Digital Piano choice help Thread

easyrider · 19 Mar 2011 at 15:57

I bought my daughter a Yamaha Keyboard a few years ago and she has been having lessons at school.She really enjoys it and is always tinkering and practising.

I now want to buy an digital Piano as I feel that weighted keys will help her strengthen her fingers and improve her expression and confidence.

Any ideas? I would like it to be as close to a real piano as possible and not cost a fortune?

Cheers

easyrider · 20 Mar 2011 at 12:54

I guess nobody plays here?

russ0r · 20 Mar 2011 at 12:59

There are a few pianists here, so I'll give this a bump.
Yamaha P85 would be my recommendation for a budget one with weighted keys.
You can't really beat a proper piano though. If size isn't an issue you might as well just get a cheap upright acoustic.

arty · 21 Mar 2011 at 09:23

What is your budget?

I would be tempted to look at a second-hand Roland digital piano or, if you have the space and noise is not a problem, an actual upright piano (which may prove better value if you spot a good deal).

arty

Naffa · 21 Mar 2011 at 09:46

I play a Korg SP250, which maybe a touch expensive for what you need, but it's a brilliant digital piano. It looks very tacky, but has the best action of any digital piano I have played, and sounds great too. My only other complaint is that it doesn't have a really good EP sound, they're all just 'ok'.

But it is a fantastic piece of kit.

Narj · 21 Mar 2011 at 11:43

I bought a Yamaha CLP270 a few years back, and it's excellent. However, my teacher is insisting that I get an acoustic as soon as possible now as it's really not helping my voicing. I'll be buying a grand later this year as there's really no substitute for a real piano.

People seem to generally rate the Roland digitals better for touch and feel, however, the higher end Clavinovas have a great sound IMO.

One thing I'd say is that if she's serious about it and you have a decent budget, you might want to consider buying an acoustic with a silent system. All depends on how much you want to spend really. Don't just go for a cheap old acoustic as they can be more trouble than they're worth.

Not sure where you are but you could go somewhere like Chappell's in London and try a load of pianos/digitals out. You need to get your daughter along with you to make sure she's happy with it. If she doesn't love the sound her instrument produces, then it won't really inspire her.

Cheers