Digital Pianos

[middleagecyclist]

I'm thinking of getting a digital/electronic piano for Christmas - primarily for me and my 6 yr old to learn on. It has to have the full number of keys as an acoustic piano and they have to be weighted. I'm not interested in getting an all singing/dancing keyboard/synthesizer affair. It would live in the dining room so would have to look smart with a light wood finish. A headphone socket would be essential!

I've little idea how much money to spend to get something worthwhile but would like to keep it under £600.00 if at all possible. Any suggestions?

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Yamaha electric pianos are pretty good, well balanced, weighted keyboard, you'll still get all the extra sounds but the basic piano sounds are fine. I don't know their pricing but after a quick check online (i.e. before shopping around) I came across this. Just over your budget but I'm sure you can get it closer.

 

[EltonFrog]

Get one of these, they're ACE

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1311&_nkw=yamaha+clavinova&_sacat=0&_from=R40

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Mrs 3BM's got a Yamaha Clavinova, can't remember how much it was though. It's really good, sounds like a piano and the keys are weighted like an upright too.

 

[srw]

I've played a few Clavinovas and they're OK. However, for that budget don't discount a real instrument. If you can tell a stinker from an OK piano you can find something much more pleasurable to play than an electronic job - but you'll need to get lucky or use a contact. Our current 1940s Broadwood boudoir grand only cost us £500. It's been looked after, so is a pleasure to play.

 

[slowmotion]

Much to my regret, I never learned to play but we bought a digital piano for Miss SM a few years ago. It's an 88 key Kawai CL25 which sounds pretty good to me and has a quite well reviewed key action. The current replacement model is the CL26 which you can find for about £550 if you shop around on the internet.. Here's a review...

http://www.ukpianos.co.uk/kawai-cl26-review.html

Good luck.

Edit: Sorry I forgot. It's amazingly compact which was a big point in its favour to us.

 

[Archie_tect]

People are giving away really good upright pianos with iron frames these days.... an a good tune-up won't cost much.... go on get areal one MAC- it's more fun! [though I take the point about headphones...]

 

[Herr-B]

In 2004 I bought the wife a digital piano from Headingley Pianos in Leeds, it was the cheapest they had - Diginova Concerto or Conservatoire, paid, arrived a couple of days later flat-packed but a doddle to put the two or three pieces together.

Roll on eight and a half years later, one well used piano is still very much alive and well, as I type the wife is playing I Don't Like Mondays. It's been through one house move and several times a year it gets moved around the living room, all three kids play it (4, 10, 15).

The best bit, and the reason I bought digital, I'd the headphone sockets! It's full size, weighted keys, three pedals, lots of other 'voices' if you want that.

I nearly bought a Casio baby grand in white for a hell of a lot more, but we'd have had to use it as a dining table too.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

We're not doing so well on the colour, though, are we? I missed that when I first read the OP. We can get inside the budget but it's harder to find anything lighter than dark rosewood at that price.

 

[slowmotion]

We're not doing so well on the colour, though, are we? I missed that when I first read the OP. We can get inside the budget but it's harder to find anything lighter than dark rosewood at that price.

Liberace would have liked this Kawai CL26!

 

[middleagecyclist]

Great response. Thanks CCers. I want a digital as it is:

• more compact and lighter than an upright
• has a headphone socket

The last point is actually the more important. It isn't just so I don't have to listen to the Golden Child practice but so I can play in the evening without disturbing the sleeping household.

I'm going to visit some local shops to see what they suggest around my budget level. At least i've got a good idea now. Cheers.

 

[Herr-B]

Great response. Thanks CCers. I want a digital as it is:

• more compact and lighter than an upright
• has headphones sockets

The last point is actually the more important.

You forgot to add it doesn't need tuning, a big plus.

 

[middleagecyclist]

Got one!

The OH and I went along to a local music shop in Bury - Reed, Franklin and Heywood, now part of Rimmer Music - and had a useful chat with one of guys there. He showed us several digital pianos from Yamaha, Casio and their own brand Berkeley; played each one for us and told us what was good and how they differed. I must admit they all sounded great to me. We ended up getting a Berkeley gloss black job that look more like a piano than the others but still has the requisite volume control, headphone socket, metronome and record functions as well as eight different piano sounds plus we bought an adjustable piano stool.

We decided if it plays and sounds like a piano it might as well look like one too and so we didn't need it to match the current light coloured furniture. It was also the display model and reduced by £200.00!

Leaving it till as near Christmas to collect as possible so it can be 'delivered' by Santa as a pressie for the whole family.

Thanks for the help.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

When you get this good post a vid and let us see how you're getting on!

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

That was quick work! Enjoy. The piano can really take up a lot of time so don't forget the bike!