Thursday, January 13, 2011

Digital Pianos - Which Brand Will Should I Get?

By Austin Gore


Ok, you want to buy a digital piano. You have visited lots of music shops and tried lots of digital pianos out. You have been given lots of conflicting advice and don't know what to do!

This is sadly what numerous shoppers experience when they desire to acquire a digital piano and they go to their local piano shop armed with several print outs from the web but not sufficient knowledge or the correct guidance to make an informed choice.

Go Shopping for digital pianos

You enter your local piano shop and are confronted with lots of digital pianos, different styles, colours, shapes. Some digital pianos have a few buttons, some hundreds of buttons and flashing lights - HELP!!! You want some advice but unfortunately the advice you will get from the salesman will always favour the shops' profit over yourself.

You go to 1 piano shop and they suggest the Roland digital piano - "it is the very best digital piano around by far, remarkable sounds and it plays and feels just like a real piano" they say. You say "What about the Yamaha, I have heard that it really is a quite excellent piano also?" They say "No, the Roland digital piano is far greater than the Yamaha". They then sit down and play the Yamaha and then the Roland and convince you that the Roland digital piano is certainly far greater than the Yamaha. Why do piano shops constantly attempt to push a specific model or a specific brand? Well the reason behind this is that they're either eager to get rid of a model or they're basically making extra dollars on 1 brand than they're the other.

You trot off to one more piano shop to get some additional guidance and to compare costs. Once more you walk in and you might be confronted by a comparable set up. The salesman, like prior to, shows you the unique digital pianos and advises you that the Casio is the most effective digital piano and not the Yamaha, and undoubtedly not the Roland. The Roland digital piano is way over priced! You explain that you've just been to an additional piano shop and had been told that the Roland digital piano is much better than the Yamaha, along with the Casio is nowhere near as great. "They do not know what they're talking about" the salesman says. Now you might be utterly confused and walk out of the shop a small angry.

In case you have experienced the above and are at the end of your tether, I am here to support and provide you unbiased guidance on which digital piano you need to take into consideration, the merits of every 1 and also the strengths and weaknesses. Read on...

Yamaha digital pianos

The Yamaha digital piano is the most popular digital piano today. More Yamahas are sold than any other digital piano by a long way. Yamaha have got where they are today by superior branding, advertising and product development. Yamaha put in so much effort to make their digital pianos (known as Clavinova) sound and feel as close to a real piano as possible, the sound sample they use for their digital pianos is taken from their own concert grand piano.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

Advice: Go ahead and buy any Yamaha digital piano from the range.

Price: Basic models start from RRP 989. You should be able to buy a Yamaha digital piano on the web for about 20% off.

Casio digital pianos

The Casio digital piano has improved vastly over the previous couple of years. The Casio digital pianos had been considered mediocre a couple of years ago, but now their improvements have been so excellent they're considered to be 1 of the most effective digital pianos in the marketplace right now. Casio digital pianos are, and have often been, the most effective value for cash. The Casio digital pianos aren't very as excellent as the Roland or the Yamaha but they're normally low cost digital pianos, between half and two thirds the price of the Yamaha and Roland digital pianos.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

Guidance: Wonderful value for dollars! Go ahead and purchase any Casio digital piano from the Celviano range (Casio AP). You may wish to think about the Casio Privia digital piano range if you're short of space.

Price: Basic models start from RRP 799.99. You should be able to find some great deals on the web. Casio digital pianos generally sell for around 28-30% off RRP.

Roland digital pianos

The Roland digital piano is built with quality and produces nice piano tones, especially around the centre of the keyboard. The sound is a little thin and false around the middle to high treble though. Roland has always been known to value their brand extremely highly and will not reduce their prices if it means the quality of their digital pianos would be compromised. The sound sampling for the Roland digital piano is taken from a Steinway concert grand piano.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

Guidance: Go ahead and get any Roland digital piano from the HP, F or KR range.

Price: Basic modesl start from RRP 899. Prices seem to be fixed on the internet so you won't be able to get much more than 5% off RRP. You will probably get a better deal on a Roland digital piano from your local music shop.

Korg digital pianos

Korg are perhaps better known for their high end keyboards and stage pianos. They do produce a limited range of digital pianos that offer functions similar to the Casio digital piano. Korg digital pianos are quite reasonably priced but their performance falls short of the Yamaha, Roland and Casio digital pianos.

Rating: 4 out of 10.

Guidance: Wouldn't genuinely take into account a Korg digital piano, but some people today like their sound.

Price: Basic models start from RRP 999. You should be able to buy a Korg digital piano on the web at around 30-35% off.

Kawai digital pianos

Hugely hyped up digital pianos! Kawai proclaim to have produced the ideal piano action and piano sound by some wizardry potion that no other organization can obtain - complete hogwash! I have tried and tested these digital pianos out and locate that the keys are too light and spongy along with the sound is extremely bright, harsh and electronic.

Rating: three out of 10.

Advice: Wouldn't really consider a Kawai digital piano, unless you are fond of the Kawai piano sound.

Price: Basic model starts from RRP 999. You should be able to buy a basic Kawai digital piano on the web at around 20-25% off RRP.

Gem digital pianos

Gem digital pianos look quite nice indeed and have a fantastic name behind them. They do lack in high quality though, the sound is extremely poor and they supply a limited range of digital pianos. The lid tends to make a squeaking sound as well as the keys are really noisy. They proclaim to use 'Drake Technology' in their pianos - sounds impressive does not it? But what is it? Well, It actually is just a feature to assist them sell, but I do not personally see a lot of an improvement in their digital pianos.

Rating: three out of 10.

Advice: Probably wouldn't consider a Gem digital piano, but if you like the polished ebony look, it is the cheapest digital piano in that particular colour on the market.

Price: Basic models start from RRP 999. You probably won't be able to get much of a discount on Gem digital pianos, as these pianos are not very popular and there is not much competition online.

Ketron digital pianos

Ketron make very good digital pianos but they're really costly, particularly the digital grand pianos. In the event you have dollars to burn then take into consideration these pianos, otherwise go for 1 of the massive 3 - Yamaha, Roland or Casio.

Rating: 6 out of 10.

Guidance: Most likely wouldn't take into account a Ketron digital piano unless I had lots of funds to throw away, but should you seriously like the sound - some persons do - then go ahead!

Price: Fundamental models stars from RRP 1299. You most likely will not have the ability to get significantly of a discount on a Ketron digital piano, as these pianos aren't incredibly well-liked and there's not a lot competition on-line.

Suzuki digital pianos

Suzuki make fantastic motorbikes, but digital pianos?? Yes Suzuki is very famous for their motorbikes but also Suzuki is hugely famous in the world of musical instruments. They are famous for the 'Suzuki teaching method, they make great violins and bows, recorders, harmonicas, guitars and reasonable acoustic pianos. Suzuki digital pianos, however, unfortunately don't quite make the grade. The Suzuki's sound is poor, the build quality is appalling and the touch is rather dreadful. They are very cheap digital pianos. Sorry Suzuki, but I have to tell the truth.

Rating: 2 out of 10.

Advice: Don't buy a Suzuki digital piano. Pease don't buy a Suzuki digital piano. Never buy a Suzuki digital piano! There are so many other good digital pianos out there, why would you want to throw your money away buying a Suzuki digital piano?

Price: Fundamental model starts from RRP 799. You may pick up generous discounts on Suzuki digital pianos (20-25%). Beware of your local piano shop if they're attempting to sell you a Suzuki digital piano. Ask them how it compares to a Yamaha digital piano or a Roland.

Kurzweil digital pianos

Kurzweil are well known for their keyboards and pro audio products but not so much for their digital pianos. Kurzweil digital pianos have been around for a long time, they have been mainly distributed in America up until recently. The Kurzweil digital piano is very robust and produces a good sound.

Rating: 5 out of 10.

Guidance: May be worth attempting 1 out should you can locate a Kurzweil digital piano stockist. I have seen of these pianos on Ebay.

Price: Check Ebay, as this is possibly the only place you'll come across them on the web.

Extra digital pianos (not inside the exact same league as above)

Alesis, Bohemia, Bohm, Daewoo, Ensonio, Farfisa, Hammond, Orla, Samick, Solton, Technics, Viscount Allegro, Wersi.

These digital pianos are significantly worse than any of the above digital pianos I have reviewed and really should undoubtedly not be considered.




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