I'm toying with the idea of getting a decent (but not insane) digital piano for practice... so I can still play even when others are watching TV or it's late or whatever.

Ideas? Any recommendations? I'm not even sure if I want a full digital piano with built-in speakers, etc. or simply a stage piano with a headphone jack.

If I do the full piano thingy, then there is the possibility (albeit slim) of duets, etc. But it's big and not very portable.

If I do the stage piano thing, there is the possibility of taking it with me and using it at school concerts, replacing the barfola piano at the school, at least for performances. But of course, no duets or two-piano thingies possible unless I also pop for sound.

Hmmm, what to choose? I'd welcome any input.

Nina,

For quite a while I owned a Kurzweil Stage 88 keyboard, without an onboard amplifier or speakers. For most of the time, I used it with a decent pair of headphones, and although it sounded good through the headphones, I eventually tired of not having an onboard amp or the "floppiness" of the two pedals (they are separate and sit on the floor, free to move however they wish). So I looked around and settled on an inexpensive Yamaha keyboard. The model I bought, a YDP 213 (which has since been replaced by a "new and improved" version) has all the bells and whistles that the equivalent Clavinova version has, but sells for half the price. And the pedals (all three of them, and yes, the sostinuto pedal works properly) are firmly attached to the back board, and I can listen to it without headphones. Of course there is a headphone jack (actually two of them) as well as midi connections. The selection of various voices and preset songs is a little clunky, but I can live with it. The piano sounds good, although like ALL digital pianos does not resemble a real piano (my piano teacher has a 6' Steinway model O in her living room, so I am quite familiar with the differences.) The action is decent. Look into one of these, and you might like it. Note, that as the price increases, you get more bells and whistles, but nothing you really need, especially in a practice piano.

The Yamaha piano dealers cannot stock this line, as they only are allowed to carry the Clavinovas, which are, as I said before, twice as expensive, and differ only in minor details. Check with local music stores for these.

Good luck.

Nina,

I would steer you towards a middle of the road stage piano, as these performance instruments tend to concentrate on quality of patches (or voices) as opposed to bells and whistles. Yamaha, Kawai, Roland, Korg, among others all make modles of these instruments to suit your needs and budget. Spend some time at a music store to get to know features you want/need and how each instrument handles.

Roland's FP and RD series, Korg SP, Kawai MP or ES series, and Yamaha SP series all have various models with good pedal simulation, very good weighted feel to the action, etc. and excellent acoustic samples to simulate a real piano. I particularly like Kawai and Roland's instuments in this regard.

I'll definitely check out the Yamahas--I'm familiar with the Clavinovas, but not the YDP's. There's a store in Mesa that carries them, I know.

I also had a chance to try a Kawai something-or-other-"8"--let me google... OK, I think it was an MP8. Very nice--I was pleasantly surprised. It had several different piano patches, like Grand, Jazz, Upright, etc.--and they really did sound like as advertised. I was disappointed that it didn't have a harpsichord patch--but perhaps I just overlooked it.

It looks like you can get it through Musician's Friend (the 8) for just shy of 2K--but there's also an MP5 that's about 700 less. I wonder what the difference is.

More research, more trips to music stores!

By all means, Nina! Check them all out. Although I recommended one particular instrument that worked for me, it might not be your favorite. Anyways, it's an excuse to visit lots of music stores.

I have a YDP Arius 160 (if I remember correctly!) It's my only piano, so I don't know if I can really answer any questions for you, but...

I like the sound ok (a digital never compares to an acousitc IMO) and the keyboard and pedals are nice. I usually use it with headphones, but sometimes without, and then the sound is ok (a little tinny in the upper registers maybe).

I ordered it last december from GuitarCenter online. Since this is a more "piano-looking" piano than a stage piano, it's not quite as portable...

Good luck!

A couple of friends have Roland DPs (not stage pianos). I like their sound better than the Yamahas I've tried.

quote:

Originally posted by Piano Again:
A couple of friends have Roland DPs (not stage pianos). I like their sound better than the Yamahas I've tried.

OF course, PA, that's a personal perspective. Roland puts out a good product, as does Yamaha.

Hi...Nina,
I've owned and played quite a few digitals. IMHO, the Yamahas and Rolands have the very best actions. But for my great ear () it's MHO that the Kurzweil sounds are head and shoulders above the rest.

I have Kurz'..PC88MX's at school. (the MX is more sounds). I also own one. They weigh about 49#. I also own a Yamaha P80 and a large Roland (can't think of the Model No.) The Kurzweils do not record and playback. The P80 has lots of memory for this. The Roland has soooo many sounds I rarely use. But I really enjoy it and the organ sounds are spectacular. I have a P120, also...with built-in speakers. Depending on where I'm playing, this is quite handy. And as I get older (damn!) a keyboard that's 10-15# lighter is great! The P80/120 each weigh about 37#. I like to try the new Kurz' with BUILT-IN speakers; I've read good things. There are none in STL, so a roadtrip to Chi' would be good.

There's more... My P80 is around 10 YEARS OLD. The middle 'D' was sticky. I took it to an electronic place in STL, certified to service Ya'. Even at 10 yrs old, Yamaha replaced all 88 at no cost. One of my adult students had a 5 yr old Clav' with a key issue. Ya' replaced all her keys, too. She only paid a $50 service call.

I was at G/Center last month. They had a P85 with just a few sounds, built-in speakers and an action that surprised me. This weighed about 26#...! It was priced at $599....perfect for your practice (not a Pleyel... ) and great for hauling to school. Heck, you wouldn't even need Mr. Nina to help....

Well, I hope this helps. If I could take certain aspects of different keyboards and put them together, I'd be happy. I'll probably always be a die-hard Kurzweil guy; but ya gotta love Yamaha's *stand-by-their product*

Let me know what you end up with.

This past May I played a Kawai @ a wedding in Eureka, Illinois (Reagan's alma mater). It was huge and not at all portable. It was connected to a great sound system and was fun to play...

We have a Roland FP3 we are very happy with. Action is good, built in voices are high quality. Pedal does move around - but you can probably solve this by putting it on a rubber mat or some similar solution.

You will need a stand to go with. Later on if you want it amplified out loud you can get the powered speakers (of which there are now many good models for $200 to $600).

Try ebay for a used FP3 (they must have a successor model by now to this one).

I have a Kawai EP-3 coming on probation--should arrive early this week! (That is, the week of the 20th.)

I'll give you guys my opinions once it's here and I've had a chance to mess around with it a bit.

quote:

Originally posted by Nina:
I have a Kawai EP-3 coming on probation--should arrive early this week! (That is, the week of the 20th.)

I'll give you guys my opinions once it's here and I've had a chance to mess around with it a bit.

Upon delivery, make sure they tune it and voice it before they leave!

I've had it for a week, and I have to say, my reviews are mixed. Having the digital keyboard is great--for use with headphones, etc.

It has some cool features for harpsichord, including the ability to switch temperaments.

You can mess with the touch and voicing a little bit, but not much.

On the down side, the touch isn't great, and the responsiveness of the keyboard itself is a bit off-putting. It's very hard to get anything other than soft or LOUD.

The sound quality is actually a bit variable. I wonder if I don't perhaps have a lemon? I don't understand how the piano could sound differently on different days. (Sounds like user error. )

Right now I'm on the fence about it.

quote:

It's very hard to get anything other than soft or LOUD.

Yeah, I find it's hard to have "nuance" with a digital. Also, there's something about how the keys go down that's very abrupt.

I can't say if you bought a lemon or not, but try to get used to playing it and see if it gets any better.