Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Help me find a good digital

I’m sure most of you saw my thread about losing my home and my beautiful grand. I had actually thought I still had a playing option with my Korg Triton . 88 weighted keys and a nice sound. But I just found it buried in the rubble after thinking I had moved it to my studio. So I’m totally piano less. Until I can get a new home and a new grand which will most likely be over a year from now Im relying on friends and moving around. So a digital piano seems the way to go. Some of you guys have posted some amazing sounding recordings on digital and I’m going hoping you can give me some recommendations. All I need are nice weighted keys and an authentic sound. Thanks- Peyton

You’ll probably want a portable for a while until you come in for a landing. Kawai ES8 and Yamaha P515 seem to be regarded quite highly. Here’s an older thread discussing them here. I’m sure you’ll find something lovely! 🙂👍

I have the CLP-645, which is the same action as the 515. I personally love this action, and the sound is great (to me).

http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2841488/kawai-es8-vs-yamaha-p515-action.html

I like the Casio PX -series is pretty nice for the money and available on Amazon prime.

Casio Privia PX1100



This video is done by a classical musician who is also a YouTube artist. This is the digital piano he uses whenever he performs with his band when he needs it. People who went to his instalive at a bookstore in Japan said that it sounded incredible.

He recently became Casio ambassador (doing the commercial for them) but he has been using the piano for a long time before the commercial.

Peyton - I'm so impressed to see your mental strength and the way you're already planning ahead, moving forward and performing "damage control". Reminds me of some very competent high level commanders of big programs (that often go awry from time to time). Both civil and military. Those are people that move mountains when needed, and you seem to rank up there with them. Just my 2 cents worth of reflection...

It depends on how much you want to spend and if weight is an issue. Some Kawai choices (Kawai ES8 is discontinued and the ES920 on production hold).

Kawai VPC1
Kawai MP11se
Kawai MP7se

Others can recommend other brand equivalents. So sorry for the tremendous loss.

I have liked Yamaha and Kawai models which are above the 1k range. I find Roland and Casio to be more suited to contemporary piano styles, and not for classical piano. The key action I've seen of several models above the 1k USD range seems to be pretty realistic and I don't have too many problems switching between them and acoustic pianos.

We'll all pitch in here with our own choices, I'm sure
I got rid of a Yamaha P515 for a Kawai ES110.
I find it hugely better all round. They are available which is more than can be said for others.
They are also cheap and very cheerful. And you can gig with them easily without fear of a hernia. . . .
So sorry to hear your news. I wish you well.

The Kawai VPC1 is not a digital piano -- it has no built-in sounds. It's a very-piano-like MIDI controller, but you'll need a computer, and a VST (= software piano), and (if you want other people to hear it) amps and speakers.

The new Casio's are very narrow (front-to-back), and their keys are quite short, pivot-to-end. Therefore, they're more difficult to play near the fallboard. That's a frequent problem in low-end DP's, but the Casio's are somewhat worse than average.

. . . Do you have a budget?

I was just watching news coverage of the Denver fire, and thinking about the work of rebuilding the "stuff" that a life uses . . . you have my sympathy.

Hi Peyton,

As Charles said, The Kawai VPC1 is not a digital piano, but if you want something not that expensive that is close to an acoustic piano, it may be a good solution. A couple of years ago, Jethro asked for help buying a digital piano "that has an action that as close as possible mimics an acoustic grand piano" and this is what he bought.

It may sound a bit daunting, but I use the same solution, and it works very well, very smoothly.

I was touched by the kindness of your neighbours that you told about and I wish you well.

Peyton, are you able to visit a music store to play a digital? Or maybe a Guitar Center nearby?

I think that would be preferable if possible.

Another thing I wonder about is how much “stuff” you want to deal with. And how that balances out with sound/touch conditions. For example, here’s Jethro’s set-up:


That sounds like a lot of stuff to me… and it sounds like a lot of set-up as well…

What about
1) something like the Yamaha P515 (keyboard, stand, pedal, bench, three pieces plus headphones)
Or
2) something like a Yamaha Arius line, which is a fixed stand/furniture style set up, so once it’s assembled you would just have two pieces (piano, bench, plus headphones)

These are the closest you’ll get to “plug and play” options.

A digital is never going to come close to approximating an acoustic, and that’s ok. You can make amazing music on a digital, keep your fingers, and your soul, on a digital, so that when you’re ready for a grand again, you’ll have a more seamless transition.

So think about what you want to prioritize, the sound quality or the convenience.

lastly, I’ll share what I often post in the Piano Forum when people are going at it about “get this kind, no this kind…”

The best piano is the one you can actually get your hands on and play.

Because whatever you get, you’ll be able to make music with it.

Peyton, I was so sorry to hear about your home, but very thankful that you and your wife are well.
Just to add another couple possibilities (in the category of slab pianos), the Roland FP 30X, 60X, and 90X are also worth considering (depending on your budget/preferences). Wishing you all the best in the upcoming months.

+1 !!!

Thanks guys. Every day is a challenge (frankly just waking up right now and having to face the day is a challenge) but it gives me a bit to look forward to thinking about finding a nice keyboard. I will be looking at all of your suggestions and will go to my neighborhood music store to see what he has and recommends as well. I don’t want anything too complicated. Wearing headphones is fine, in fact now that I have no home and will be living in apartments it may be preferable. My number one needs are feel and sound. A authentic weighted key and a beautiful sound. That Casio Video sounded pretty authentic. As I mentioned in the beginning of the thread, I have been amazed at the sound some of you get in the recitals on your digitals. In time, when I have a home again I will have grand again. But in the meantime… this will do.

Best of luck, I’m sure you’ll find something your love! ❤️🙂👍

I highly recommend a digital console with built in sounds.

In your situation, you will likely have many days with limited piano time, The more 'automatic start' your piano is, the greater the likelihood that you will use all of those little 15 minute opportunities to sit and play. The greater the startup burden is, as in a midi controller-computer-vst-amplifier-speakers setup, the less likely you are to take advantage of a 15 minute opportunity, and thereby miss a lot of playing time.

I found that my playing time doubled or more from purchasing a console piano (Casio Privia PX-760) which only took about 3 seconds prep before I could play. The slab it replaced required 10 minutes of setup (stand, plug it in, install music desk, etc.). That little bit of extra effort required by the slab caused me to miss a lot of short playing opportunities that the console allowed me to take advantage of.

Slippery slope...
Coming from an acoustic, and a grand, 5 bucks says for you, an "affordable digital" is not going to cut it for long. Unless that's exactly what you want, which I doubt very much.
Stay away from "affordable" unless, for a guy like you $3,500 is affordable. If so then I'd say get a Nord Piano 5, or a Nord Grand from Sweetwater. If you go online now, Phil should have it with you in about a week.
"Affordable" for a guy like me is $1,000 and for that money about the only thing you'll get that remotely gets anywhere close to decent key action is the StudioLogic SL. But then you'll need hardware, software etc. since that's a controller (only).
Anyway, what you're asking is difficult to answer, without specifying your budget, what exactly you're looking for, what you don't want, what you do want and well as much info as possible.
If you're not informed of what's out there, in the non-accoustic world then get ready to tumble down a rabbit hole since every Korg / Roland / Nord nerd is going to sell you their shiny toys. I wouldn't buy anything until you've tumbled down the hole a bit, unless you have plenty of cash to burn. A guy who's house just burnt down is likely going to be hanging around with limited cash until insurance coughs up. That could take a while... Until then enjoy the ride

OP, if you ask this question in the Digital Piano forum, you will get 200 answers, create a heated discussion, and walk away the most confused you have ever been!

Personally, I love my Casio PX-S3000, I play it more the my old Baldwin Acrosonic. Good luck in your search.

I thought the very same thing when I first saw the post. This is the reason why, when I thought of suggesting him to post there, I refrained from doing it right away.

IMO answers here have been more sensible than those he would get in DP-EP-SK subforum.

Peyton, I am sorry to hear of your devastating losses.

Most of my posts have been on the Digital sub-forum and I know that space well. Here is an outline of your options:

1. Entry-level weighted-key digitals: $500-800 depending on brand, options such as stand, pedals, etc. Kawai ES110, Roland FP30, Yamaha P-125. This is the minimum you should consider, a cut above the unweighted or spring-action keyboards that dominate the low end of the market. Such pianos come as a keyboard only, colloquially known as a slab, but can be fitted with wooden stands and three-pedal bars, when they look nice. Less expensive X-stands and standalone pedals are not stable and should be avoided.

2. Mid-tier weighted-key digitals: $1500-2000 depending on brand, options such as stand, pedals, etc. Kawai ES920, Roland FP90, Yamaha P-515. The principal differentiating factor from the entry-level slabs are the actions, which feel a bit closer to those of acoustic pianos. The sound samples, speakers, etc., are also superior. I consider this level to be a good value in digital pianos as one is not spending money on fancy wooden cabinets, but stepping up for a better quality action and samples. As with the entry-level digitals, these slabs can be fitted with wooden stands and three-pedal bars, when they look nice.

3. Console-style digitals: $1000-5000. These vary a lot in quality and value. The best, such as the upper end of Kawai's CA and Yamaha's CLP lines, offer the best actions in digitals without going to a hybrid. The worst offer nothing more than entry-level actions packaged in fancy wooden cabinets, but costing a lot more. If you have the funds, it is hard to beat a Kawai CA79 if playing with headphones or a Kawai CA99 if listening through its soundboard speakers, but they are at the upper end of this price range. I came close to buying one a couple of years ago, before finding a used acoustic grand at a bargain price.

4. Hybrid digitals: $8000-14000. These use real acoustic piano actions to drive optical sensors calling on digital samples, and are the best of the digitals. The Kawai NV5S and Yamaha NU1X have upright actions, while the Kawai NV10S, Yamaha N1X and N3X have grand actions. However, you will pay a lot for one and its sound will still constrained by the design and limitations of its speakers. Recommended if you must have an authentic action and practice with headphones, but I find it difficult to justify the price for a digital blackbox that won't last a lifetime, unlike a similarly-priced acoustic piano.

All the best to you at this difficult time. I hope that I have helped you, in my own small way.
Best regards,
Lotus
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Having fun with: Tema con Variazioni from
Mozart: Sonata in D, K. 284, "Durnitz" on
Kawai GM-10 grand / Yamaha DGX-660 digital