Above advice is excellent. If it's Piano and not keyboard / synth your after it's best to purchase one that "feels" like a real piano. Piano teachers hate it when families cheap out and purchase a wimpy action-ed keyboard for the student. The student then struggles with the action of the grand piano when doing their exams. A big part of playing a piano is how you express yourself with dynamics and feel.
I had a music store and used to sell Casio, Roland and Yamaha Keyboards and pianos.
A full sized weighted digital Piano from Roland or Yamaha started at $1,800, I sold a few at $3,000. I liked pianos a lot! ;) Casio even then were a little less money. The good news is these prices have come way down with models of Yamaha and Casio selling at Costco for around $500. Roland has not followed the market down to the same degree. But the modern pianos, they seem to be the same units to me with even more gizmos added.
I also have had the privilege of repairing them so I got to see what was inside. A lot of plastic, some rubber switches and tiny cheap looking springs. So I guess it's the sound generating technology that they are discounting these days, like back then you payed $1,400 dollars for a MIDI box that did what all PC's will do with MS wave table now.
I too have been kicking the tires as I want one in the house for my grandchildren. I can play a little bit so would enjoy something other than my collection of synths and controllers.
My focus has been on those same 3 brands which I trust. There are others but that's the big 3.
All 3 come with basically the same features so I guess it's a matter of
weighing the benefits.
I like the
feel of the Yamaha's best.
I like the
Sound of the Roland by far
I like the
price of the Casio
Also a word of advice. If you ever plan on using one live on stage, make sure it has proper output jacks. Roland has the best system with both in/out 1/4" jacks. Casio sometimes has the outputs but some models don't. Worst is only have the headphone jack which will also kill the speakers. So for this reason I am looking at the Roland.
The keyboard player in my band uses a Roland EP 7 ( 1995?) and she uses the input jacks to run a Korg 0w5 Module which is for synth and organ sound. She can hear it in the pianos speakers which are all she ever needs for stage monitors and this makes for only one patch cable to the PA. For bigger gigs she can use the other output to a keyboard amp.
The Ep7 speakers face up, most are underneath firing down so are muffled if you have carpeting.
That's all I know about digital Pianos, hope it enlightened.
post edited by Cactus Music - 2011/07/18 11:44:14