What kind of digital piano do you have and how do you like it? How did you decide on the one that you did?
Chung-chieh Shan:
I have a Yamaha P150. I got it in fall 2000, used on Ebay for about $1000 including shipping. Prices may have dropped since then. For me the primary concern is for it to be like a piano. If you’re looking for keyboards/synthesizers without having the “piano feel” in mind, you have a wider range of choices and I know even less about the subject…
Each brand has a different kind of feel (in terms of sound as well as keyboard action), and people have different preferences. I think the major brands are Roland, Yamaha, and Technics (in no particular order). No matter where you buy yours (and whether you buy it new or used), you should try out various models in person. Near Boston Commons there are two piano stores that sell digital pianos—Boston Organ & Piano Inc and M Steinert & Sons Co (find them on Yahoo Yellow Pages). One of them sells only digital pianos from Yamaha; the other sells mostly Rolands and Technics. Go try them out!
Another source of information I used is Harmony Central. They have user reviews of models that are often informative (but of course, reader beware).
Personally, I am pretty happy with my P150—it’s not a real piano, but digital pianos are not real pianos in general. I think I’d have been equally happy with a Roland or Technics model if one happened to be on sale on Ebay. Think about how you plan to use your digital piano and plan accordingly, I guess…
Let me know what more details would help. Have fun!
Mark Wu:
I pretty much just read this aging FAQ.
I went to these music stores:
BOSTON ORGAN AND PIANO, INC.
104 BOYLSTON ST.
BOSTON , MA 02116
617-332-6650
(Boylston - High-end Yamaha's)
RAYBURN MUSICAL INSTRUMENT CO., INC.
263 HUNTINGTON AVE.
BOSTON , MA 02115
617-266-4727
(Symphony - Low-end models, and few at that)
GUITAR CENTER, INC.
750 COMMONWEALTH AVE.
BOSTON , MA 02215
617-738-5958
(BU Central - Mostly keyboards)
BOSTON MUSIC COMPANY
215 STUART STREET
BOSTON , MA 02116
617-426-5100
(Boylston - Never actually went)
M Steinert & Sons Co
162 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02116
617-426-1900
(Boylston - High-end Rolands)
MARS MUSIC
14 McGrath Highway
Somerville, MA 02143
617-623-4445
(69 Bus to Railroad tracks)I ended buying a Roland MP-300 at MARS MUSIC, partly because they had the best price on it, partly because I live two blocks away, and partly because I decided that it had a set of features closest to what I wanted. $1300, before tax, it came in two boxes, five parts, and ten screws.
Keyboard action is important, but I wouldn’t focus too much on it, unless you have >$5000 to spend. The Roland dealer at M Steinert & Sons made me remember that upright pianos have a different action from grand pianos, anyway. I found polyphony to be important, and that was a big part of my deciding on the Roland over the Yamaha YDP-121.
Tigris:
I’ve got a Yamaha Clavinova CLP-820 (which they don’t seem to sell on their website anymore) that I’m happy with. I wish it had a key cover to keep the dust off the keys. It has different voices (such as grand piano, electric piano, harpsichord…) that I never change from grand piano, 2 pedals, an interface to output to a computer (haven’t tried that), and varying volume response (plays louder when I strike the keys harder).
One thing I like about it is that it’s light and can be moved by just 2 people and fits in the back of my Subaru Outback whenever I put the back seats down. I’ve already moved it to 3 different homes now.
(around the turn of the century)