upper end of the line based on sound. I bought the 280 because of the key action. I have no regrets. It plays and sounds beautifully.

I honestly enjoy playing my digital piano as much as (perhaps more even more than) my teacher's Steinway grand. It is always in tune, has great response, and feels so much like the real thing that I have no trouble switching back and forth. It is expensive but it suits my needs.

For a much less expensive option, it is worth looking at some of the better Casio offerings. I was very impressed by both key action and sound at very inexpensive price points (less than $750). The 280 is certainly better but it should be for the price differential. I just couldn't overcome my perception of Casio as a maker of a $39 toy piano.

Happy to do my best to answer any specific questions that you have about the Yamaha - just send me a PM.

Eric

 

[saint.panda]

Under $1000: go for the Casio PX-100. It looks cheap and it's Casio, but it sounds pretty good (headphone out is nice, too) and has the best weighted keys in this price range. I use a PX100 myself and tried all the Kawai, Yamaha and other offerings. For example the PX100 is much better than that $400 Yamaha piano (I think that was the price). As you move up the Casio PX range, all you get is more sample sounds.
Above $1000: best bets are probably Roland and Yamaha. I liked their weighted keys.

 

[Zuerst]

Piano Forums at Piano World: Digital Pianos - Synths & Keyboards

 

[jpelg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by saint.panda /img/forum/go_quote.gif Under $1000: go for the Casio PX-100. It looks cheap and it's Casio, but it sounds pretty good (headphone out is nice, too) and has the best weighted keys in this price range.

x2

 

[gilency]

I have a CVP 98 Clavinova. It is a great piano. I bought a demo so I got it cheaper than MSRP. I connect it to my MacBook and I use Logic Express, and Ivory Piano, a great software for piano recording. I like to compose music and find the combination is just wonderful.

 

[raymondlin]

Make sure it is 88 keys, Hammer action, and all the pedals.

I am looking to get either the Yamaha YDP-131 or the YDP-S30.

 

[Bob_McBob]

A friend of mine just got a Roland HP-201 because she lives in an apartment and a regular piano would be too loud, and she's extremely pleased with it.

 

[pianomav]

And as far as polyphony, the higher is always better. This is more evident when playing long passage and the sustain pedal depressed.

Things to look for are polyphony and the hammer action. The Yamaha clavinova series is an excellent choice and they have great hammer action.

 

[Bob_McBob]

There's always the square piano for apartments

 

[nsx_23]

Nothing beats a normal piano for tactile feedback. Having played piano for 10 years, nothing comes close to the subtlety of touch that works for a normal piano but not a keyboard/digital piano.

 

[BradJudy]

When we looked into this a few years ago, my wife tried a few in stores and at a friend's place. We picked the General Music Pro1 - both great feel and sound. Chose it above the Yamaha, Casio, Korg, Roland options. As a bonus, the thing is built like a tank, so kids are unlikely to damage it.

I think they stopped importing them into the US, but if you find a used one (or the better Pro2), it should be under $1k and a great deal IMO.

 

[Jussei]

x3 on the Casio PX-100.
I was looking into teaching myself piano (didn't work out) and purchased it based on reccomendations here on Head-Fi.
Although I haven't dealt with a lot of pianos, I couldn't have been happier for the price (I think I paid $300.00 for a used, like new unit).